Granted Patent B2

US 7,846,007 · App. 12/351,290 · Granted Dec 7, 2010

Abstract

Claims (34)

1. A system for polishing a semiconductor wafer comprising:

a polishing apparatus including a rotatable polishing pad for polishing the wafer;

a dressing apparatus mounted adjacent the polishing pad for dressing the polishing pad, said dressing apparatus including a dressing member engageable with the polishing pad, the dressing apparatus including a rotatable arm;

a cleaning apparatus mounted adjacent the polishing pad for removing particulate and chemicals from the polishing pad, the cleaning apparatus including a rotatable arm, wherein the dressing apparatus arm and the cleaning apparatus arm are mounted for rotation about the same axis; and

a controller for controlling the dressing apparatus and the cleaning apparatus.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the dressing member is mounted for rotation about an axis generally perpendicular to the polishing pad.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the dressing apparatus includes an actuator for forcing the dressing member against the polishing pad.

4. A system as set forth in claim 3 wherein:

the dressing member is mounted on one end of the dressing apparatus arm; and

the actuator is mounted on another end of the dressing apparatus arm.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cleaning apparatus includes a brush.

6. A system as set forth in claim 5 the cleaning apparatus includes an actuator for forcing the brush against the polishing pad.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6 wherein:

the brush is mounted on one end of the cleaning apparatus arm; and

the actuator is mounted on another end of the cleaning apparatus arm.

8. A system as set forth in claim 5 wherein the cleaning apparatus comprises a fluid dispenser.

9. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a well for holding fluid to soak the dressing apparatus and cleaning apparatus.

10. A dressing system for dressing a polishing surface of a polishing pad for a semiconductor wafer comprising:

a dressing arm having a rotatable dressing member mounted thereon, said dressing arm being mounted for selectively moving the dressing member across the polishing surface and for forcing the member against the polishing pad with a predetermined amount of force; and

a cleaning arm having a cleaning member mounted thereon, said cleaning arm being mounted for selectively moving the cleaning member across the polishing surface of the polishing pad, wherein both the dressing arm and the cleaning arm are mounted for rotation about the same axis.

11. A system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said dressing member comprises a wheel.

12. A system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said cleaning member comprises a brush.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said dressing arm and said cleaning arm are pivotally mounted for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the polishing surface.

14. A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said dressing arm and said cleaning arm are pivotally mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the polishing surface.

15. A system as set forth in claim 14 wherein said dressing arm and said cleaning arm are mounted to rotate about an axis parallel to the polishing surface.

16. A system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the dressing arm and said cleaning arm are mounted to independently rotate about the axis parallel to the polishing surface.

17. A system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said cleaning member comprises a brush.

18. A system as set forth in claim 17 wherein said cleaning member further comprises a fluid dispenser.

19. A system as set forth in claim 10 further comprising a fluid dispenser mounted on the cleaning arm.

20. A method of dressing a polishing surface of a polishing pad used in polishing of wafers comprising:

obtaining a radial profile of a wafer polished with the polishing pad, categorizing the polished wafer into a profile category based on the radial profile of the wafer, selecting a recipe corresponding to the selected category, dressing the polishing surface of the pad according to the selected recipe using a dressing apparatus including a rotatable arm; and

cleaning the dressed polishing surface of the pad using a cleaning apparatus including a rotatable arm, wherein the cleaning apparatus arm and dressing apparatus arm are mounted for rotation about the same axis.

21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the cleaning step comprises brushing the dressed polishing surface of the pad.

22. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the cleaning step comprises dispensing fluid on the dressed polishing surface of the pad.

Assignments (10)