Polishing apparatus, polishing method, and polishing control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11110565-B2
Application number	US-201815909634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2018
Priority date	Sep 8, 2017
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A polishing apparatus includes an acoustic sensor, a sound collector, an analyzer, a feature quantity calculator, and an end point calculator. The acoustic sensor detects the polishing sound of an object. The sound collector collects a polishing sound detected by the acoustic sensor. The analyzer performs frequency analysis on the power spectrum of the polishing sound with a predetermined time resolution. The feature quantity calculator calculates an arithmetic value of the power spectra having a preset time difference of the power spectra as a polishing feature quantity by using the analysis data provided by the analysis performed by the analyzer. The end point calculator determines a polishing end point of the object based on the change in the feature quantity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polishing apparatus comprising:
an acoustic sensor configured to detect a polishing sound of an object to be polished;
a sound collector configured to collect the polishing sound detected by the acoustic sensor;
an analyzer configured to perform frequency analysis on power spectra of the polishing sound with a given time resolution to acquire first data, the first data represented by a first table in which each power spectrum of the power spectra is correlated with a time point and a frequency;
a calculator configured to:
perform an arithmetic operation between a first part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a first time point and a second part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a second time point to acquire second data, the second data represented by a second table in which each of a plurality of arithmetic values is correlated with the time point and a mixed frequency;
analyze each of parts of the arithmetic values in the second data that is correlated with a corresponding mixed frequency to determine whether or not the part of the arithmetic values of the second data satisfies a changes in value;
synthesize two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes when a correlation coefficient between the two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes falls under a threshold value to obtain synthesized values; and

an end point calculator configured to determine a polishing end point of the object based on a change in the synthesized values.

2. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the calculator is configured to set the first time point and the second time point to have a time difference based on polishing environment information relating to a polishing environment of the object.

3. The polishing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the polishing environment information includes replacement timing of a polishing component.

4. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the calculator is configured to calculate a product of the power spectra of different frequencies.

5. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the time difference is set based on a decrease time of the power spectrum.

6. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the calculator is configured to calculate the correlation coefficient if the second data changes from increasing to decreasing.

7. A polishing method comprising:
detecting a polishing sound of an object to be polished;
collecting the polishing sound;
performing frequency analysis on a power spectra of the collected polishing sound with a given time resolution to acquire first data, the first data represented by a first table in which each power spectrum of the power spectra is correlated with a time point and a frequency;
performing an arithmetic operation between a first part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a first time point and a second part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a second time point to acquire second data, the second data represented by a second table in which each of a plurality of arithmetic values is correlated with the time point and a mixed frequency;
analyzing each of parts of the arithmetic values in the second data that is correlated with a corresponding mixed frequency to determine whether or not the part of the arithmetic values of the second data satisfies changes in value;
synthesizing two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes when a correlation coefficient between the two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes falls under a threshold value to obtain synthesized values; and
determining a polishing end point of the object based on a change in the synthesized values.

8. The method according to claim 7 ,
further comprising setting the first time point and the second time point to have a time difference based on polishing environment information indicative of a polishing environment of the object.

9. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the time difference is set based on a decrease time of the power spectrum.

10. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the correlation coefficient is calculated in a case where the second data changes from increasing to decreasing.

11. A polishing control apparatus comprising:
a processor and a memory storing data, the processor configured to:
collect a polishing sound of an object to be polished;
perform frequency analysis on the power spectra of the polishing sound with a given time resolution to acquire first data, the first data represented by a first table in which each power spectrum of the power spectra is correlated with a time point and a frequency;
perform an arithmetic operation between a first part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a first time point and a second part of the power spectra in the first data that is correlated with a second time point to acquire second data, the second data represented by a second table in which each of a plurality of arithmetic values is correlated with the time point and a mixed frequency;
analyze each of parts of the arithmetic values in the second data that is correlated with a corresponding mixed frequency to determine whether or not the part of the arithmetic values of the second data satisfies changes in value;
synthesize two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes when a correlation coefficient between the two of the parts of the arithmetic values of the second data with value changes falls under a threshold value to obtain synthesized values; and
determine a polishing end point of the object to be polished based on a change in the synthesized values.

12. The polishing control apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the processor is configured to set the first time point and the second time point to have a time difference based on polishing environment information indicative of a polishing environment of the object to be polished.

13. The polishing control apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the time difference is set based on a decrease time of the power spectrum.

14. The polishing control apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the processor is configured to calculate the correlation coefficient in a case where the second data changes from increasing to decreasing.

Assignees

• Toshiba Memory Corp

Inventors

• Ono Syunichi
• Miki Tsutomu

Classifications

• B24B37/013

  Devices or means for detecting lapping completion · CPC title

• B24B49/04

  involving measurement of the workpiece at the place of grinding during grinding operation · CPC title

• G01B17/08

  for measuring roughness or irregularity of surfaces · CPC title

• B24B49/003 Primary

  involving acoustic means · CPC title

• B24B49/16

  taking regard of the load · CPC title