Apparatus and method of brush cleaning using periodic chemical treatments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12224186-B2
Application number	US-202318130407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2023
Priority date	Apr 3, 2023
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system include apparatus and methods to clean brushes used to scrub substrates, including brush cleaning using periodic chemical treatment. One or more embodiments include a method of operating the CMP system to rotate a first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a first substrate, performing, concurrent with the rotating during the first time duration, a cleaning operation for a second one or more scrubber brushes, performing, during a second time duration of the cleaning cycle, the cleaning operation for the first one or more scrubber brushes, and rotating, concurrent with the performing the cleaning operation during the second time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a second substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, comprising:
a first brush cleaner comprising:
a first tank; and
a first one or more scrubber brushes disposed in the first tank;

a second brush cleaner comprising:
a second tank; and
a second one or more scrubber brushes disposed in the second tank; and

a system controller that is configured to simultaneously control the first brush cleaner and the second brush cleaner to:
rotate, during a first time duration of a cleaning cycle, the first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a vertical first substrate disposed within the first tank and cause a substrate cleaning fluid from a supply pipe to be provided to the first substrate, the supply pipe configured to deliver the substrate cleaning fluid from a source to the first substrate;
perform, concurrent with the rotating during the first time duration, a cleaning operation that comprises delivering a brush cleaning fluid from the supply pipe to of the second one or more scrubber brushes without a substrate disposed in the second tank, the supply pipe configured to receive the brush cleaning fluid from the source;
perform, during a second time duration of the cleaning cycle, a cleaning operation that comprises delivering the brush cleaning fluid to the first one or more scrubber brushes without a substrate disposed in the first tank; and
rotate, concurrent with the performing the cleaning operation during the second time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a vertical second substrate disposed in the second tank and cause the substrate cleaning fluid to be provided to the second substrate.

2. The CMP system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third brush cleaner containing a third one or more scrubber brushes disposed in a third tank, wherein the system controller is further configured to rotate, in the third brush cleaner during the first time duration concurrent with the rotating and performing the cleaning operation during the first time duration, a third one or more scrubber brushes while the third one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a third substrate disposed in the third tank and cause the substrate cleaning fluid to be provided to one or more surfaces of the third substrate.

3. The CMP system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is configured to:
rotate, during a third time duration of the cleaning cycle, the first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with the first substrate or a fourth substrate; and
rotate, during the third time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with the second substrate or a fifth substrate.

4. The CMP system of claim 1 , wherein the brush cleaning fluid comprises a different chemical composition from the substrate cleaning fluid, the brush cleaning fluid configured to clean and remove debris from first one or more scrubber surfaces of the scrubber brushes.

5. The CMP system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller is configured to:
rotate, concurrent with the rotating during the second time duration, the first one or more scrubber brushes while at least one conditioning bar is in contact with one or more scrubber brushes of the first one or more scrubber brushes.

6. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system, comprising:
a first brush cleaner containing a first one or more scrubber brushes disposed in a first tank;
a second brush cleaner containing a second one or more scrubber brushes disposed in a second tank; and
a computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of the CMP system, cause the CMP system to:
rotate, during a first time duration of a cleaning cycle, the first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a first vertical substrate disposed in the first tank;
perform, concurrent with the rotating during the first time duration, a cleaning operation for the second one or more scrubber brushes without a substrate disposed in the second tank;
perform, during a second time duration of the cleaning cycle, the cleaning operation for the first one or more scrubber brushes without a substrate disposed in the first tank; and
rotate, concurrent with the performing the cleaning operation during the second time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a second vertical substrate disposed in the second tank.

7. The CMP system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a third brush cleaner containing a third one or more scrubber brushes disposed in a third tank, wherein the instructions that when executed by the processor further cause the third one or more scrubber brushes to rotate, in the third brush cleaner during the first time duration concurrent with the rotating and performing the cleaning operation during the first time duration, the cleaning operation for a third one or more scrubber brushes while the third one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a third substrate disposed in a third tank.

8. The CMP system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions further cause the CMP system to:
rotate, in the first brush cleaner during a third time duration of the cleaning cycle, the first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with the first substrate or a fourth substrate; and
rotate, in the second brush cleaner during the third time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with the second substrate or a fifth substrate.

9. The CMP system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions further cause the CMP system to:
direct a substrate cleaning fluid to the first substrate while rotating the first one or more scrubber brushes during the first time duration; and
direct a brush cleaning fluid to the first one or more scrubber brushes during the second time duration when the one or more scrubber brushes are not in contact with a substrate.

10. The CMP system of claim 6 , wherein the instructions further cause the CMP system to:
rotate, concurrent with the rotating during the second time duration, the first one or more scrubber brushes while at least one conditioning bar is in contact with one or more scrubber brushes of the first one or more scrubber brushes.

11. The CMP system of claim 1 , wherein the source includes a substrate cleaning fluid source and a separate brush cleaning fluid source, wherein first brush cleaner and the second brush cleaner each further comprise:
a first set of spray nozzles configured to spray the substrate cleaning fluid from the substrate cleaning fluid source; and
a second set of spray nozzles configured to spray the brush cleaning fluid from the brush cleaning fluid source.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Brown Brian J

Classifications

• H10P72/0412

  using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes · CPC title

• H10P70/60

  Cleaning only by mechanical processes · CPC title

• B24B53/017

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

• B08B1/34

  rotating about an axis parallel to the surface · CPC title

• B08B1/12

  Brushes · CPC title