Gas entrainment during jetting of fluid for temperature control in chemical mechanical polishing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12528151-B2
Application number	US-202318107220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2023
Priority date	Jun 30, 2020
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a pad cooling assembly. The pad cooling assembly has an arm extending over the platen, a nozzle suspended by the arm and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and an opening in the arm adjacent the nozzle and a passage extending in the arm from the opening, the opening positioned sufficiently close to the nozzle that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A chemical mechanical polishing system, comprising:
a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface; and a pad cooling assembly including
an arm extending over the platen, wherein the arm comprises a support plate having an aperture therethrough,
a nozzle supported by the arm above the support plate and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source through the aperture onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and
a gap between an inner surface of the aperture and the nozzle such that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the gap.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the nozzle extends into the aperture.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a bottom of the nozzle is positioned above the support plate.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a top of the support plate is uncovered.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the arm comprises a housing covering the support plate and enclosing the nozzle.

6 . The system of claim 1 , comprising the source of coolant fluid and the coolant fluid, and wherein the coolant fluid is a liquid.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the liquid is water, ethanol, and/or isopropyl alcohol.

8 . The system of claim 1 , comprising the source of coolant fluid and the coolant fluid, and wherein the coolant fluid is a gas.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the gas is air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, evaporated ethanol and/or evaporated isopropyl alcohol.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises a convergent-divergent nozzle.

11 . A chemical mechanical polishing system, comprising:
a platen to support a polishing pad having a polishing surface; and a pad cooling assembly including
an arm extending over the platen, wherein the arm comprises a support plate having an aperture therethrough,
a nozzle supported by the arm above the support plate and coupled to a source of coolant fluid, the nozzle positioned to spray coolant fluid from the source through the aperture onto the polishing surface of the polishing pad, and
a passage through the support plate from the aperture such that a flow of coolant fluid from the nozzle entrains air from the passage.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the passage extends laterally through the support plate from at least one side wall of the aperture.

13 . The system of claim 12 , comprising a plurality of passages extending laterally from a plurality of different side walls of the aperture through the support plate.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein a top of the support plate is uncovered.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the arm comprises a housing covering the support plate and enclosing the nozzle.

16 . The system of claim 11 , comprising the coolant source of coolant fluid and the coolant fluid, and wherein the coolant fluid is a liquid.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the liquid is water, ethanol, and/or isopropyl alcohol.

18 . The system of claim 11 , comprising the source of coolant fluid and the coolant fluid, and wherein the coolant fluid is a gas.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the gas is air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, evaporated ethanol and/or evaporated isopropyl alcohol.

20 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the nozzle comprises a convergent-divergent nozzle.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Kumar Surajit
• Chen Hui
• Chou Chih Chung
• Chang Shou-Sung

Classifications

• B24B53/095

  Cooling or lubricating during dressing operation (cooling the grinding surfaces B24B55/02) · CPC title

• B24B57/02

  for feeding of fluid, sprayed, pulverised, or liquefied grinding, polishing or lapping agents · CPC title

• B24B49/14

  taking regard of the temperature during grinding · CPC title

• B24B55/03

  designed as a complete equipment for feeding or clarifying coolant · CPC title

• B24B55/02

  Equipment for cooling the grinding surfaces, e.g. devices for feeding coolant (cooling or lubricating during dressing operation B24B53/095; incorporated in grinding wheels B24D) · CPC title