公开(公告)号：US20240087965A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-14

申请号：US18511661

申请日：2023-11-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Lau ,  Charles C. Garretson ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  B24B37/30 ,  B24B49/12 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/306 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/687

CPC classification number: H01L22/26 ,  B24B37/30 ,  B24B49/12 ,  B25J9/1628 ,  H01L21/30625 ,  H01L21/67219 ,  H01L21/67253 ,  H01L21/68707 ,  H01L22/20 ,  H01L22/12

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing includes receiving an angular removal profile for a carrier head and an angular thickness profile of a substrate. Prior to polishing the substrate, a desired angle of the carrier head relative to the substrate is selected for loading the substrate into the carrier head. Selecting the desired angle is performed based on a comparison of the angular removal profile for the carrier head and the angular thickness profile of the substrate to reduce angular non-uniformity in polishing. The carrier head is rotated to receive the substrate at the desired angle, the substrate is transferred to the carrier head and loaded in the carrier head with the carrier head at the desired angle relative to the substrate, and the substrate is polished.

公开(公告)号：US20240033878A1

公开(公告)日：2024-02-01

申请号：US17874627

申请日：2022-07-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric L. Lau ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu ,  Ekaterina A. Mikhaylichenko ,  Christopher HeungGyun Lee ,  Jeonghoon Oh

IPC: B24B37/30 ,  B24B37/04 ,  B24B53/017

CPC classification number: B24B37/30 ,  B24B37/042 ,  B24B53/017

Abstract: Exemplary polishing methods for chemical mechanical polishing may include engaging a substrate with a membrane of a substrate carrier. The methods may include chucking the substrate against a substantially planar surface defined by the substrate carrier. The chucking may reduce a bow in the substrate. The methods may include polishing one or more materials on the substrate for a first period of time. The methods may include disengaging the substrate from the substantially planar surface. The methods may include polishing the one or more materials on the substrate for a second period of time.

公开(公告)号：US20250114901A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-10

申请号：US18377615

申请日：2023-10-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zhize Zhu ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee ,  Huyen Tran ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Eric Lau ,  Ekaterina A. Mikhaylichenko

IPC: B24B37/26 ,  B24B37/04

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing includes rotating a polishing pad about an axis of rotation, positioning a substrate against the polishing pad, dispensing a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad, and oscillating the substrate laterally across the polishing pad. The polishing pad has a polishing-rate adjustment groove that is concentric with the axis of rotation, and a coolant, a dilutant, or both, is dispensed into the polishing-rate adjustment groove such that a polishing rate is reduced in an annular zone of the polishing pad that is positioned radially inward of the polishing-rate adjustment groove. The annular zone surrounds a central zone of the polishing pad in which a polishing rate is not substantially affected by the coolant, dilutant, or both.

公开(公告)号：US20250114898A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-10

申请号：US18377599

申请日：2023-10-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zhize Zhu ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee ,  Huyen Tran ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Eric Lau ,  Ekaterina A. Mikhaylichenko

IPC: B24B37/10 ,  B24B37/32 ,  B24B57/02

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing includes bringing a substrate into contact with a polishing pad, causing relative motion between the substrate and polishing pad, dispensing a polishing liquid onto the polishing pad, holding the substrate in a lateral position with a retaining ring secured to a carrier head, and rotating the carrier head about an axis of rotation. The retaining ring has a plurality of channels extending from an inner diameter surface of the retaining ring to an outer diameter surface of the retaining ring such that rotation cause the polishing liquid to be preferentially expelled from a region below an outer edge of the substrate through the plurality of channels.

公开(公告)号：US20250114897A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-10

申请号：US18377591

申请日：2023-10-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zhize Zhu ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee ,  Huyen Tran ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Eric Lau ,  Ekaterina A. Mikhaylichenko

IPC: B24B37/04 ,  B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/24 ,  B24B37/26

Abstract: A polishing pad has a polishing layer having a polishing surface that has a circular central region and an annular outer region surrounding the central region. The polishing surface can include slurry distribution grooves formed with uniformity spacing across the central region and the annular outer region, and slurry discharge grooves that start at an outer perimeter of the circular central region and extend radially outward to an edge of the polishing pad so as to preferentially discharge the polishing liquid from the annular outer region. The central region can be formed of a first polishing material and the annular outer region can be formed of a second polishing material that is softer than the first polishing material.

公开(公告)号：US20220283554A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-08

申请号：US17681673

申请日：2022-02-25

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Lau ,  Charles C. Garretson ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G05B13/04 ,  B24B49/00 ,  B24B49/12 ,  B24B49/16 ,  B24B37/005

Abstract: Generating a recipe for a polishing process includes receiving a target removal profile that includes a target thickness to remove for locations spaced angularly around a center of a substrate, storing a first function providing substrate orientation relative to a carrier head over time, storing a second function defining a polishing rate below a zone of the zone as a function of one or more pressures of one or more zones of the carrier head, and for each particular zone of the plurality of zones, calculate a recipe defining a pressure for the particular zone over time. Calculating the recipe includes calculating an expected thickness profile after polishing from the second function defining the polishing rate and the first function providing substrate orientation relative to the zone over time, and applying a minimizing algorithm to reduce a difference between the expected thickness profile and the target thickness profile.

公开(公告)号：US20220208621A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-30

申请号：US17696813

申请日：2022-03-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Lau ,  Charles C. Garretson ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/306 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/687 ,  B24B37/30 ,  B24B49/12

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing includes receiving an angular removal profile for a carrier head and an angular thickness profile of a substrate. Prior to polishing the substrate, a desired angle of the carrier head relative to the substrate is selected for loading the substrate into the carrier head. Selecting the desired angle is performed based on a comparison of the angular removal profile for the carrier head and the angular thickness profile of the substrate to reduce angular non-uniformity in polishing. The carrier head is rotated to receive the substrate at the desired angle, the substrate is transferred to the carrier head and loaded in the carrier head with the carrier head at the desired angle relative to the substrate, and the substrate is polished.

公开(公告)号：US20210066142A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-04

申请号：US16552456

申请日：2019-08-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Lau ,  Charles C. Garretson ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/306

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a metrology station having a sensor configured to measure a thickness profile of a substrate, a robotic arm configured to transfer the substrate from the metrology station to a polishing station having, a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a carrier head on the polishing surface, the carrier head having a membrane configured to apply pressure to the substrate in the carrier head, and a controller configured to receive measurements from the sensor and configured to control the robotic arm to orient the substrate in the carrier head according to substrate profile and a removal profile for the carrier head.

公开(公告)号：US20250108477A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-03

申请号：US18477159

申请日：2023-09-28

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Huanbo Zhang ,  Ekaterina A. Mikhaylichenko ,  Jeonghoon Oh ,  Andrew Nagengast ,  Erik S. Rondum ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Zhize Zhu

IPC: B24B37/10 ,  B24B37/26 ,  B24B57/02

Abstract: A Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process may generally apply more pressure around a periphery of the polishing pad than at the center of the polishing pad. This may cause uneven material removal as the substrate moves along the surface of the polishing pad. Therefore, the polishing pad may include one or more recesses around a periphery of the polishing pad to relieve pressure on the substrate. The one or more recesses may be connected to channels that extend radially outward from the recesses to the edge of the polishing pad. The recesses may collect polishing slurry during the CMP process and direct the slurry into the channels. The channels may then expel the collected polishing slurry off of the polishing pad to clear the recesses.

公开(公告)号：US20220281052A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-08

申请号：US17678932

申请日：2022-02-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Lau ,  Andrew J. Nagengast ,  Charles C. Garretson ,  Huanbo Zhang ,  Zhize Zhu

IPC: B24B37/005

Abstract: A method for optimizing polishing includes, for each respective retaining ring of a plurality of retaining rings mounted on a particular carrier head, performing measurements for a bottom surface of the respective retaining ring mounted on the particular carrier head using a coordinate measurement machine and collecting a respective removal profile of a substrate polished using the respective retaining ring. A machine learning model is trained based on the measurements of the bottom surface of the retaining ring and the respective removal profiles.