公开(公告)号：US12257665B2

公开(公告)日：2025-03-25

申请号：US18163835

申请日：2023-02-02

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Dominic J. Benvegnu ,  Boguslaw A. Swedek ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: B24B37/013 ,  G06N3/084

Abstract: During chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate, a signal value that depends on a thickness of a layer in a measurement spot on a substrate undergoing polishing is determined by a first in-situ monitoring system. An image of at least the measurement spot of the substrate is generated by a second in-situ imaging system. Machine vision processing, e.g., a convolutional neural network, is used to determine a characterizing value for the measurement spot based on the image. Then a measurement value is calculated based on both the characterizing value and the signal value.

公开(公告)号：US20220281058A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-08

申请号：US17674772

申请日：2022-02-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Sohrab Pourmand ,  Dominic J. Benvegnu ,  Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Boguslaw A. Swedek

IPC: B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/00 ,  B24B37/04

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer on the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system, and a controller. The in-situ acoustic monitoring system includes an acoustic signal generator to emit acoustic signals and an acoustic signal sensor that receives acoustic signals reflected from the surface of the substrate. The controller is configured to detect exposure of an underlying layer due to the polishing of the substrate based on measurements from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.

公开(公告)号：US20240139905A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-02

申请号：US18365482

申请日：2023-08-04

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Haoquan Fang ,  Jeonghoon Oh ,  Jun Qian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Sohrab Pourmand

IPC: B24B49/00 ,  B24B37/04 ,  B24B49/16 ,  B24B51/00

CPC classification number: B24B49/003 ,  B24B37/042 ,  B24B49/16 ,  B24B51/00

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a platen to support a polishing pad, the platen having a recess, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad and comprising a retaining ring to retain the substrate below the carrier head, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system comprising an acoustic sensor arranged in the recess that receives acoustic energy from friction between the substrate and the polishing pad and from friction between the retaining ring and the polishing pad, and a controller configured to generate a value for a carrier head status parameter based on received acoustic signals from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system, and change or polishing parameter or generate an alert based on the carrier head status parameter.

公开(公告)号：US20230009519A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-12

申请号：US17858000

申请日：2022-07-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Jason Garcheung Fung

IPC: B24B37/20

Abstract: A polishing pad includes a polishing layer, a backing layer, and an acoustic window extending through the backing layer and the polishing layer, wherein an upper surface of the acoustic window is coplanar with a polishing surface of the polishing layer.

公开(公告)号：US12020159B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-25

申请号：US18310520

申请日：2023-05-01

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G05B13/02 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G06N3/045 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: G06N3/08 ,  G05B13/027 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G06N3/045 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G05B2219/32335 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  G05B2219/41054 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/45199

Abstract: A method of generating training spectra for training of a neural network includes measuring a first plurality of training spectra from one or more sample substrates, measuring a characterizing value for each training spectra of the plurality of training spectra to generate a plurality of characterizing values with each training spectrum having an associated characterizing value, measuring a plurality of dummy spectra during processing of one or more dummy substrates, and generating a second plurality of training spectra by combining the first plurality of training spectra and the plurality of dummy spectra, there being a greater number of spectra in the second plurality of training spectra than in the first plurality of training spectra. Each training spectrum of the second plurality of training spectra having an associated characterizing value.

公开(公告)号：US20230390891A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US17952059

申请日：2022-09-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Haoquan Fang ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Sohrab Pourmand ,  Jeonghoon Oh ,  Brian J. Brown

IPC: B24B49/00 ,  B24B49/18

CPC classification number: B24B49/003 ,  B24B49/186

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a conditioner head to hold a conditioner disk in contact with the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the polishing pad and the conditioner disk so as to condition the polishing pad, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system having an acoustic sensor to receive acoustic signals from the conditioner disk, and a controller configured to analyze a signal from the acoustic sensor and determine a characteristic of the conditioner disk or conditioner head based on the signal.

公开(公告)号：US20230390885A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US17963143

申请日：2022-10-10

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08

CPC classification number: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer on the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system comprising an acoustic sensor that receives acoustic signals from the surface of the substrate, and a controller configured to determine an angular orientation of the substrate based on received acoustic signals from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.

公开(公告)号：US20230267329A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-24

申请号：US18310520

申请日：2023-05-01

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G05B13/02 ,  G06N3/045

CPC classification number: G06N3/08 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G05B13/027 ,  G06N3/045 ,  G05B2219/45199 ,  G05B2219/32335 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  G05B2219/41054

Abstract: A method of generating training spectra for training of a neural network includes measuring a first plurality of training spectra from one or more sample substrates, measuring a characterizing value for each training spectra of the plurality of training spectra to generate a plurality of characterizing values with each training spectrum having an associated characterizing value, measuring a plurality of dummy spectra during processing of one or more dummy substrates, and generating a second plurality of training spectra by combining the first plurality of training spectra and the plurality of dummy spectra, there being a greater number of spectra in the second plurality of training spectra than in the first plurality of training spectra. Each training spectrum of the second plurality of training spectra having an associated characterizing value.

公开(公告)号：US20230390884A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US17963142

申请日：2022-10-10

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08 ,  G01D5/14 ,  B24B37/04

CPC classification number: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08 ,  G01D5/14 ,  B24B37/042

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer on the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system comprising an acoustic sensor that receives acoustic signals from the surface of the substrate, and a controller configured to determine a angular orientation of the substrate based on received acoustic signals from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.

公开(公告)号：US20230011626A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-12

申请号：US17858006

申请日：2022-07-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Jason Garcheung Fung

IPC: B24B37/20

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen, a polishing pad supported on the platen, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, and a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer of the substrate. The polishing pad includes a polishing layer of a solid matrix material with liquid-filled pores, and a backing layer. An in-situ acoustic monitoring system includes an acoustic sensor coupled to the backing layer to receive acoustic signals from the substrate, and a controller is configured to detect a polishing transition point based on received acoustic signals from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.