IP Library Granted Patent US 10,632,587
Granted Patent B2
US 10,632,587 · App. 15/564,417 · Granted Apr 28, 2020

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

Inventors: Masayuki Nakanishi (Tokyo, JP); Toshifumi Watanabe (Tokyo, JP); Kenji Kodera (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
B24B9/065B24B21/002B24B49/12H01L21/304
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,632,587
App. No.
15/564,417
Granted
Apr 28, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

To provide a polishing apparatus capable of polishing bevel portions of varying shape by selecting a suitable polishing recipe, based on a state before polishing. The polishing apparatus 100 comprises: a holding/polishing unit 102 for holding and polishing a workpiece W 1 ; and an identifying unit 104 for identifying data 104 a associated with a state of the peripheral portion of the substrate W 1 before polishing. The holding/polishing unit 102 comprises: a holder 106 for holding and rotating the substrate W 1 ; and a polisher 108 for polishing the peripheral portion of the substrate W 1 by pressing a polishing member against the peripheral portion. A polishing-condition determiner 110 determines a polishing condition, based on data 104 a indicating to which type, of a plurality of shape-related types, the shape of a given peripheral portion belongs.

Claims (19)

1. A polishing apparatus comprising:

a holder for holding a workpiece;

a polishing member for polishing a peripheral portion of the workpiece while the polishing member is pressed against the peripheral portion;

an identifying unit configured to identify data associated with a cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion before the polishing and configured to transmit the data, the data indicating which of a plurality of predetermined types of cross-sectional shapes the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs to;

a polishing-condition determiner configured to comprise a plurality of predetermined polishing conditions corresponding to the plurality of predetermined types of the cross-sectional shapes, and determine a polishing condition among the plurality of predetermined polishing conditions based on the data transmitted from the identifying unit; and

a controller for controlling the polishing member to polish the workpiece in accordance with the polishing condition.

2. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the identifying unit comprises a confocal laser microscope, and the data associated with the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion is obtained by the confocal laser microscope.

3. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the identifying unit comprises a telecentric optical system, and the data associated with the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion is obtained by the telecentric optical system.

4. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a polishing-termination determiner that, after the polishing member polishes the workpiece, determines whether to terminate the polishing, based on data associated with the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion after polishing.

5. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the is polishing member polishes a bevel portion that is an end face of the peripheral portion of the workpiece.

6. A polishing method for polishing a peripheral portion of a workpiece by pressing a polishing member against the peripheral portion while the workpiece is held and rotated, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of predetermined polishing conditions corresponding to a plurality of predetermined types of cross-sectional shapes;

identifying data associated with a cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion before the polishing, the data indicating which of the plurality of predetermined types of cross-sectional shapes the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs to;

determining a polishing condition among the plurality of predetermined polishing conditions based on the data associated with the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion before the polishing; and

polishing the workpiece in accordance with the polishing condition.

7. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the identifying unit identifies to which of the plurality of predetermined types the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs, based on whether or not the cross-sectional shape has a straight line at its center, whether or not the cross-sectional shape has a slanted straight line, and a length of a curved line.

8. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the identifying unit uses a template matching technique to determine a degree of similarity between the cross-sectional shape and the plurality of predetermined types to identify to which of the plurality of predetermined types the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs.

9. The polishing method according to claim 6 , wherein the identifying step identifies to which of the plurality of predetermined types the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs, based on whether or not the cross-sectional shape has a straight line at its center, whether or not the cross-sectional shape has a slanted straight line, and a length of a curved line.

10. The polishing method according to claim 6 , wherein the identifying step uses a template matching technique to determine a degree of similarity between the cross-sectional shape and the plurality of predetermined types to identify to which of the plurality of predetermined types the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral portion belongs.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 6, 2017
From: NAKANISHI, MASAYUKI; WATANABE, TOSHIFUMI; KODERA, KENJI
To: EBARA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043809/0231 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-005185 · Jan 14, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180133861A1 · May 17, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,330,265