Apparatus and method for chemical mechanical polishing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9227294-B2
Application number	US-201314145192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2013
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a wafer carrier, a first electrode, a rotatable pedestal, a second electrode, and an electric current detector. The first electrode is disposed at the wafer carrier. The rotatable pedestal is positioned opposite to the wafer carrier in order to perform a polishing operation with the wafer carrier accordingly. The second electrode is disposed at the rotatable pedestal and electrically coupled to the first electrode in order to form a circuit loop. The electric current detector is between the first electrode and the second electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a wafer carrier;
a first electrode disposed at the wafer carrier;
a rotatable pedestal positioned opposite to the wafer carrier in order to perform a polishing operation with the wafer carrier accordingly;
a second electrode disposed at the rotatable pedestal and electrically coupled to the first electrode in order to form a circuit loop; and
an electric current detector between the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light source configured to emit a light toward the wafer carrier, and a wavelength of the light is from about 10 nm to about 390 nm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable pedestal includes a first through hole.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first through hole is surrounded by the second electrode.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second electrode is in the first through hole and blocks an outlet of the first though hole.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable pedestal includes a second through hole for a light emitting toward the wafer carrier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is transparent to a light emitting toward the wafer carrier.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode includes indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) or aluminium zinc oxide (AZO).

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a polishing controller coupled to the circuit loop.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode or second electrode includes Au, Ag, Pt, RuO 2 or a combination thereof.

11. A method, comprising:
dispensing a slurry on a rotatable pedestal in order to perform a grinding operation on a semiconductor substrate including a metal containing layer and a film atop the metal containing layer;
removing the film atop the metal containing layer, thereby exposing the metal containing layer;
emitting a light on the metal containing layer in order to convert a portion of energy of the light into an electric current; and
detecting the electric current by using an electric current detector.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising comparing the electric current detected with a threshold value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the threshold value is 0.1 mA.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the metal containing layer further comprises oxygen.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising stopping the polishing operation if the detected electric current is greater than the threshold value.

16. A method, comprising:
providing a semiconductor substrate including an endpoint layer with a film thereon;
polishing the film, thereby exposing the endpoint layer;
emitting an electromagnetic wave toward the endpoint layer; and
converting a portion of the electromagnetic wave into an electric current by the endpoint layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising retaining the endpoint layer by comparing the electric current to a threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the threshold value is about 0.1 mA.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the converting of the portion of the electromagnetic wave into the electric current includes electrically coupling an electrode to the semiconductor substrate.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the electromagnetic wave has a wavelength smaller than about 390 nm.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg

Inventors

• Cheng Chung-Liang
• Chen Yen-Yu
• Lee Chang-Sheng
• Zhang Wei

Classifications

• B24B37/205

  provided with a window for inspecting the surface of the work being lapped · CPC title

• B24B37/013 Primary

  Devices or means for detecting lapping completion · CPC title

• B24B49/10

  involving electrical means (B24B49/02, B24B49/08 take precedence) · CPC title