公开(公告)号：US09636797B2

公开(公告)日：2017-05-02

申请号：US14179297

申请日：2014-02-12

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Ingemar Carlsson ,  Boguslaw A. Swedek ,  Doyle E. Bennett ,  Shih-Haur Shen ,  Hassan G Iravani ,  Wen-Chiang Tu ,  Tzu-Yu Liu

IPC: B24B49/10 ,  B24B49/14 ,  B24B49/02 ,  B24B37/013

CPC classification number: B24B49/105 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/02 ,  B24B49/04 ,  B24B49/14

Abstract: Among other things, a method of controlling polishing during a polishing process is described. The method includes receiving a measurement of a thickness, thick(t), of a conductive layer of a substrate undergoing polishing from an in-situ monitoring system at a time t; receiving a measured temperature, T(t), associated with the conductive layer at the time t; calculating resistivity ρT of the conductive layer at the measured temperature T(t); adjusting the measurement of the thickness using the calculated resistivity ρT to generate an adjusted measured thickness; and detecting a polishing endpoint or an adjustment for a polishing parameter based on the adjusted measured thickness.

公开(公告)号：US09496190B2

公开(公告)日：2016-11-15

申请号：US14665889

申请日：2015-03-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Feng Liu ,  Dominic J. Benvegnu ,  Boguslaw A. Swedek ,  Yuchun Wang ,  Wen-Chiang Tu ,  Laksh Karuppiah

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/306 ,  C01G9/00 ,  B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/12 ,  G01B11/06 ,  H01L45/00

CPC classification number: H01L22/26 ,  B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/12 ,  C01G9/00 ,  G01B11/0625 ,  G01B11/0683 ,  H01L21/30625 ,  H01L45/06 ,  H01L45/1233 ,  H01L45/144 ,  H01L45/1683

Abstract: During polishing of a first substrate at a first polishing station, a sequence of measurements by a first in-situ monitoring system is monitored to determining a first time at which the first sequence exhibits a first predefined feature indicating a predetermined thickness of an overlying layer, and during polishing of the first substrate at a second polishing station, a sequence of measurements by a second in-situ monitoring system is monitored to determine a second time indicating clearance of the overlying layer and exposure of the underlying layer. The first time is used to calculate a first adjusted polishing pressure for a second substrate at the first polishing station, and the second time is used to calculate a second adjusted polishing pressure for the second substrate at the second polishing station.

Abstract translation: 在第一抛光站抛光第一衬底期间，监测由第一原位监测系统进行的测量序列，以确定第一次序列呈现指示上覆层的预定厚度的第一预定义特征的第一时间， 并且在第二抛光站抛光第一基板期间，监测由第二原位监测系统进行的测量序列，以确定第二次指示上覆层的间隙和下层的曝光。 第一次用于计算在第一抛光站处的第二基板的第一调整抛光压力，并且第二次用于计算在第二抛光站处的第二基板的第二调整抛光压力。

公开(公告)号：US20240116152A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-11

申请号：US18542093

申请日：2023-12-15

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Harry Q. Lee ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  David Maxwell Gage

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/10 ,  H01L21/321

CPC classification number: B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/105 ,  H01L21/3212

Abstract: A method of controlling polishing includes polishing a stack of adjacent conductive layers on a substrate, measuring with an in-situ eddy current monitoring system a sequence of characterizing values for the substrate during polishing, calculating a polishing rate from the sequence of characterizing values repeatedly during polishing, calculating one or more adjustments for one or more polishing parameters based on a current polishing rate using a first control algorithm for an initial time period, detecting a change in the polishing rate that indicates exposure of the underlying conductive layer, and calculating one or more adjustments for one or more polishing parameters based on the polishing rate using a different second control algorithm for a subsequent time period after detecting the change in the polishing rate.

公开(公告)号：US20240014080A1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-11

申请号：US18471893

申请日：2023-09-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Kiran Lall Shrestha ,  Doyle E. Bennett ,  David Maxwell Gage ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Harry Q. Lee

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G06N3/08 ,  H01L21/304 ,  G06F17/15 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/10 ,  H01L21/321

CPC classification number: H01L22/14 ,  G06N3/08 ,  H01L21/304 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G06F17/15 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/105 ,  H01L21/3212 ,  H01L22/26

Abstract: A method of polishing a substrate includes polishing a conductive layer on the substrate at a polishing station, monitoring the layer with an in-situ eddy current monitoring system to generate a plurality of measured signals values for a plurality of different locations on the layer, generating thickness measurements the locations, and detecting a polishing endpoint or modifying a polishing parameter based on the thickness measurements. The conductive layer is formed of a first material having a first conductivity. Generating includes calculating initial thickness values based on the plurality of measured signals values and processing the initial thickness values through a neural network that was trained using training data acquired by measuring calibration substrates having a conductive layer formed of a second material having a second conductivity that is lower than the first conductivity to generated adjusted thickness values.

公开(公告)号：US20230381912A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-30

申请号：US18365527

申请日：2023-08-04

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Kiran Lall Shrestha

IPC: B24B37/013 ,  G06N3/08

CPC classification number: B24B37/013 ,  G06N3/08

Abstract: A method of training a neural network includes obtaining two ground truth thickness profiles a test substrate, obtaining two thickness profiles for the test substrate as measured by an in-situ monitoring system while the test substrate is on polishing pads of different thicknesses, generating an estimated thickness profile for another thickness value that is between the two thickness values by interpolating between the two profiles, and training a neural network using the estimated thickness profile.

公开(公告)号：US11780047B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-10

申请号：US17344779

申请日：2021-06-10

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Kiran Lall Shrestha

IPC: B24B37/00 ,  B24B37/013 ,  G06N3/08

CPC classification number: B24B37/013 ,  G06N3/08

Abstract: A method of training a neural network includes obtaining two ground truth thickness profiles a test substrate, obtaining two thickness profiles for the test substrate as measured by an in-situ monitoring system while the test substrate is on polishing pads of different thicknesses, generating an estimated thickness profile for another thickness value that is between the two thickness values by interpolating between the two profiles, and training a neural network using the estimated thickness profile.

公开(公告)号：US11658078B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-23

申请号：US17317501

申请日：2021-05-11

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Kiran Lall Shrestha ,  Doyle E. Bennett ,  David Maxwell Gage ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Harry Q. Lee

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/304 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/10 ,  H01L21/321 ,  G06N3/08 ,  G06F17/15

CPC classification number: H01L22/14 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/105 ,  G06F17/15 ,  G06N3/08 ,  H01L21/304 ,  H01L21/3212 ,  H01L22/12 ,  H01L22/26

Abstract: A method of polishing a substrate includes polishing a conductive layer on the substrate at a polishing station, monitoring the layer with an in-situ eddy current monitoring system to generate a plurality of measured signals values for a plurality of different locations on the layer, generating thickness measurements the locations, and detecting a polishing endpoint or modifying a polishing parameter based on the thickness measurements. The conductive layer is formed of a first material having a first conductivity. Generating includes calculating initial thickness values based on the plurality of measured signals values and processing the initial thickness values through a neural network that was trained using training data acquired by measuring calibration substrates having a conductive layer formed of a second material having a second conductivity that is lower than the first conductivity to generated adjusted thickness values.

公开(公告)号：US11638982B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-02

申请号：US16533500

申请日：2019-08-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Hassan G. Iravani ,  Kun Xu ,  Denis Ivanov ,  Shih-Haur Shen ,  Boguslaw A. Swedek

IPC: G01N27/02 ,  B24B49/04 ,  B24B49/10 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a support for a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and an electromagnetic induction monitoring system to generate a magnetic field to monitor a substrate being polished by the polishing pad. The electromagnetic induction monitoring system includes a core and a coil wound around a portion of the core. The core includes a back portion, a center post extending from the back portion in a first direction normal to the polishing surface, and an annular rim extending from the back portion in parallel with the center post and surrounding and spaced apart from the center post by a gap. A width of the gap is less than a width of the center post, and a surface area of a top surface of the annular rim is at least two times greater than a surface area of a top surface of the center post.

公开(公告)号：US20230085787A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-23

申请号：US17993471

申请日：2022-11-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Denis Ivanov ,  Harry Q. Lee ,  Jun Qian

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  B24B49/10 ,  G05B19/048 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G06N20/00 ,  G06N3/063

Abstract: Data received from an in-situ monitoring system includes, for each scan of a sensor, a plurality of measured signal values for a plurality of different locations on a layer. A thickness of a polishing pad is determined based on the data from the in-situ monitoring system. For each scan, a portion of the measured signal values are adjusted based on the thickness of the polishing pad. For each scan of the plurality of scans and each location of the plurality of different locations, a value is generated representing a thickness of the layer at the location. This includes processing the adjusted signal values using one or more processors configured by machine learning. A polishing endpoint is detected or a polishing parameter is modified based on the values representing the thicknesses at the plurality of different locations.

公开(公告)号：US10898986B2

公开(公告)日：2021-01-26

申请号：US16122682

申请日：2018-09-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Harry Q. Lee ,  Kun Xu ,  Jimin Zhang

IPC: G01B5/02 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/12 ,  B24B49/10 ,  B24B37/20

Abstract: A method of controlling polishing includes sweeping a sensor of an in-situ monitoring system across a substrate as a layer of the substrate undergoes polishing, generating from the in-situ monitoring system a sequence of signal values that depend on a thickness of the layer, detecting from the sequence of signal values, a time that the sensor traverses a leading edge of the substrate or a retaining ring and a time that the sensor traverses a trailing edge of the substrate or retaining ring; and for each signal value of at least some of the sequence of signal values, determining a position on the substrate for the signal value based on the time that the sensor traverses the leading edge and the time that the sensor traverses a trailing edge.