Patent Application
20130122783
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate a method for conditioning a polishing surface in an electrochemical mechanical processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the manufacture of semiconductor devices, layers and structures are deposited and formed on a semiconductor substrate by various processes. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a widely used process by which a polishing pad in combination with a polishing solution removes excess material in a manner that planarizes the substrate or maintains flatness for receipt of a subsequent layer. Over time, the effectiveness of the polishing pad diminishes as pressure, friction, and heat combine with particulate matter from processing slurries, materials removed from the substrate (or from the pad itself), and the like, to form a hard, relatively smooth surface on the pad. This effect is typically called “glazing.” In order to improve the effectiveness of the polishing pad after glazing has occurred, the polishing pad may be periodically conditioned. Pad conditioning generally involves scouring the polishing pad with an abrasive conditioning disk to remove any accumulated polishing by-products on the pad surface and/or to refresh the surface of the polishing pad. The conditioning of the polishing pad surface may be performed prior to polishing with a new polishing pad, during the polishing process to maintain and/or enhance surface roughness and removal rate of the polishing pad surface, or post-processing to prepare the polishing pad surface for a new substrate to be polished.
It is generally known that the effectiveness of the conditioning disk declines over time due to disk and pad wear. As a result, the effectiveness of the polishing pad drifts over time, producing non-uniform results from substrate to substrate. Thus, there is a need for an improved method for conditioning a polishing pad to improve polishing pad performance over the life of the conditioning disk.
Embodiments of the invention provide methods for conditioning a polishing pad. In one embodiment, a method for conditioning a polishing pad includes applying a down force to the conditioning disk that urges the conditioning disk against the polishing pad, measuring a torque required to sweep the conditioning disk across the polishing pad, determining a change in down force by comparing the measured torque to a model force profile (MFP), and adjusting the down force that the conditioning disk applies against the polishing pad in response to the determined change.
In another embodiment, a method for conditioning a polishing pad includes applying a down force to urge a conditioning disk against a polishing pad, measuring a frictional force generated by the conditioning disk contacting the polishing pad, comparing the measured frictional force to a model force profile (MFP) to determine a change in down force, and adjusting the applied down force in response to the comparison between the measured frictional force and the MFP.
In yet another embodiment, an apparatus conditioning a polishing pad with a conditioning disk includes a platen adapted to support the polishing pad, a conditioning head adapted to retain the conditioning disk, a down force actuator operable to move the conditioning head in a manner that conditioning head applies a down force against the polishing pad, an arm coupled to the conditioning head to support the conditioning head above the platen, a sweep actuator coupled to the arm and operable to sweep the conditioning head across the platen, a sweep torque sensor operable to measure a torque required to sweep the conditioning head across the platen when the conditioning disk is in contact with polishing pad.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
Embodiments of the invention are directed towards the performance of a CMP polishing pad. Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and apparatus for controlling a CMP polisher based on a relationship between conditioning arm sweep torque and friction between the polishing pad and conditioning disk. Embodiments include a method for adjusting a down-force (down force) applied by a conditioning disk to a polishing pad based on a difference between a measured force and a modeled force profile to improve processing results. It is contemplated that aspects of the present disclosure that enable use of conditioner sweep torque to monitor polisher performance may be applied in real time and/or when the polishing pad is being conditioned while a substrate is being polished (i.e., in-situ conditioning), when the polishing pad is conditioned in-between substrate polishing (i.e., ex-situ conditioning), or any combination thereof.
The polishing head 106 retains and rotatably contacts a substrate 118 to the polishing pad 104 during processing. The polishing head 106 may include a retaining ring 116 which prevents the substrate 118 from moving out from under the polishing head 106 during polishing. The polishing head 106 may be rotated by a motor 120, thereby rotating the substrate 118 against the polishing pad 104 about a central axis D of the polishing head 106. A sensor 148 may be utilized to obtain a metric of force required to rotate the substrate 118 against the polishing pad 104.
The platen 102 is utilized to rotate the polishing pad 104 during processing such that the polishing pad 104 planarizes (or “polishes”) the surface of the substrate 118 disposed on the pad 104. The polishing pad 104 is a consumable product having a polishing surface and may be secured to the platen 102. The platen 102 and the polishing pad 104 is rotated by a motor 112 coupled to the platen 102 by a shaft 114. The motor 112 is utilized to move the polishing pad 104 relative to the substrate 118 retained in the polishing head 106. In the embodiment depicted in
The polishing fluid delivery arm 190 provides a polishing fluid to the surface of the polishing pad 104 during polishing. The polishing fluid may comprise an abrasive-containing polishing slurry or may comprise an abrasive-free liquid, which may be reactive.
The conditioner assembly 122 generally includes a conditioning head 108, a shaft 126, and an arm 128. The shaft 126 and arm 128 support the conditioning head 108 above the platen 102. The conditioning head 108 retains a conditioning disk 124 which is selectively placed in contact with the polishing pad 104 to condition the surface of the polishing pad 104.
The shaft 126 is disposed through the machine base 130 of polisher 100. The shaft 126 may rotate about an axis B normal to the machine base 130, the rotation facilitated by bearings 132 between the machine base 130 and the shaft 126, such that the arm 128 rotates the conditioning head 108. In one embodiment, a sweep actuator 144 coupled to the shaft 126 may rotate the shaft 126 to urge the arm 128 to sweep the conditioning head 108 across the polishing pad 104.
The conditioner assembly 122 further includes a sweep torque sensor 146 to detect sweep torque required to move the conditioning disk 124 across the surface of the polishing pad 104. In one embodiment, the sweep torque sensor 146 may be a torque or other force sensor coupled to the sweep actuator 144. In other embodiments, the sweep torque sensor 146 may be an electrical current sensor or pressure sensor coupled to the sweep actuator 144. An electrical current sensor may detect changes in the current drawn by the sweep actuator 144 as the frictional forces between the conditioning disk 124 and the polishing pad 104 change. A pressure sensor may interface with the sweep actuator 144 to detect changes in the pressure utilized to actuate the sweep actuator 144 as the frictional forces between the conditioning disk 124 and the polishing pad 104 change. In another embodiment, the sweep actuator 144 may be a direct drive motor configured to provide clean torque feedback for measurement and control of the pad conditioner sweep torque. In still other embodiments, the sweep torque sensor 146 may be any other sensor suitable for providing a metric indicative of the force required to move the conditioning disk 124 across the surface of the polishing pad 104.
The conditioning head 108 rotates the conditioning disk 124 about an axis C disposed normally through the conditioning disk 124. The conditioning disk 124 is fabricated from a material suitable for conditioning the material of the polishing pad 104. The conditioning disk 124 may be a brush, polymer or abrasive surface. In one embodiment, the conditioning disk 124 has a surface containing abrasive particles such as diamonds or other relatively hard substance.
In one embodiment, a motor 134 is utilized to rotate the conditioning disk 124 relative to the polishing pad 104. In one embodiment, the motor 134 is disposed in a housing 136 at a distal end of the arm 128.
A sensor 138 may detect a torque or rotational force required to rotate the conditioning disk 124 about the axis C when the conditioning disk 124 is in contact with the polishing pad 104. In one embodiment, the sensor 138 may be disposed within the housing 136. In one embodiment, the sensor 138 may be an electrical current sensor coupled to the motor 134. The electrical current sensor may detect changes in the current drawn by the motor 134 as the frictional forces between the conditioning disk 124 and the polishing pad 104 change. In another embodiment, the sensor 138 may be a torque sensor, deflection sensor, or strain gauge, and may be positioned in the drive train between the motors and the conditioning head to measure forces on the drive train caused by friction on the conditioning head.
A down force actuator 140 is utilized to urge the conditioning disk 124 against the polishing pad 104. The down force actuator 140 is configured to selectably set the force applied by the conditioning disk 124 on the polishing pad 104. In one embodiment, the down force actuator 140 may be disposed between the arm 128 and the shaft 126, or in other suitable locations.
A down force sensor 142 is utilized to detect a metric indicative of the down force of the conditioning disk 124 applied against the polishing pad 104. In one embodiment, the down force sensor 142 may be positioned in-line of the down force actuator 140, or may be placed in other suitable locations.
In one embodiment, the polisher 100 may optionally include a pad thickness sensor (not shown) coupled to the conditioning head 108. The pad thickness sensor may be adapted to detect the thickness of a polishing pad disposed on the platen 102. The pad thickness sensor may be utilized to determine an end of life of a polishing pad 104 disposed on the platen 102. In one embodiment, the pad thickness sensor may be utilized to further provide an additional feedback signal to the controller 152 to control the conditioning down force.
In general, the controller 152 is used to control one or more components and processes performed in the polisher 100. In one embodiment, the controller 152 may use sensory data as a feedback signal to control the rate of material removed from the substrate 118 during processing. The controller 152 may be coupled at various points to the polisher 100 in order to transmit and receive signals from various components. For example, the controller 152 may transmit control signals to motors 112, 120, 134, sweep actuator 144, and down force actuator 140 and receive signals corresponding to forces detected by sensors 138, 142, 146, 148, 150.
The controller 152 is generally designed to facilitate the control and automation of the polisher 100 and typically includes a central processing unit (CPU) 154, memory 156, and support circuits (or I/O) 158. The CPU 154 may be one of any form of computer processors that are used in industrial settings for controlling various system functions, substrate movement, chamber processes, process timing and support hardware (e.g., sensors, robots, motors, timing devices, etc.), and monitor the processes (e.g., chemical concentrations, processing variables, chamber process time, I/O signals, etc.). The memory 156 is connected to the CPU 154, and may be one or more of a readily available memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, or any other form of digital storage, local or remote. Software instructions and data can be coded and stored within the memory for instructing the CPU 154. The support circuits 158 are also connected to the CPU 154 for supporting the processor in a conventional manner. The support circuits 158 may include cache, power supplies, clock circuits, input/output circuitry, subsystems, and the like. A program, or computer instructions, readable by the controller 152 determines which tasks are performable on a substrate. Preferably, the program is software readable by the controller 152 that includes code to perform tasks relating to monitoring, execution and control of the movement, support, and/or positioning of a substrate in the polisher 100. In one embodiment, the controller 152 is used to control robotic devices to control the strategic movement, scheduling and running of the polisher 100 to make the processes repeatable, resolve queue timing issues and prevent over- or under-processing of the substrates.
In operation, as illustrated in
Before, during and/or after planarizing the substrate 118, the polishing pad 104 may be conditioned. During conditioning, the conditioning head 108 urges the conditioning disk 124 against the polishing pad 104 with a pre-defined down force. The conditioning disk 124 rotates relative to the surface of the polishing pad 104 while sweeping back and forth across the polishing pad 104. Contact between the conditioning disk and polishing pad provides the surface of the polishing pad with texture suitable for maintaining a removal rate of the substrate. The interaction of the conditioning disk 124 with the polishing pad 104 generates frictional forces which may be detected as described below. According to one embodiment, the removal rate of the polishing pad and frictional forces exerted on the conditioning disk may be directly related to the conditioning down force. As such, removal rate may be estimated based on the frictional forces observed for a particular down force.
At 302, the conditioning disk 124 is urged against the polishing pad 104 using a down force. The down force of the conditioning disk 124 against the polishing pad 104 may be measured to provide feed-back to the force actuator 140. In one embodiment, the down force is measured using a metric provided by the down force sensor 142. The measured down force may take into account the weight of the conditioning head 108.
At 304, a force required to move the conditioning disk 124 relative to the polishing pad 104 is measured. The force required to move the conditioning disk 124 relative to the polishing pad 104 is defined herein as either a force or a torque. In one embodiment, the force or torque required to sweep the conditioning disk across the polishing pad is measured utilizing a metric providing by the sweep torque sensor. The sweep torque may vary over time as a result of the change in resistive frictional forces between the conditioning disk and the polishing pad as one or both of the conditioning disk and the polishing pad wear, and/or process conditions change. If the conditioning process is not changed over time, the measured sweep torque may decrease over the lifetime of a conditioning disk as the conditioning disk wears and its effective cut rate gradually reduces. As such, according to aspects described below, by using the sweep torque as a feedback signal, the down force may be adjusted to compensate for the worn conditioning disk, thereby improving the conditioning process to maintain a constant removal rate. In another embodiment, a frictional force between the conditioning disk 124 and the polishing pad 104 generates a resistive force that may be detected by monitoring changes in the forces required to rotate at least one of the conditioning disk 124 and/or the polishing pad 104. In another embodiment, a frictional force between the substrate 118 and the polishing pad 104 generates a resistive force that may be measured by one or more of the sensors 138, 142, 146, 148 and 150 described above. It is understood that, in one embodiment, any of the above-described frictional forces may be used as a feedback signal to maintain a constant removal rate.
At 306, the force measured at 304 may be compared to a model force profile (MFP) to determine a change in down force required to maintain a uniform removal. In the case that torque is the force measured at 306, the MFP is a model torque profile (MTP). For the sake of brevity, reference to MFP here is intended MTP when applicable. In one embodiment, the controller may compare the measured force or torque to a model force profile to determine a change in down force. In one embodiment, a new down force suitable to maintain a constant removal rate of material from the substrate may be calculated based on the MFP. In one embodiment, the new down force may be utilized during processing of the substrate as a close loop control routine. In another embodiment, the new down force value may be utilized for the next substrate to be processed as a feed back control routine. The MFP permits calculation of the new down force, given an amount of measured force and a desired rate of removal. In most applications, it has been determined that the MFP involved with maintaining a constant removal rate is non-linear, and thus, the change in torque is not linearly proportional to a change in the down force. It is contemplated that for certain process conditions, the change in torque may be linearly proportional to a change in the down force.
According to one embodiment, a new down force may be determined to improve polishing pad lifetimes. Polishing pad wear may be lessened by determining a reduced initial down force that is nonetheless suitable to achieve a specified sweep torque target. Excessive polishing pad wear due to over-conditioning may be avoided by utilizing reduced initial down force values when the conditioning disk is new, and the down force may be increased to maintain polishing performance as the surface of the conditioning disk wears.
At 308, the down force may be adjusted in response to the difference between the measured force and the MFP. In one embodiment, the down force may be adjusted in response to the difference between the measured torque and a MFP. In one embodiment, a control signal may be transmitted to a down force actuator to increase the down force exerted on the conditioning disk. In another embodiment, a control signal may be transmitted to the down force actuator to decrease the down force to reduce excessive wear on the polishing pad and conditioning disk. It is contemplated that a down force upper limit may be predefined to limit the amount of the down force applied by the down force actuator.
The new down force may be adjusted while a substrate is currently undergoing processing, as a closed loop control routine, or may be adjusted for the next substrate to be processed, as a feedback control routine.
The MFP may be generated through empirical evidence, prior experimentation and testing, modeling, calculating, or may be provided as a reference curve with the specification of the conditioning disk. Generally, it has been determined that the relationships between removal rate, sweep torque, and down force may evolve as a conditioning disk ages. As the surface of the conditioning disk experiences greater wear, the removal rate consequently decreases for a fixed conditioning down force. Accordingly, higher down force values would be used to provide the same level of disruption or regeneration of the polishing pad surface, and to maintain a constant removal rate, the conditioning down force may be increased periodically.
According to certain aspects, it has also been determined that the relationship between sweep torque and conditioning down force may follow a similar trend with continued use of a conditioning disk. For a fixed conditioning down force, the frictional forces between the conditioning disk and polishing pad decreases as the abrasive surface of the conditioning disk wears, leading to a reduced torque experienced by a sweep actuator. The reduction in sweep torque may indicate a decrease in pad conditioning effectiveness due to wear of the abrasive surface. Similarly, it has been determined that the relationship between removal rate and conditioning sweep torque also evolves over the life of the conditioning disk. A worn conditioning disk may less effectively condition a polishing pad which results in a reduced removal rate over time.
According to certain aspects, a MFP may be developed using analysis of two different data sets. A first data set may be derived using a design of experiments performed using conditioning disks at different stages of wear. The root mean square (RMS) of sweep torque may be measured for every down force condition, along with a blanket substrate removal rate. A second dataset may be a marathon run of blanket substrates where the down force was changed in a step-wise fashion, using a manual CLC. In one embodiment, a down force applied may begin at 3 lb down force and may increase to 11 lb down force over the course of processing 2,500 substrates. The RMS of sweep torque may be measured on every substrate while the blanket RR may be measured less frequently. These two data sets may be combined and a least squares estimation technique or any other suitable data fitting technique may be used to estimate a model force profile between the RMS sweep torque (T), down force (DF), and blanket RR. In one embodiment, the structure of the model may be as follows:
Loge(T)=b*Loge(RR)+a*Loge(DF) (1)
where a and b are constants obtained from a least squares estimation. In one specific example, the values b and a calculated for an oxide CMP system utilizing a low down force conditioning arm manufactured by Applied Material, are 0.228 and 0.3, respectively. The constants b and a may be selected for specific pad materials, polishing fluids, substrate material being polished, among other criteria.
The Equation 1 may also be rewritten as:
For a constant RR=k, the equation may be reduced as follows:
Equation 5 illustrates a model force profile for a target sweep torque as a function of down force to achieve a constant removal rate.
Thus, a methodology has been provided to maintain constant removal rates over the life of a conditioning disk. Embodiments of the invention advantageously compensate for loss of conditioning effectiveness to maintain a desired process performance. The methodology may be utilized in-situ as a running process, or as a feedback routine to substantially eliminate process drift. Additionally, embodiments of the invention advantageously extend the useful lifetime of polishing pads by determining a reduced down force still sufficient to achieve a specified sweep torque target. Consequently, embodiments of the invention advantageously reduce excessive polishing pad wear due to over-conditioning, for example, when the conditioning disk is new and freshly abrasive. According to certain embodiments, the pad lifetime may be improved by 20% to 60% over conventional approaches. Likewise, it is understood that embodiments of the invention advantageously increase the useful lifetime of conditioning disks.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. For example, while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention focused on a sweep torque of a conditioning disk, it is contemplated that torques measured throughout a CMP system, such as at other motors or actuators, may be used to determine a model force profile for controlling the polisher.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2011/032319 | 4/13/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/2/2011 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61330300 | Apr 2010 | US |
