Chemical mechanical planarization pad conditioner with elongated cutting edges

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10293463-B2
Application number	US-201515128021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A CMP pad conditioner for conditioning a polishing pad. Various embodiments of the disclosure include a plurality of elongated protrusions which work a conditioned surface of a polishing pad at a variety of attack angles as the CMP pad conditioner engages the polishing pad. Because of the elongated geometry of the protrusions, the variety of attack angles will tend to flex the conditioned face of the polishing pad in a multifaceted manner. Such multifaceted manipulation of the conditioned face enhances the cut rate of the conditioner assembly and the removal of debris in the pores of the polishing pad that are residual from the CMP process, to better open the pores of the polishing pad and to better maintain the removal rate in the CMP process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) conditioning segment, comprising: a substrate including a front surface and a plurality of elongated protrusions unitary therewith, each of said plurality of elongated protrusions defining an elongate axis substantially parallel with said front surface, each of said plurality of elongated protrusions including at least one ridge line extending in a direction of said elongate axis, said plurality of elongated protrusions protruding in a frontal direction that is normal to said front surface, the plurality of elongated protrusions grouped into a plurality of protrusion clusters on said conditioning segment, the elongate axes of the elongated protrusions extend radially outward from a central region of said clusters, wherein said elongate axis of each of said plurality of elongated protrusions defines one of at least two angles with respect to a sweeping direction of said substrate.

2. The CMP conditioning segment of claim 1 , wherein said at least one ridge line is rounded.

3. The CMP conditioning segment of claim 1 , wherein a ridge line of said at least one ridge line of at least some of said plurality of elongated protrusions is a superior ridge line to define a plurality of superior ridge lines.

4. The CMP conditioning segment of claim 1 , wherein said at least one ridge line of at least some of said plurality of elongated protrusions includes two ridge lines that are coplanar.

5. The CMP conditioning segment of claim 1 , wherein said substrate has a porosity in a range of 10% to 70% inclusive.

6. A method of fabricating the CMP conditioning segment of claim 5 , comprising: providing said substrate; and forming said plurality of elongated protrusions in accordance with an outline of a prism-like geometry.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said substrate provided in the step of providing comprises silicon carbide.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein said substrate provided in the step of providing comprises graphite, and forming said plurality of elongated protrusions comprises the machining said substrate, and the method further comprises converting said graphite to silicon carbide after the step of machining.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein said prism-like geometry is a triangular prism-like geometry.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of forming comprises one of wire electrical discharge machining, masked abrasion machining, water jet machining, photo abrasion machining, and laser machining.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising applying a coating to said elongated protrusions after the step of forming.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising adhering superabrasive grit to said elongated protrusions after the step of forming.

13. A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pad conditioner, comprising: a substrate including a front surface and defining a plurality of elongated protrusions unitary therewith, said plurality of elongated protrusions protruding in a frontal direction that is substantially normal to said front surface, each of said plurality of elongated protrusions including at least one ridge line, said plurality of elongated protrusions arranged in columnar clusters presenting a variety of sweep angles; a dispersion of superabrasive grit particles disposed on said elongated protrusions; and a coating that covers said substrate, said elongated protrusions, and said dispersion of superabrasive grit particles.

14. The CMP pad conditioner of claim 13 , wherein said coating is a diamond coating.

15. The CMP pad conditioner of claim 13 , wherein said superabrasive grit particles are diamond particles.

16. A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pad conditioner, comprising a substrate including a front surface and defining a plurality of elongated protrusions unitary therewith protruding from a substrate floor of said front surface, each elongated protrusion of said plurality of elongated protrusions defining an elongate axis, said plurality of elongated protrusions protruding in a frontal direction that is substantially normal to said front surface and defining an average height measured from said substrate floor, said plurality of elongated protrusions defining a plurality of linear clusters that are in columns, each linear cluster comprises a plurality of said elongated protrusions that are in the same angular orientation, said column comprising a mix of linear clusters that have a variety of sweep angles.

17. The CMP pad conditioner of claim 16 , further comprising a dispersion of superabrasive grit particles disposed on said substrate including the plurality of elongated protrusions.

18. The CMP pad conditioner of claim 16 , wherein said substrate has a porosity of at least 10%.

Assignees

• Entegris Inc

Inventors

• Galpin Andrew
• Wells Daniel

Classifications

• H10P52/402

  of semiconductor materials · CPC title

• B24B53/017 Primary

  Devices or means for dressing, cleaning or otherwise conditioning lapping tools · CPC title

• B24D2203/00

  Tool surfaces formed with a pattern · CPC title

• B24D5/06

  with inserted abrasive blocks, e.g. segmental · CPC title

• B24B53/12

  Dressing tools; Holders therefor · CPC title