IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,365,060
Granted Patent B2
US 12,365,060 · App. 17/634,534 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Chemical mechanical polishing correction tool

Inventors: Jay Gurusamy (Santa Clara, CA); Steven M. Zuniga (Soquel, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
B24B37/34B24B37/32B24B53/017
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,365,060
App. No.
17/634,534
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing touch-up tool includes a pedestal configured to support a substrate, a plurality of jaws configured to center the substrate on the pedestal, a loading ring to apply pressure to an annular region on a back side of the substrate on the pedestal, a polishing ring to bring a polishing material into contact with an annular region on a front side of the substrate that is aligned with the annular region on the back side of the substrate, and a polishing ring actuator to rotate the polishing ring to cause relative motion between the polishing ring and the substrate.

Claims (16)

1. A chemical mechanical polishing touch-up tool, comprising:

a support to hold a substrate having a planar front surface and a planar back surface;

an asymmetry-correction ring including a plurality of independently vertically movable segments to apply independently controllable pressures to a plurality of angularly disposed zones of an annular region on the planar back surface of the substrate on a pedestal;

a polishing ring to bring an annular piece of polishing material into contact with an annular region on the planar front surface of the substrate that is aligned with the annular region on the planar back surface of the substrate to which pressures are applied by the asymmetry-correction ring, wherein the polishing ring comprises a plurality of radially-movable arcuate segments; and

a polishing ring actuator configured to rotate, around a rotation axis, the polishing ring to cause relative motion between the polishing ring and the substrate and to cause the plurality of arcuate segments to move radially inward or outward,

wherein the rotation axis of the polishing ring does not intersect the polishing ring actuator, and

wherein radial movement of the arcuate segments is decoupled from vertical movement of the arcuate segments.

2. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the asymmetry-correction ring includes four to twelve independently vertically movable segments.

3. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the asymmetry-correction ring includes a plurality of independently pressurizable zone chambers corresponding to the plurality of independently vertically movable segments.

4. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis of the polishing ring is coaxial with the asymmetry-correction ring.

5. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the asymmetry-correction ring provides a chuck to hold the substrate.

6. The tool of claim 1 , wherein a width of the asymmetry-correction ring is greater than a width of the polishing ring.

7. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the asymmetry-correction ring includes a channel to vacuum chuck the substrate.

8. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a pedestal positioned to contact the planar front surface of the substrate.

9. The tool of claim 1 , comprising a conditioning pad positioned radially outward of the asymmetry-correction ring, and wherein the plurality of radially-movable arcuate segments are movable, by the polishing ring actuator, below the conditioning pad.

10. The tool of claim 1 , further comprising a slurry dispenser having a port located radially inwardly of the polishing ring.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 25, 2022
From: GURUSAMY, JAY; ZUNIGA, STEVEN M.
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059402/0401 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62892334 · Aug 27, 2019
Related Publication 20220324081A1 · Oct 13, 2022
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