Polishing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018050436-A1
Application number	US-201715673972-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 10, 2017
Priority date	Aug 18, 2016
Publication date	Feb 22, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A polishing apparatus includes a slurry circulating unit for storing a slurry below a chuck table having a holding surface for holding a wafer, and circulating the slurry to a polishing surface of a polishing pad for polishing the wafer. The slurry circulating unit includes an annular cup-shaped receptacle that surrounds the chuck table and the polishing pad overhanging from the holding surface of the chuck table in a polishing position where the polishing surface is in contact with the wafer, an air blow opening formed through a bottom plate of the receptacle for blowing air to thereby spray the slurry stored in the receptacle toward the polishing pad, a pipe for connecting the air blow opening to an air source, an opening formed through a side wall of the pipe, and a valve for controlling the supply and stop of air from the air source to the pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A polishing apparatus comprising:
a chuck table having a holding surface for holding a wafer; polishing means including a rotatable polishing pad having a polishing surface for polishing the wafer held on the chuck table; slurry supplying means for supplying a slurry to the polishing surface; feeding means for feeding the polishing means in a direction toward or away from an upper surface of the wafer held on the chuck table; and slurry circulating means for storing the slurry below the chuck table and circulating the slurry to the polishing surface of the polishing pad; the slurry circulating means including
an annular cup-shaped receptacle configured so as to surround the chuck table and the polishing pad overhanging from the holding surface of the chuck table in a polishing position where the polishing surface of the polishing pad is in contact with the wafer held on the chuck table,
an air blow opening formed through a bottom plate portion of the receptacle for blowing air to thereby spray the slurry stored in the receptacle toward the polishing surface of the polishing pad overhanging from the holding surface of the chuck table,
a pipe for connecting the air blow opening to an air source,
an opening formed through a side wall of the pipe, and
a valve for controlling the supply and stop of air from the air source to the pipe,
wherein in storing the slurry into the receptacle, the valve is opened to supply the air from the air source to the pipe, and the slurry supplied to the polishing surface by the slurry supplying means is stored into the receptacle by blowing the air from the air blow opening, whereas in draining the slurry from the receptacle, the valve is closed to stop the supply of the air and use the air blow opening as a slurry drain opening, so that the slurry is allowed to flow in the pipe in the direction opposite to the flow direction of the air, and is finally drained from the opening of the pipe.

2 . The polishing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the slurry circulating means further includes a restrictor provided in a portion of the pipe between the air source and the opening of the pipe for adjusting the flow rate of air supplied from the air source to the pipe,
the restrictor including a first restriction valve for adjusting the flow rate of air in the pipe to a first flow rate in storing the slurry into the receptacle, a second restriction valve adapted to open wider than the first restriction valve for adjusting the flow rate of air in the pipe to a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate in spraying the slurry stored in the receptacle toward the polishing surface of the polishing pad overhanging from the holding surface of the chuck table, and switching means for switching between the first restriction valve and the second restriction valve.

Assignees

• Disco Corp

Inventors

• Yamanaka Satoshi

Classifications

• H10P52/402

  of semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H10P52/00

  Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• B24B57/02 Primary

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

• B24B37/345

  Feeding, loading or unloading work specially adapted to lapping · CPC title

• B24B37/107

  in a rotary movement only, about an axis being stationary during lapping · CPC title