Multi-platen multi-head polishing architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9227293-B2
Application number	US-201313791617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 21, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A polishing apparatus includes a plurality of stations supported on a platform, the plurality of stations including at least two polishing stations and a transfer station, each polishing station including a platen to support a polishing pad, a plurality of carrier heads suspended from and movable along a track such that each polishing station is selectively positionable at the stations, and a controller configured to control motion of the carrier heads along the track such that during polishing at each polishing station only a single carrier head is positioned in the polishing station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A polishing apparatus comprising:
N polishing stations, where N is an even number equal to or greater than 4, each polishing station including a platen to support a polishing pad;
an even number of carrier heads held by a support structure and movable to the N polishing stations in sequence, the N polishing stations including a first polishing station, a second polishing station, a third polishing station and a fourth polishing station;
a transfer station; and
a controller configured to cause two substrates to be loaded into two of the carrier heads in the transfer station, move the two of the carrier heads to a first pair of the N polishing stations, simultaneously polish the two substrates in a first polishing step at the first pair of the N polishing stations, move the two of the carrier heads to a second pair of the N polishing stations, simultaneously polish the two substrates in a second polishing step at the second pair of the N polishing stations, move the two of the carrier heads to the transfer station, and cause the two substrates to be unloaded from the two of the carrier heads;
wherein the controller is configured to move the two of the carrier heads to the first pair of the N polishing stations by moving a first carrier head with a first substrate from the transfer station through the first polishing station of the N polishing stations to the second polishing station of the N polishing stations without polishing the first substrate at the first polishing station and moving a second carrier head with a second substrate from the transfer station to the first polishing station, and wherein the controller is configured to move the two of the carrier heads to the second pair of the N polishing stations by moving the first carrier head with the first substrate from the second polishing station through the third polishing station of the N polishing stations to the fourth polishing station of the N polishing stations without polishing the first substrate at the third polishing station and moving the second carrier head with the second substrate from the first polishing station through the second polishing station to the third polishing station without polishing the second substrate at the second polishing station.

2. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number of carrier heads equals N+2.

3. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number of carrier heads equals N.

4. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein N is 4.

5. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transfer station includes two load cups.

6. The polishing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the first substrate of the two substrates to be loaded into the first carrier head at a first load cup of the two load cups, and moved from the first load cup past the first polishing station to the second polishing station.

7. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the polishing stations and transfer station are supported on a platform and positioned at substantially equal angular intervals around a center of the platform.

8. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured operate in one of a plurality of modes, and in a first mode of the plurality of modes the controller causes the two of the carrier heads to move to the first pair of the N polishing stations, and in a second mode of the plurality of modes the controller causes a carrier head to move sequentially to each of the N polishing stations and cause the substrate to be polished at each of the N polishing stations.

9. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , comprising two in-sequence metrology stations.

10. The polishing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a first probe of the two in-sequence metrology stations is positioned between a first station and a second station of the second pair of polishing stations and a second probe of the two in-sequence metrology stations is positioned between the second station and the transfer station.

11. The polishing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a first probe of the two in-sequence metrology stations is positioned between a first station of the first pair of polishing stations and the transfer station and a second probe of the two in-sequence metrology stations is positioned between the first station and a second station of the first pair of polishing stations.

12. A polishing apparatus comprising:
five stations supported on a platform and positioned at substantially equal angular intervals around a center of the platform, the five stations including four polishing stations and a transfer station, each polishing station including a platen to support a polishing pad; and
a plurality of carrier heads suspended from and movable along a track such that each carrier head is selectively positionable at the stations.

13. The polishing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the track is circular.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to move the first carrier head with the first substrate from the fourth polishing station to the transfer station, and to move the second carrier head with the second substrate from the third polishing station through the fourth polishing station to the transfer station without polishing the second substrate at the fourth polishing station.

15. The polishing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the second substrate of the two substrates to be loaded into the second carrier head at a second load cup of the two load cups, moved past the first load cup of the two load cups to the first polishing station, and polished at the first polishing station.

16. The polishing apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the first substrate of the two substrates to be moved from the fourth polishing station past the second load cup of the two load cups to the first load cup of the two load cups and unloaded at the first load cup.

17. The polishing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a track and the plurality of carrier heads are suspended from the track.

18. The polishing apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of carrier heads are independently movable along the track.

19. The polishing apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the track is circular.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• David Jeffrey Drue
• Swedek Boguslaw A
• Bennett Doyle E
• Osterheld Thomas H
• Cherian Benjamin
• Benvegnu Dominic J
• Lee Harry Q
• D Ambra Allen L
• Rangarajan Jagan

Classifications

• B24B37/345

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

• B24B37/04

  designed for working plane surfaces · CPC title

• B24B37/013

  Devices or means for detecting lapping completion · CPC title

• B24B37/005 Primary

  Control means for lapping machines or devices · CPC title