Chemical mechanical polishing head having floating wafer retaining ring and wafer carrier with multi-zone polishing pressure control
US6309290A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 19, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 30, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 19, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB24B49/16
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides structure and method for achieving a uniformly polished or planarized substrate such as a semiconductor wafer including achieving substantially uniform polishing between the center of the semiconductor wafer and the edge of the wafer. In one aspect the invention provides a polishing apparatus including a housing, a carrier for mounting a substrate to be polished, a retaining ring circumscribing the carrier for retaining the substrate, a first coupling attaching the retaining ring to the carrier such that the retaining ring may move relative to the carrier, a second coupling attaching the carrier to the housing such that the carrier may move relative to the housing, the housing and the first coupling defining a first pressure chamber to exert a pressure force against the retaining ring, and the housing and the second coupling defining a second pressure chamber to exert a pressure force against the subcarrier. In one embodiment, the couplings are diaphragms. In another embodiment, the invention includes a single-or multiple-chambered wafer carrier or subcarrier capable of modifying a differential polishing pressure across the surface of the wafer or other subst…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.