Polishing pad conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12427622-B2
Application number	US-202318130267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2023
Priority date	Aug 30, 2019
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A polishing pad conditioning apparatus includes a base, a fiber, and a polymer protruding from a surface of the base and encompassing the fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for conditioning a semiconductor wafer polishing pad, comprising:
a base; and
a plurality of clusters extending from the base, wherein:
each of the plurality of clusters comprises a plurality of protrusions defining a concentric ring and a center protrusion disposed at an axial center of the concentric ring,
a first subset of the plurality of clusters extends radially from a center of the base towards an edge of the base such that a line extending from the center of the base intersects the center protrusion of each of the first subset of the plurality of protrusions,
a first protrusion of the plurality of protrusions of at least one cluster of the plurality of clusters protrudes from a surface of the base at a first angle,
a first portion of the first protrusion comprises a polymer,
a second portion of the first protrusion comprises at least 90% carbon by weight,
the first angle is an angle other than 90 degrees,
the first portion comprises a first part having a uniform width and a second part having a tapered sidewall so as to vary in width, and
the second part extends from the first part to an exposed part of the second portion protruding beyond the first portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion has a different material composition than the second portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises polyetheretherketone.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the first protrusion surrounds the second portion of the first protrusion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first portion of the first protrusion protrudes a first distance from the surface of the base,
the second portion of the first protrusion protrudes a second distance from the surface of the base, and
the second distance is different than the first distance.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a second protrusion protruding from the surface of the base, wherein:
the first protrusion protrudes a first distance from the surface of the base,
the second protrusion protrudes a second distance from the surface of the base, and
the second distance is greater than the first distance.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion contact the surface of the base.

8. An apparatus for conditioning a semiconductor wafer polishing pad, comprising:
a base; and
a plurality of clusters extending from the base, wherein:
each of the plurality of clusters comprises a plurality of protrusions defining a concentric ring and a center protrusion disposed at an axial center of the concentric ring,
a first subset of the plurality of clusters extends radially from a center of the base towards an edge of the base such that a line extending from the center of the base intersects the center protrusion of each of the first subset of the plurality of protrusions, and
each protrusion within a first cluster of the plurality of clusters comprises:
a first fiber; and
a first polymer structure protruding from a surface of the base and encompassing the first fiber such that the first fiber protrudes from and over the first polymer structure and a bottommost surface of the first fiber is below a topmost surface of the first polymer structure.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first fiber is a carbon fiber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first fiber and the first polymer structure contact the base.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a topmost surface of the first fiber is above the topmost surface of the first polymer structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first polymer structure comprises a tip portion having a tapered sidewall.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first polymer structure comprises polyetheretherketone.

14. An apparatus for conditioning a semiconductor wafer polishing pad, comprising:
a base; and
a plurality of clusters extending from the base, wherein:
each of the plurality of clusters comprises a plurality of protrusions defining a concentric ring and a center protrusion disposed at an axial center of the concentric ring,
a first subset of the plurality of clusters extends radially from a center of the base towards an edge of the base such that a line extending from the center of the base intersects the center protrusion of each of the first subset of the plurality of protrusions,
within a first cluster of the plurality of clusters, a first protrusion protrudes a first distance from a surface of the base and a second protrusion protrudes a second distance from the surface of the base, and
the second distance is different than the first distance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion comprise a same composition of materials.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first protrusion comprises a polymer encompassing a carbon fiber.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the polymer protrudes a third distance from the surface of the base,
the carbon fiber protrudes the first distance from the surface of the base, and
the first distance is greater than the third distance.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the polymer comprises a tip portion having a tapered sidewall.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first protrusion protrudes from the surface of the base at an angle other than 90 degrees.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the polymer comprises polyetheretherketone.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Cheng-Ping
• Chen Shih-Chung
• Peng Sheng-Tai
• Chen Hung-Lin

Classifications

• B24D13/145

  having a brush-like working surface · CPC title

• B24D13/10

  comprising assemblies of brushes · CPC title

• B24B37/20 Primary

  Lapping pads for working plane surfaces · CPC title

• B24B53/017 Primary

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