Polishing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10663287-B2
Application number	US-201916248599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2019
Priority date	Jan 18, 2018
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A polishing apparatus capable of accurately measuring a film thickness by regulating a quantity of light illuminating a wafer is disclosed. The polishing apparatus includes: a light source; an illuminating fiber having distal ends arranged at different locations in the polishing table; and a light-receiving fiber having distal ends arranged at the different locations in the polishing table. The illuminating fiber includes a first illuminating fiber and a second illuminating fiber. A first dimmer is attached to the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber, and a second dimmer is attached to at least one of the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polishing apparatus comprising:
a polishing table for supporting a polishing pad;
a polishing head configured to press a wafer against the polishing pad;
a light source;
an illuminating fiber having distal ends arranged at different locations in the polishing table;
a light-receiving fiber having distal ends arranged at the different locations in the polishing table;
a spectrometer coupled to the light-receiving fiber, the spectrometer being configured to decompose reflected light, transmitted from the wafer through the light-receiving fiber, according to wavelength and measure intensity of the reflected light at each of wavelengths;
a processor configured to determine a film thickness of the wafer based on a spectral waveform indicating a relationship between the intensity and the wavelength of the reflected light; and
a first dimmer and a second dimmer attached to the illuminating fiber, wherein each of the first dimmer and the second dimmer includes a base member having a light passage formed therein, an optical-fiber holder inserted in the light passage, and a relative-position adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a position of the optical-fiber holder relative to the base member,
wherein each of the first dimmer and the second dimmer further includes a diaphragm disposed in the light passage,
wherein the illuminating fiber includes a first illuminating fiber and a second illuminating fiber,
one end of the first illuminating fiber and one end of the second illuminating fiber are coupled to the light source,
the other end of the first illuminating fiber and the other end of the second illuminating fiber constitute the distal ends of the illuminating fiber arranged at the different locations, and
the first dimmer is attached to the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber, and the second dimmer is attached to at least one of the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber.

2. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical-fiber holder has a scale on an outer surface thereof.

3. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the relative-position adjusting mechanism includes a motor-driven moving mechanism configured to move the optical-fiber holder relative to the base member.

4. The polishing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an operation controller configured to operate the motor-driven moving mechanism of the first dimmer until a quantity of light, emitted from the illuminating fiber, reaches a target value.

5. The polishing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an operation controller configured to operate the motor-driven moving mechanism of the second dimmer until quantities of light, emitted from the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber, become equal to each other.

6. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
a part of the first illuminating fiber and a part of the second illuminating fiber are bound to constitute a trunk optical fiber;
another part of the first illuminating fiber and another part of the second illuminating fiber constitute branch optical fibers branching off from the trunk optical fiber; and
the first dimmer is attached to the trunk optical fiber, and the second dimmer is attached to at least one of the branch optical fibers.

7. A polishing apparatus comprising:
a polishing table for supporting a polishing pad;
a polishing head configured to press a wafer against the polishing pad;
a light source;
an illuminating fiber having distal ends arranged at different locations in the polishing table:
a light-receiving fiber having distal ends arranged at the different locations in the polishing table;
a spectrometer coupled to the light-receiving fiber, the spectrometer being configured to decompose reflected light, transmitted from the wafer through the light-receiving fiber, according to wavelength and measure intensity of the reflected light at each of wavelengths;
a processor configured to determine a film thickness of the wafer based on a spectral waveform indicating a relationship between the intensity and the wavelength of the reflected light and
a first dimmer and a second dimmer attached to the illuminating fiber,
wherein the illuminating fiber includes a first illuminating fiber and a second illuminating fiber,
one end of the first illuminating fiber and one end of the second illuminating fiber are coupled to the light source,
the other end of the first illuminating fiber and the other end of the second illuminating fiber constitute the distal ends of the illuminating fiber arranged at the different locations, and
the first dimmer is attached to the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber, and the second dimmer is attached to at least one of the first illuminating fiber and the second illuminating fiber;
a monitoring optical fiber coupled to the light source and the spectrometer; and
a third dimmer attached to the monitoring optical fiber.

8. A polishing apparatus comprising:
a polishing table for supporting a polishing pad;
a polishing head configured to press a wafer against the polishing pad;
a light source;
an illuminating fiber having a distal end arranged at a predetermined location in the polishing table;
a light-receiving fiber having a distal end arranged at the predetermined location in the polishing table;
a spectrometer coupled to the light-receiving fiber, the spectrometer being configured to decompose reflected light, transmitted from the wafer through the light-receiving fiber, according to wavelength and measure intensity of the reflected light at each of wavelengths;
a processor configured to determine a film thickness of the wafer based on a spectral waveform indicating a relationship between the intensity and the wavelength of the reflected light; and
a dimmer attached to the illuminating fiber, wherein the dimmer includes a base member having a light passage formed therein, an optical-fiber holder inserted in the light passage, and a relative-position adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a position of the optical-fiber holder relative to the base member, and wherein the dimmer further includes a diaphragm disposed in the light passage.

9. The polishing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the optical-fiber holder has a scale on an outer surface thereof.

10. The polishing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the relative-position adjusting mechanism includes a motor-driven moving mechanism configured to move the optical-fiber holder relative to the base member.

11. The polishing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:
an operation controller configured to operate the motor-driven moving mechanism of the dimmer until a quantity of light, emitted from the illuminating fiber, reaches a target value.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Kimba Toshifumi
• Takahashi Nobuyuki
• Kinoshita Masaki

Classifications

• B24B37/34

  Accessories · CPC title

• G01B11/0633 Primary

  using one or more discrete wavelengths · CPC title

• G01B11/0625

  with measurement of absorption or reflection · CPC title

• G02B6/3506

  Translating the waveguides along the beam path, e.g. by varying the distance between opposed waveguide ends, or by translation of the waveguide ends · CPC title

• B24B37/005 Primary

  Control means for lapping machines or devices · CPC title