Loading device of chemical mechanical polishing equipment for semiconductor wafers

1. A loading device of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) equipment for processing semiconductor wafers, including:

a loading cup having a cup-like bath;

a cup plate installed in the bath;

a loading plate supported on the cup plate for absorbing shock and seating a semiconductor wafer;

a driving device and a driving shaft horizontally pivoting and vertically moving the loading cup between a platen of a polishing apparatus and a spindle;

an arm connecting the loading cup and the driving shaft, wherein at least one through hole is located at one or more mutually corresponding positions of the bath, the cup plate, and the loading plate of the loading cup;

at least one probe assembly for optically detecting a polished thickness at a polished point on the wafer in each through hole at the corresponding position of the loading cup;

an optical thickness detection device for applying light onto a layer on the semiconductor wafer, detecting reflected wavelengths, and detecting layer thickness of the semiconductor wafer from a change in a physical quantity extracted from a light interference signal resulting from the reflected wavelengths detected, the optical thickness detection device being located at one side of the driving device; and

an optical fiber cable connecting each of the probe assemblies and the thickness detection device, disposed in the arm.

2. The loading device according to claim 1 , wherein the polishing apparatus includes at least one pair of a polishing carrier and a platen for multi-step polishing of the layer on the semiconductor wafer, and for extracting information on the layer thickness from the semiconductor wafer disposed between the polishing carrier and the platen, after a polishing process is performed on a previously input wafer, and just before a polishing is performed on a subsequently input wafer, or before a subsequent polishing process is performed on the same previously input wafer.

3. The loading device according to claim 1 , wherein the probe assembly includes

a further optical fiber cable connected with a light source of the thickness detection device,

a ferrule surrounding the further optical fiber cable,

a light-transmission protective cap as a transmission window coupled to tips of the further optical fiber cable and the ferrule and inserted into the loading plate at the through hole, and

a probe tip positioner for positioning tips of the further optical fiber cable and the light-transmission protective cap in a vertical direction.

4. The loading device according to claim 3 , wherein the probe tip positioner includes

an insert ring that is closely fixed to an outer surface of the ferrule near a back surface of the loading plate,

a compressible resilient body that is interposed and supported at opposite ends between a step in the through hole of the loading plate and a top surface of the insert ring and continuously exerts a resilient force, simultaneously lowering the insert ring together with the optical fiber cable and the ferrule, and

a positioning threaded pipe including a through hole for receiving the optical fiber cable and the ferrule without contact, having a male thread on an outer surface and received in a through hole of the cup plate for engaging a female thread in the through hole of the cup plate, contacting and upwardly supporting a back surface of the insert ring at a top end.

5. The loading device according to claim 3 , wherein the polishing apparatus includes at least one pair of a polishing carrier and a platen for multi-step polishing of the layer on the semiconductor wafer, and for extracting information on the layer thickness from the semiconductor wafer disposed between the polishing carrier and the platen, after a polishing process is performed on a previously input wafer, and just before a polishing is performed on a subsequently input wafer, or before a subsequent polishing process is performed on the same previously input wafer.

6. The loading device according to claim 1 , including a light-transmission protective layer on a top surface of the loading plate of the loading cup, protecting a probe from contamination during a polishing process and precisely detecting reflected light.

7. The loading device according to claim 6 , wherein the polishing apparatus includes at least one pair of a polishing carrier and a platen for multi-step polishing of the layer on the semiconductor wafer, and for extracting information on the layer thickness from the semiconductor wafer disposed between the polishing carrier and the platen, after a polishing process is performed on a previously input wafer, and just before a polishing is performed on a subsequently input wafer, or before a subsequent polishing process is performed on the same previously input wafer.