Substrate holding apparatus, substrate suction determination method, substrate polishing apparatus, substrate polishing method, method of removing liquid from upper surface of wafer to be polished, elastic film for pressing wafer against polishing pad, substrate release method, and constant amount gas supply apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12230529-B2
Application number	US-202117213748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 6, 2018
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A substrate holding apparatus is provided, which includes a top ring main body to which an elastic film having a surface that can suck a substrate can be attached, a first line communicating with a first area of the plurality of areas, a second line communicating with a second area different from the first area of the plurality of areas, a pressure adjuster that can pressurize the first area by feeding fluid into the first area through the first line and can generate negative pressure in the second area through the second line, and a determiner that performs determination of whether or not the substrate is sucked to the elastic film based on a volume of the fluid fed into the first area or a measurement value corresponding to pressure in the first area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate polishing apparatus comprising;
a top ring main body;
an elastic film comprising a first surface facing the top ring main body and a second surface that is a surface opposite to the first surface and can suck and hold a substrate;
a space between the top ring main body and the first surface of the elastic film that can pressurize and depressurize through a first valve provided on a first line communicating with the space; and
a constant amount gas supply apparatus that can supply a fixed amount of gas to the space through a second valve provided on the first line, wherein
the constant amount gas supply apparatus comprises a cylinder and a piston,
the piston is, under a state where the piston is in contact with an inner surface of the cylinder, can move up and down,
inside of the cylinder is divided into a lower space and an upper space by the piston,
the cylinder is provided with a first opening at a position corresponding to the lower space and second and third openings at positions corresponding to the upper space,
the first opening is connected with a second line connected to the first line through the second valve,
the second opening is connected with a third line,
the third opening is penetrated with a piston rod that coupled to the piston,
the lower space is configured to be opened to atmosphere by opening a third valve provided on the second line opens, and
the upper space is configured to be depressurized and opened to atmosphere through the third line, and
by moving the piston in the cylinder downward, the constant amount gas supply apparatus supplies the fixed amount of gas corresponding to an area of the piston and a stroke of the piston to the space from the cylinder.

2. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
by moving a weight coupled to the piston downward due to gravity, the piston moves downward.

3. The substrate polishing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the constant amount gas supply apparatus further comprises the piston rod coupling the weight and the piston.

4. A constant amount gas supply apparatus connected to a substrate holding apparatus, the substrate holding apparatus comprising:
a top ring main body,
an elastic film comprising a first surface facing the top ring main body and a second surface that is a surface opposite to the first surface and can suck and hold a substrate, and
a space between the top ring main body and the first surface of the elastic film that can pressurize and depressurize through a first valve provided on a first line communicating with the space, wherein
the constant amount gas supply apparatus can supply a fixed amount of gas to the space through a second valve provided on the first lines,
the constant amount gas supply apparatus comprises a cylinder and a piston,
the piston is, under a state where the piston is in contact with an inner surface of the cylinder, can move up and down,
inside of the cylinder is divided into a lower space and an upper space by the piston,
the cylinder is provided with a first opening at a position corresponding to the lower space and second and third openings at positions corresponding to the upper space,
the first opening is connected with a second line connected to the first line through the second valve,
the second opening is connected with a third line,
the third opening is penetrated with a piston rod that coupled to the piston,
the lower space is configured to be opened to atmosphere by opening a third valve provided on the second line opens, and
the upper space is configured to be depressurized and opened to atmosphere through the third line, and
by moving the piston in the cylinder downward, the constant amount gas supply apparatus supplies the fixed amount of gas corresponding to an area of the piston and a stroke of the piston to the space from the cylinder.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Nabeya Osamu
• Yamaki Satoru
• Fukushima Makoto

Classifications

• H10P52/402

  of semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H10P90/12

  Preparing bulk and homogeneous wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/0472

  comprising at least one polishing chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0418

  for etching · CPC title

• H10P72/78 Primary

  using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks · CPC title