Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for controlling within-wafer uniformity in chemical mechanical polishing

US6276989A · kind A · utility

46Cited by
5References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 11, 1999
Grant dateAug 21, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 11, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB24B49/03
  • WIPO fieldMachine tools
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A method of controlling surface non-uniformity of a process layer includes receiving a first lot of wafers, and polishing a process layer of the first lot of wafers. A control variable of the polishing operations is measured after the polishing is performed on the process layer. A first adjustment input for an arm oscillation length of a polishing tool is determined based on the measurement of the control variable. A process layer of a second lot of wafers is polished using the adjustment input for the arm oscillation length. A controller for controlling surface non-uniformity of a process layer includes an optimizer and an interface. The optimizer is adapted to determine a first adjustment input for arm oscillation length of a polishing tool based on a measurement of a control variable from a first lot of wafers. The interface is adapted to provide the first adjustment input to the polishing tool for polishing a second lot of wafers.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.