IP Library Granted Patent US 12,145,236
Granted Patent B2
US 12,145,236 · App. 17/652,470 · Granted Nov 19, 2024

Containment and exhaust system for substrate polishing components

Inventors: Daniel Ray Trojan (Chandler, AZ); John Kevin Shugrue (Phoenix, AZ)
Assignee: Axus Technology, LLC
B24B57/02B24B37/042B24B37/24B24B53/017
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,145,236
App. No.
17/652,470
Granted
Nov 19, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Containment and exhaust systems for substrate polishing components are disclosed. In one aspect, a substrate carrier head, includes a polishing pad, a substrate carrier head configured to retain a wafer against the polishing pad, an atomizer configured to atomize a liquid and spread a layer of the atomized liquid over a surface area of the polishing pad, and a chamber configured to contain and exhaust the atomized liquid.

Claims (48)

1. A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system, comprising:

a polishing pad;

a substrate carrier head configured to retain a wafer against the polishing pad;

at least one of:

an atomizer configured to atomize a liquid and spread a layer of the atomized liquid over a surface area of the polishing pad, and

a sprayer comprising at least one pad cleaning nozzle configured to spray a cleaning liquid onto the polishing pad to clean the polishing pad;

a chamber configured to contain at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid, wherein the chamber comprises an inner chamber, and an outer chamber arranged to encompass the inner chamber, and wherein the outer chamber is configured to have a lower pressure than the inner chamber; and

an output configured to remove at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid from the chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inner chamber and the outer chamber are arranged in a coaxial configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises the atomizer, and wherein the atomizer comprises an output nozzle configured to discharge the atomized liquid within the inner chamber.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the output is configured to exhaust the at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid from the outer chamber.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the output comprises an exhaust port, further comprising: a scrubber coupled to the exhaust port and configured to reduce the level of any corrosive and/or toxic chemicals from the atomized liquid.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises the atomizer, and wherein the atomized liquid is configured to cool the polishing pad via evaporative cooling.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the polishing pad is formed of polyurethane.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the polishing pad is further configured to polish the wafer when the wafer is formed of silicon carbide.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises the sprayer, and wherein the sprayer comprises a spray bar arranged inside the chamber.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the spray bar is arranged inside the inner chamber.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising: at least one exhaust plenum flush nozzle configured to spray cleaning liquid into the outer chamber.

12. A method for cooling a substrate during chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of the substrate, the method comprising:

providing slurry to a surface of a polishing pad of a CMP system, the CMP system further including:

a substrate carrier head configured to retain a wafer against the polishing pad,

at least one of:

i) an atomizer configured to atomize a liquid and spread a layer of the atomized liquid over a surface area of the polishing pad, and

ii) a sprayer comprising at least one pad cleaning nozzle configured to spray a cleaning liquid onto the polishing pad to clean the polishing pad,

a chamber configured to contain at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid, wherein the chamber comprises an inner chamber, and an outer chamber arranged to encompass the inner chamber, and

wherein the outer chamber is configured to have a lower pressure than the inner chamber, and an output;

performing at least one of: providing atomized cooling liquid to the surface of the polishing pad using the atomizer; and

providing cleaning liquid to the surface of the polishing pad using the sprayer; and

removing at least a portion of at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid from a point proximate to the surface using the output.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein removing comprises exhausting the at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid from the chamber.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein removing comprises draining the at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning liquid from the chamber.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the output comprises an exhaust port, and wherein exhausting further comprises flowing the at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning fluid from the inner chamber and into the outer chamber through a gap, and from the outer chamber through the exhaust port.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein exhausting further comprises flowing the at least one of the atomized liquid and the cleaning fluid from the exhaust port to a scrubber.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising: spraying the cleaning liquid onto the polishing pad using a spray bar arranged inside the inner chamber.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising spraying the cleaning liquid into the outer chamber via at least one exhaust flush nozzle.

19. A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system, comprising:

a polishing pad;

a substrate carrier head configured to retain a wafer against the polishing pad;

a chamber comprising a plenum configured to contain liquid, wherein the chamber comprises an inner chamber, and an outer chamber arranged to encompass the inner chamber, and wherein the outer chamber is configured to have a lower pressure than the inner chamber;

at least one of:

an atomizer configured to atomize liquid within the chamber and spread a layer of the atomized liquid over a surface area of a portion of the polishing pad within the chamber; and

a nozzle configured to at least one of:

spray a cleaning liquid onto the portion of the polishing pad; and

spray a cleaning liquid into the outer portion of the chamber; and

an outlet configured to remove the cleaning liquid from the chamber.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises the atomizer, the system further comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a temperature of at least a portion of the polishing pad; and

a controller configured to receive the signal from the temperature sensor and control a flow of the atomized liquid from the atomizer based on the signal.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jan 15, 2026
From: AXUS TECHNOLOGY, LLC
To: ASM AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 073852/0903 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2024
From: TROJAN, DANIEL RAY; SHUGRUE, JOHN KEVIN
To: AXUS TECHNOLOGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 067280/0417 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63165652 · Mar 24, 2021
Provisional Application 63154175 · Feb 26, 2021
Related Publication 20220305618A1 · Sep 29, 2022