US5536202A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Semiconductor substrate conditioning head having a plurality of geometries formed in a surface thereof for pad conditioning during chemical-mechanical polish
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1994-07-27
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Granted: 1996-07-16
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Expires: 2014-07-27
Abstract
Abstract A pad conditioning method and apparatus for chemical-mechanical polishing. A polishing pad (114) is attached to a platen (112) and used to polish a wafer (116). Rotating arm (118) positions the wafer (116) over the pad (114) and applies pressure. During wafer polishing particles build up on the polishing pad (114) reducing its effectiveness. Either during or in between wafer polishing (or both), conditioning head (122) is applied to pad (114) to remove the particles from pad (114) into the slurry (120). Conditioning head (122) comprises a semiconductor substrate (126) that is patterned and etched to form a plurality of geometries (128) having a feature size on the order of polishing pad (114) cell size.
Inventors
- 👤 Andrew T. Appel
- 👤 Michael F. Chisholm
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 16:16
CPC Classifications
B; B24; B24B; B24B53/00; B24B53/017
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
40 words
A Chemical-Mechanical Polishing machine comprising: a. a polishing pad; b. a conditioning head comprising a semiconductor substrate having a non-planar semiconductor surface; and c. a conditioning head arm for positioning said conditioning head over a surface of said polishing pad.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
40 words
A Chemical-Mechanical Polishing machine comprising: a. a polishing pad; b. a conditioning head comprising a semiconductor substrate having a non-planar semiconductor surface; and c. a conditioning head arm for positioning said conditioning head over a surface of said polishing pad.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said non-planar surface is shaped into a plurality of evenly distributed geometries.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The machine of claim 2, wherein said plurality of geometries each has a size on the order of a cell size of said polishing pad.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The machine of claim 2, wherein said plurality of geometries each has a size on the order of 30 μm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The machine of claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of geometries comprises slanted sidewall edges such that the slanted sidewall edges of two adjacent geometries form a V-shaped groove.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The machine of claim 2, wherein said plurality of geometries are each straight-walled geometries.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The machine of claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of geometries comprises curved sidewall edges.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of amorphous, crystalline, or polycrystalline silicon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises silicon carbide.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The machine of claim 1, further comprising a hardening film located over said non-planar surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The machine of claim 10, wherein said hardening film comprises silicon carbide.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The machine of claim 10, wherein said hardening film comprises a diamond film.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
61 words
A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) machine comprising: a polishing pad comprising a plurality of cells; and a conditioning head comprising a semiconductor substrate having a non-planar semiconductor surface, wherein said non-planar semiconductor surface is shaped into a plurality of geometries, each of said plurality of geometries having a width on an order of magnitude of a width of one of said cells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
61 words
A chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) machine comprising: a polishing pad comprising a plurality of cells; and a conditioning head comprising a semiconductor substrate having a non-planar semiconductor surface, wherein said non-planar semiconductor surface is shaped into a plurality of geometries, each of said plurality of geometries having a width on an order of magnitude of a width of one of said cells.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The CMP machine of claim 13, wherein said plurality of geometries are evenly distributed in said surface of said semiconductor substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The CMP machine of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of geometries comprises slanted sidewalls.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The CMP machine of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of geometries comprises straight sidewalls.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The CMP machine of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of geometries comprises curved sidewalls.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The CMP machine of claim 13, further comprising a hardening film located over said plurality of geometries.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
13 words
The CMP machine of claim 18 wherein said hardening film comprises silicon carbide.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
14 words
The CMP machine of claim 18 wherein said hardening film comprises a diamond film.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-07-16 | 2000-01-15 | 2000-07-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-07-16 | 2004-01-15 | 2004-07-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-07-16 | 2008-01-15 | 2008-07-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |