Patent Grant
7195536
The present invention relates generally to chemical mechanical polishing of substrates, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for monitoring a metal layer during chemical mechanical polishing.
An integrated circuit is typically formed on a substrate by the sequential deposition of conductive, semiconductive or insulative layers on a silicon wafer. One fabrication step involves depositing a filler layer over a non-planar surface, and planarizing the filler layer until the non-planar surface is exposed. For example, a conductive filler layer can be deposited on a patterned insulative layer to fill the trenches or holes in the insulative layer. The filler layer is then polished until the raised pattern of the insulative layer is exposed. After planarization, the portions of the conductive layer remaining between the raised pattern of the insulative layer form vias, plugs and lines that provide conductive paths between thin film circuits on the substrate. In addition, planarization is needed to planarize the substrate surface for photolithography.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one accepted method of planarization. This planarization method typically requires that the substrate be mounted on a carrier or polishing head. The exposed surface of the substrate is placed against a rotating polishing disk pad or belt pad. The polishing pad can be either a “standard” pad or a fixed-abrasive pad. A standard pad has a durable roughened surface, whereas a fixed-abrasive pad has abrasive particles held in a containment media. The carrier head provides a controllable load on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. A polishing slurry, including at least one chemically-reactive agent, and abrasive particles if a standard pad is used, is supplied to the surface of the polishing pad.
One problem in CMP is determining whether the polishing process is complete, i.e., whether a substrate layer has been planarized to a desired flatness or thickness, or when a desired amount of material has been removed. Overpolishing (removing too much) of a conductive layer or film leads to increased circuit resistance. On the other hand, under-polishing (removing too little) of a conductive layer leads to electrical shorting. Variations in the initial thickness of the substrate layer, the slurry composition, the polishing pad condition, the relative speed between the polishing pad and the substrate, and the load on the substrate can cause variations in the material removal rate. These variations cause variations in the time needed to reach the polishing endpoint. Therefore, the polishing endpoint cannot be determined merely as a function of polishing time.
One way to determine the polishing endpoint is to remove the substrate from the polishing surface and examine it. For example, the substrate can be transferred to a metrology station where the thickness of a substrate layer is measured, e.g., with a profilometer or a resistivity measurement. If the desired specifications are not met, the substrate is reloaded into the CMP apparatus for further processing. This is a time-consuming procedure that reduces the throughput of the CMP apparatus. Alternatively, the examination might reveal that an excessive amount of material has been removed, rendering the substrate unusable.
More recently, in-situ monitoring of the substrate has been performed, e.g., with optical or capacitance sensors, in order to detect the polishing endpoint. Other proposed endpoint detection techniques have involved measurements of friction, motor current, slurry chemistry, acoustics and conductivity. One detection technique that has been considered is to induce an eddy current in the metal layer and measure the change in the eddy current as the metal layer is removed.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing. The apparatus has a platen to support a polishing surface, an eddy current monitoring system positioned in the platen to generate a first signal, an optical monitoring system positioned in the platen to generate a second signal, circuitry in the platen to combine the first and second signals into a third signal on an output line, and a computer to receive the third signal on the output line and extract the first and second signals.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The platen may be rotatable, and the output line may pass through a rotary electrical union between the circuitry and the computer. A carrier head may hold a substrate in contact with the polishing surface. The circuitry may assemble data from the first and second signals into packets, and the computer may extract the data from the packets.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of determining the thickness of a polishing pad. In the method, a substrate having a conductive layer disposed thereon is positioned in contact with a polishing surface of a polishing pad. An alternating magnetic field is generated from an inductor to induce eddy currents in the conductive layer. A strength of the magnetic field is measured, and a thickness of the polishing pad is calculated from at least the strength of the magnetic field.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. Generating the alternating magnetic field may include driving the inductor with a drive signal. A phase difference between the magnetic field and the drive signal may be measured. The thickness of the polishing pad may be calculated from at least the strength of the magnetic field and the phase difference. A test substrate may be polished with a first polishing pad having a first known thickness and with a second polishing pad having a second known thickness, and at least one coefficient may be generated to relate the thickness of the polishing pad to the strength of the signal during polishing. A user may be alerted if the thickness of the polishing pad falls below a predetermined thickness.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of measuring a thickness of a conductive layer on a substrate during chemical mechanical polishing. In the method, a substrate having a conductive layer disposed thereon is positioned in contact with a polishing surface of a polishing pad. Relative motion is created between the substrate and the polishing pad to polish the substrate. An inductor is driven with a drive signal to generate an alternating magnetic field that induces eddy currents in the conductive layer, a strength of the magnetic field and a phase difference between the magnetic field and the drive signal are measured, a correction factor is calculated based on the strength of the magnetic field, and a thickness of the conductive layer is calculated from the phase difference and the correction factor.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. A thickness of the polishing pad may be calculated from at least the strength of the magnetic field. A test substrate may be polished with a first polishing pad having a first known thickness and with a second polishing pad having a second known thickness, or a test substrate may be polished with a first polishing pad when the first polishing pad has a first known thickness and polished with the first polishing pad when the first polishing pad has a second known thickness. At least one coefficient may be generated to relate the thickness of the polishing pad to the strength of the signal during polishing. A user may be alerted if the thickness of the polishing pad falls below a predetermined thickness.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus. The apparatus has a polishing surface, a carrier head to hold a substrate having a conductive layer disposed thereon in contact with the polishing surface, a motor to create relative motion between the substrate and the polishing surface, an eddy current monitoring system including an inductor and a current source to drive the inductor to generate an alternating magnetic field that induces eddy currents in the conductive layer, a sensor to measure a strength of the magnetic field and a phase difference between the magnetic field and the drive signal, and a computer configured to calculate a correction factor based on the strength of the magnetic field and calculate a thickness of the conductive layer from the phase difference and the correction factor.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing. The apparatus has a platen to support a polishing surface, a carrier head to hold a substrate, an eddy current monitoring system to generate a first signal during polishing, and an optical monitoring system positioned to generate a second signal during polishing. The eddy current monitoring system includes an inductor to generate a magnetic field that extends to a first region of the substrate, and the optical monitoring system includes a light source positioned and oriented to direct a light beam to a spot in the first region of the substrate. Thus, the eddy current monitoring system and optical monitoring system measure substantially the same location on the substrate.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The eddy current monitoring system may include a core having a plurality of prongs. The optical monitoring system may includes a detector positioned at least partially between the prongs. The light beam may impinge the substrate at a point substantially equidistant from the prongs. The light beam may impinge the substrate at a spot directly above the core.
Possible advantages of implementations of the invention can include one or more of the following. The optical and eddy current monitoring systems can monitor essentially the same spot on the substrate. The thickness of the conductive layer can be measured during bulk polishing. The thickness of a polishing pad used to polish the substrate can also be measured during polishing. The pressure profile applied by the carrier head can be adjusted to compensate for non-uniform polishing rates and non-uniform thickness of the incoming substrate. Polishing can be stopped with high accuracy. Over-polishing and under-polishing can be reduced, as can dishing and erosion, thereby improving yield and throughput.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, including the drawings and claims.
Referring to
Each polishing station includes a rotatable platen 24 on which is placed a polishing pad 30. The first and second stations 22a and 22b can include a two-layer polishing pad with a hard durable outer surface or a fixed-abrasive pad with embedded abrasive particles. The final polishing station 22c can include a relatively soft pad or a two-layer pad. Each polishing station can also include a pad conditioner apparatus 28 to maintain the condition of the polishing pad so that it will effectively polish substrates.
Referring to
During a polishing step, a slurry 38 containing a liquid (e.g., deionized water for oxide polishing) and a pH adjuster (e.g., potassium hydroxide for oxide polishing) can be supplied to the surface of polishing pad 30 by a slurry supply port or combined slurry/rinse arm 39. If polishing pad 30 is a standard pad, slurry 38 can also include abrasive particles (e.g., silicon dioxide for oxide polishing).
Returning to
Each carrier head 70 is connected by a carrier drive shaft 74 to a carrier head rotation motor 76 (shown by the removal of one quarter of cover 68) so that each carrier head can independently rotate about it own axis. In addition, each carrier head 70 independently laterally oscillates in a radial slot 72 formed in carousel support plate 66. A description of a suitable carrier head 70 can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/470,820 and 09/535,575, filed Dec. 23, 1999 and Mar. 27, 2000, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. In operation, the platen is rotated about its central axis 25, and the carrier head is rotated about its central axis 71 and translated laterally across the surface of the polishing pad.
As disclosed in the foregoing patent applications and as shown in
The substrate backing assembly 212 includes a flexible internal membrane 216, a flexible external membrane 218, an internal support structure 220, an external support structure 230, an internal spacer ring 222 and an external spacer ring 232. Flexible internal membrane 216 includes a central portion which applies pressure to substrate 10 in a controllable area. The volume between base assembly 204 and internal membrane 216 that is sealed by an inner flap 244 provides pressurizable floating lower chamber 234. The annular volume between base assembly 204 and internal membrane 216 that is sealed by inner flap 244 and outer flap 246 defines pressurizable floating upper chamber 236. The sealed volume between internal membrane 216 and external membrane 218 defines a pressurizable outer chamber 238. Three pressure regulators (not shown) can be independently connected to floating lower chamber 234, floating upper chamber 236 and outer chamber 238. Thus, a fluid such as a gas can be directed into or out of each chamber independently.
The combination of pressures in floating upper chamber 236, floating lower chamber 234 and outer chamber 238 control both the contact area and the pressure of internal membrane 216 against a top surface of the external membrane 218. For example, by pumping fluid out of floating upper chamber 236, the edge of internal membrane 216 is lifted away from external membrane 218, thereby decreasing the contact diameter DC of the contact area between the internal membrane and external membrane. Conversely, by pumping fluid into floating upper chamber 236, the edge of internal membrane 216 is lowered toward external membrane 218, thereby increasing the contact diameter DC of the contact area. In addition, by pumping fluid into or out of floating lower chamber 234, the pressure of internal membrane 216 against external membrane 218 can be varied. Thus, the pressure in and the diameter of the area loaded by the carrier head can be controlled.
Referring to
Referring to
As shown by
Referring to
Referring to
Returning to
In general, the greater the expected initial thickness of the conductive film, the lower the desired resonant frequency. For example, for a relatively thin film, e.g., 2000 Angstroms, the capacitance and inductance can be selected to provide a relatively high resonant frequency, e.g., about 2 MHz. On the other hand, for a relatively thicker film, e.g., 20000 Angstroms, the capacitance and inductance can be selected to provide a relatively lower resonant frequency, e.g., about 50 kHz. However, high resonant frequencies may still work well with thick copper layers. In addition, very high frequencies (above 2 MHz) can be used to reduce background noise from metal parts in the carrier head.
Initially, referring to
As shown in
The patterned underlying layers can include metal features, e.g., vias, pads and interconnects. Since, prior to polishing, the bulk of conductive layer 16 is initially relatively thick and continuous, it has a low resistivity, and relatively strong eddy currents can be generated in the conductive layer. As previously mentioned, the eddy currents cause the metal layer to function as an impedance source in parallel with sense coil 46 and capacitor 52. Consequently, the presence of conductive film 16 reduces the Q-factor of the sensor circuit, thereby significantly reducing the amplitude of the signal from RF amplifier 56.
Referring to
Referring to
In addition to sensing changes in amplitude, the eddy current monitoring system can calculate a phase shift in the sensed signal. As the metal layer is polished, the phase of the sensed signal changes relative to the drive signal from oscillator 50. This phase difference can be correlated to the thickness of the polished layer.
One implementation of a phase measuring device, shown in
A possible advantage of the phase difference measurement is that the dependence of the phase difference on the metal layer thickness may be more linear than that of the amplitude. In addition, the absolute thickness of the metal layer may be determined over a wide range of possible thicknesses.
Returning to
Referring to
An example of a trace 250 generated by an optical monitoring system is shown in
Returning to
A general purpose programmable digital computer 90 receives the intensity signals and phase shift signals from the eddy current sensing system, and the intensity signals from the optical monitoring system. The printed circuit board 160 can include circuitry, such as a general purpose microprocessor or an application-specific integrated circuit, to convert the signals from the eddy current sensing system and optical monitoring system into digital data. This digital data can be assembled into discrete packets which are sent to computer 90 via a serial communication channel, e.g., RS-232. So long as both printed circuit board 160 and computer 90 use the same packet format, computer 90 can extract and use the intensity and phase shift measurements in the endpoint or process control algorithm. For example, each packet can include five bytes, of which two bytes are optical signal data, two bytes are either amplitude or phase difference data for the eddy current signal, one bit indicates whether the packet includes amplitude or phase shift data, and the remaining bits include flags for whether window section 36 is beneath the substrate, check-sum bits, and the like.
Since the monitoring systems sweep beneath the substrate with each rotation of the platen, information on the metal layer thickness and exposure of the underlying layer is accumulated in-situ and on a continuous real-time basis (once per platen rotation). The computer 90 can be programmed to sample measurements from the monitoring system when the substrate generally overlies transparent section 36 (as determined by the position sensor). As polishing progresses, the reflectivity or thickness of the metal layer changes, and the sampled signals vary with time. The time varying sampled signals may be referred to as traces. The measurements from the monitoring systems can be displayed on an output device 94 during polishing to permit the operator of the device to visually monitor the progress of the polishing operation. In addition, as discussed below, the traces may be used to control the polishing process and determine the end-point of the metal layer polishing operation.
In operation, CMP apparatus 20 uses eddy current monitoring system 40 and optical monitoring system 140 to determine when the bulk of the filler layer has been removed and to determine when the underlying stop layer has been substantially exposed. The computer 90 applies process control and endpoint detection logic to the sampled signals to determine when to change process parameter and to detect the polishing endpoint. Possible process control and endpoint criteria for the detector logic include local minima or maxima, changes in slope, threshold values in amplitude or slope, or combinations thereof.
In addition, computer 90 can be programmed to divide the measurements from eddy current monitoring system 40 and optical monitoring system 140 from each sweep beneath the substrate into a plurality of sampling zones 96, to calculate the radial position of each sampling zone, to sort the amplitude measurements into radial ranges, to determine minimum, maximum and average measurements for each sampling zone, and to use multiple radial ranges to determine the polishing endpoint, as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/460,529, filed Dec. 13, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Furthermore, computer 90 can be programmed to determine the thickness of polishing pad 30 and the absolute thickness of conductive layer 16 based on the signals from eddy current monitoring system 40. In general, both the intensity and phase shift signals from the eddy current detector depends on the distance between core 40 and conductive layer 16. In particular, as shown in
As previously noted, both the intensity and phase shift signals from eddy current monitoring system 40 also depend on the thickness of conductive layer 16. However, above a certain critical thickness of the conductive layer, the amplitude signal tends to be insensitive to the layer thickness. Thus, when polishing begins, the amplitude signal remains constant until sufficient material has been removed (at time δ) that the conductive layer is thinner than the critical thickness. At this point, the amplitude signal begins to increase in strength. In contrast, the phase shift signal reacts immediately to changes in the thickness of the conductive layer.
The intensity and phase shift signals can be used to determine the thickness of the polishing pad. Initially, a calibration step is performed to polish a test substrate with a conductive layer thicker than the critical thickness on two polishing pads of known, different thicknesses. Alternatively, the calibration step could be performed using the same pad at different stages of wear. During the calibration step, the strengths of the intensity signal and phase shift signal are measured for each polishing pad. From these measurements, two coefficients ΔA and Δφ, are calculated, representing the change in signal strength of the amplitude and phase shift signals, respectively, due to the pad thickness.
Thereafter, during polishing of a device wafer, the measured strengths of the intensity and phase shift signals and the coefficients ΔA and Δφ (or an equivalent lookup table) can be used to determine the thickness of the polishing pad. In particular, since the amplitude signal is insensitive to the thickness of the conductive layer at the beginning of the polishing process, this initial strength of the amplitude signal correlates to the thickness of the polishing pad. The measured thickness of the polishing pad may then be used to modify the polishing parameters or generate an alert. For example, if the polishing pad thickness drops below a predetermined value, the computer can generate a signal to indicate that the polishing pad needs to be replaced.
The intensity and phase shift signals can also be used to determine the absolute thickness of the conductive layer on the substrate during polishing. Since the phase shift signal is immediately sensitive to changes in the thickness of the conductive layer, a look-up table can be generated (based on experimental measurements of a test substrate) to relate the strength of the phase shift signal to the thickness of the conductive layer. During polishing of a device substrate, the initial strength of the amplitude signal can be measured at the beginning of polishing. Using the two coefficients ΔA and Δφ, the computer can calculate an adjusted phase signal strength that accounts for any offset due to changes in the polishing pad thickness. The computer can then use the lookup table and the adjusted phase signal strength to accurately calculate the absolute thickness of the conductive layer.
Computer 90 may also be connected to the pressure mechanisms that control the pressure applied by carrier head 70, to carrier head rotation motor 76 to control the carrier head rotation rate, to the platen rotation motor (not shown) to control the platen rotation rate, or to slurry distribution system 39 to control the slurry composition supplied to the polishing pad. Specifically, after sorting the measurements into radial ranges, information on the metal film thickness can be fed in real-time into a closed-loop controller to periodically or continuously modify the polishing pressure profile applied by a carrier head, as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/609,426, filed Jul. 5, 2000, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the computer could determine that the endpoint criteria have been satisfied for the outer radial ranges but not for the inner radial ranges. This would indicate that the underlying layer has been exposed in an annular outer area but not in an inner area of the substrate. In this case, the computer could reduce the diameter of the area in which pressure is applied so that pressure is applied only to the inner area of the substrate, thereby reducing dishing and erosion on the outer area of the substrate.
The eddy current and optical monitoring systems can be used in a variety of polishing systems. Either the polishing pad, or the carrier head, or both can move to provide relative motion between the polishing surface and the substrate. The polishing pad can be a circular (or some other shape) pad secured to the platen, a tape extending between supply and take-up rollers, or a continuous belt. The polishing pad can be affixed on a platen, incrementally advanced over a platen between polishing operations, or driven continuously over the platen during polishing. The pad can be secured to the platen during polishing, or there could be a fluid bearing between the platen and polishing pad during polishing. The polishing pad can be a standard (e.g., polyurethane with or without fillers) rough pad, a soft pad, or a fixed-abrasive pad. Rather than tuning when the substrate is absent, the drive frequency of the oscillator can be tuned to a resonant frequency with a polished or unpolished substrate present (with or without the carrier head), or to some other reference.
Although illustrated as positioned in the same hole, optical monitoring system 140 could be positioned at a different location on the platen than eddy current monitoring system 40. For example, optical monitoring system 140 and eddy current monitoring system 40 could be positioned on opposite sides of the platen, so that they alternately scan the substrate surface.
Various aspects of the invention, such as placement of the coil on a side of the polishing surface opposite the substrate or the measurement of a phase difference, still apply if the eddy current sensor uses a single coil. In a single coil system, both the oscillator and the sense capacitor (and other sensor circuitry) are connected to the same coil.
The present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment. The invention, however, is not limited to the embodiment depicted and described. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
This application is a divisional application and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/847,867, filed on May 2, 2001. The disclosure of the prior application is considered part of and is incorporated by reference in the disclosure of this application.
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