Apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing
US5938884A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 25, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 17, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 25, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05B2219/45232
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for polishing the face of a semiconductor wafer. The wafer is held in position by a tooling head and is contacted by an abrasive pad. A table is provided on to which the abrasive pad is fixedly attached, both of which move in directions parallel to the face of the wafer being polished. A controller controls the motion of the table according to a predetermined polishing pattern and is capable of maintaining a constant velocity between the wafer and the abrasive pad. The tooling head includes a circular platen and a retention ring peripherally oriented about the outer edge of the platen which resists lateral forces on the wafer caused by engagement of the face of the wafer with the polishing surface. An adjustable coupling is mounted to the platen and the ring, and serves to adjustably position during polishing the height of the ring relative to the face of the wafer as well as to rigidly support during polishing the position of the retaining ring. A flexible disk is fixedly mounted between a support post and the platen and oriented substantially parallel to the face of the platen. The flexible disk is adapted to prevent rotation of the platen abou…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.