POLISHING METHOD AND POLISHING APPARATUS

Abstract

A polishing method capable of stabilizing a polishing process of a substrate is disclosed. In the polishing method, a fine bubble liquid is supplied onto a polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate.

Description

Claims

1. A polishing method comprising: rotating a polishing table configured to support a polishing pad;pressing a substrate held by a polishing head against the polishing pad while supplying a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad to polish the substrate; andsupplying a fine bubble liquid onto the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate.

2. The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the fine bubble liquid is supplied from one or more nozzles of a nozzle arm configured to pivot in a radial direction of the polishing table onto the polishing pad.

3. The polishing method according to claim 1, comprising supplying the fine bubble liquid onto the polishing pad while pressing the substrate against the polishing pad to polish the substrate with the fine bubble liquid.

4. The polishing method according to claim 3, wherein the fine bubble liquid comprises an ultrafine bubble liquid having a bubble diameter of 1 micrometer or less.

5. The polishing method according to claim 1, comprising: transporting the substrate from the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate;moving a dresser on the polishing pad after transporting the substrate to dress the polishing pad; andsupplying the fine bubble liquid onto the polishing pad during dressing the polishing pad.

6. The polishing method according to claim 5, wherein the fine bubble liquid comprises a microbubble liquid having a bubble diameter from 1 micrometer to 100 micrometers or less.

7. The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the fine bubble liquid is supplied from an atomizer extending in a radial direction of the polishing table onto the polishing pad.

8. The polishing method according to claim 1, comprising: transporting the substrate from the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate;moving the polishing head to a retracted position arranged outside the polishing pad after transporting the substrate; andsupplying the fine bubble liquid to the polishing head arranged in the retracted position to clean the polishing head.

9. The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the fine bubble liquid has bubbles generated from a gas corresponding to a structure of the substrate among a plurality of kinds of gases.

10. The polishing method according to claim 9, wherein the fine bubble liquid is generated by a pressurized dissolution method for dissolving the gas into a liquid.

11. The polishing method according to claim 1, comprising: counting the number of bubbles contained in the fine bubble liquid by a particle counter; and supplying the fine bubble liquid after the number of bubbles reaches a predetermined reference number.

12. A polishing apparatus comprising: a polishing table configured to support a polishing pad;a polishing head configured to press a substrate against the polishing pad;a liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a liquid onto the polishing pad, the liquid supply mechanism comprising a fine bubble liquid supply device configured to supply a fine bubble liquid onto the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate; anda controller configured to control an operation of the liquid supply mechanism.

13. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device comprises: a nozzle arm configured to pivot in a radial direction of the polishing table; andone or more fine bubble liquid nozzles, arranged to the nozzle arm, configured to supply the fine bubble liquid onto the polishing pad.

14. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device is configured to supply an ultrafine bubble liquid, as the fine bubble liquid, having a bubble diameter of 1 micrometer or less onto the polishing pad while pressing the substrate against polishing pad by the polishing head.

15. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the polishing apparatus comprises a dressing device configured to dress the polishing pad, and electrically connected to the controller, wherein the controller moves a dresser on the polishing pad by operating the dressing device to dress the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate and transporting the substrate, andwherein the fine bubble liquid supply device supplies a microbubble liquid, as the fine bubble liquid, having a bubble diameter from 1 micrometer to 100 micrometers or less onto the polishing pad during dressing the polishing pad.

16. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the polishing apparatus comprises an atomizer extending in a radial direction of the polishing table, and wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device supplies the fine bubble liquid from the atomizer onto the polishing pad.

17. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the controller moves the polishing head to a retracted position arranged outside the polishing pad after finishing polishing the substrate and transporting the substrate, and the fine bubble liquid supply device supplies the fine bubble liquid to the polishing head arranged in the retracted position to clean the polishing head.

18. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fine bubble liquid has bubbles generated from a gas corresponding to a structure of the substrate among a plurality of kinds of gases.

19. The polishing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device comprises a fine bubble liquid generator configured to generate the fine bubble liquid by a pressurized dissolution method for dissolving the gas into a liquid.

20. The polishing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device comprises a particle counter configured to count the number of bubbles contained in the fine bubble liquid, and wherein the fine bubble liquid supply device supplies the fine bubble liquid after the number of bubbles reaches a predetermined reference number based on the number of bubbles counted by the particle counter.