Polisher, polishing tool, and polishing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144109-B2
Application number	US-201514985173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A polisher includes a wafer carrier, a polishing head, a movement mechanism, and a rotation mechanism. The wafer carrier has a supporting surface. The supporting surface is configured to carry a wafer thereon. The polishing head is present above the wafer carrier. The polishing head has a polishing surface. The polishing surface of the polishing head is smaller than the supporting surface of the wafer carrier. The movement mechanism is configured to move the polishing head relative to the wafer carrier. The rotation mechanism is configured to rotate the polishing head relative to the wafer carrier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polisher comprising:
a wafer carrier having a supporting surface configured to carry a wafer thereon;
a polishing head present above the wafer carrier, the polishing head having a polishing surface, wherein the polishing surface of the polishing head is smaller than the supporting surface of the wafer carrier;
a movement mechanism including a rail and configured to move the polishing head along the rail relative to the wafer carrier and further configured to rotate the rail about a center of the wafer carrier; and
a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the polishing head relative to the wafer carrier.

2. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the polishing surface of the polishing head has an area substantially the same as that of a die on the wafer.

3. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the polishing head comprises:
at least one polishing pad tape;
at least one tape tension pulley assembly configured to carry the polishing pad tape; and
at least one pushing head configured to push at least a part of the polishing pad tape against the wafer.

4. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the polishing head comprises:
at least one polishing pad; and
at least one carrier head configured to carry the polishing pad against the wafer.

5. The polisher of claim 1 , further comprising:
a polishing liquid dispenser configured to dispense polishing liquid onto the wafer.

6. The polisher of claim 5 , wherein the polishing liquid dispenser is present on the polishing head.

7. The polisher of claim 5 , wherein the polishing liquid dispenser is present adjacent to the polishing head.

8. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism is configured to move the polishing head relative to the wafer carrier in at least two dimensions.

9. The polisher of claim 8 , wherein the dimensions are substantially linearly independent.

10. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism comprising:
a rotation module configured to rotate the wafer carrier relative to the polishing head.

11. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism carries a plurality of the polishing heads.

12. A polishing tool, comprising:
a main polisher configured to polish a wafer;
a die size polisher having a die size polishing pad configured to polish the wafer; and
a wafer robot configured to move the wafer between the main polisher and the die size polisher.

13. The polishing tool of claim 12 , wherein the main polisher is larger than the die size polisher.

14. A polishing method, comprising:
holding a wafer by a wafer carrier;
polishing the wafer;
determining whether the wafer is out of thickness specifications after the polishing;
determining which part of the wafer is out of the thickness specifications after the polishing;
pushing a polishing surface of a polishing head against a part of the wafer which is out of thickness specifications; and
rotating the polishing head relative to said part of the wafer to polish said part of the wafer.

15. The polishing method of claim 14 , further comprising:
pushing the polishing surface of the polishing head against another part of the wafer; and
rotating the polishing head relative to said another part of the wafer to polish said another part of the wafer.

16. The polishing method of claim 14 , further comprising:
determining whether the wafer is out of the thickness specifications after the rotating; and
repeating the pushing and the rotating till the wafer is in the thickness specifications.

17. The polishing method of claim 14 , further comprising:
calculating a remaining removal amount of said part of the wafer, wherein the rotating is performed in accordance with the remaining removal amount.

18. The polisher of claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism further includes a second rail and is further configured to rotate the rail along the second rail.

19. The polisher of claim 1 , further comprising a second polishing head, wherein the movement mechanism further includes a second rail and is further configured to move the second polishing head along the second rail and to rotate the second rail about the center of the wafer carrier, wherein ends of the rail and the second rail are connected to each other.

20. The polisher of claim 19 , further comprising a third polishing head, wherein the movement mechanism further includes a third rail and is further configured to move the third polishing head along the third rail and to rotate the third rail about the center of the wafer carrier, wherein an end of the third rail is connected to the ends of the rail and the second rail.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsai Teng-Chun
• Lee Shen-Nan
• Lu Yung-Cheng
• LO Chia-Chiung
• Jeng Shwang-Ming
• Yeo Yee-Chia

Classifications

• B24B37/20 Primary

  Lapping pads for working plane surfaces · CPC title

• B24B21/004 Primary

  using abrasive rolled strips · CPC title

• B24B21/008

  Machines comprising two or more tools or having several working posts (B24B21/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B24B21/06

  involving members with limited contact area pressing the belt against the work, e.g. shoes sweeping across the whole area to be ground (B24B21/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B24B37/105

  the workpieces or work carriers being actively moved by a drive, e.g. in a combined rotary and translatory movement · CPC title