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KR-102962333-B1 - Maintenance methods for grinding systems and related articles

KR102962333B1KR 102962333 B1KR102962333 B1KR 102962333B1KR-102962333-B1

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to chemically impregnated applicators and related application methods that can be used to provide hydrophobic surfaces on CMP system components. In one embodiment, a method for forming a hydrophobic coating on a surface of a polishing system component comprises the steps of cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove polishing fluid residue from the surface of the polishing system component and applying a hydrophobic chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component.

Inventors

  • 가드길, 샨타누 라지브
  • 파탄카르, 수밋 수브하쉬
  • 데이비스, 네이선 애런
  • 코플린, 마이클 제이.
  • 드'암브라, 알렌 엘.

Assignees

  • 어플라이드 머티어리얼스, 인코포레이티드

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20210210
Priority Date
20200309

Claims (20)

  1. A method for forming a hydrophobic coating on the surface of a polishing system component, A step of cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove polishing fluid residue from the surface of the polishing system component; and A step of applying a hydrophobicity-causing chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component using a hydrophobic applicator. Includes, A method comprising a hydrophobic applicator article formed of an open-celled foam material having a porosity of 60% or more, a density of 50 kg/ m³ or more, and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 25°C or less.
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  4. In paragraph 1, A method in which the above-mentioned applicator article and the above-mentioned hydrophobic chemical solution are packaged in a sealed container.
  5. In paragraph 4, A method in which the applicator article, as placed in the sealed container above, is impregnated with the hydrophobic chemical solution.
  6. In paragraph 4, The sealed container comprises a membrane layer that separates the applicator article from the hydrophobic-causing chemical solution, and the method further comprises the step of destroying the membrane layer to impregnate the applicator article with the hydrophobic-causing chemical solution.
  7. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned polishing system component includes a platen shield, and The above hydrophobic applicator is coupled to a polishing platen, and A method comprising the step of applying the above hydrophobic chemical solution, wherein the step of rotating the polishing platen to press the hydrophobic applicator against the radially inward surface of the platen shielding portion.
  8. In paragraph 1, The above polishing system components are placed within the substrate processing environment of the polishing system, and A method in which the above hydrophobic chemical solution is applied to the surface of the polishing system component without removing the polishing system component from the substrate processing environment.
  9. In paragraph 8, The above-described polishing system component includes a conditioner mounting plate having a first surface for mounting a polishing pad conditioning disc and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and A method in which the above hydrophobic chemical solution is applied to the second surface without separating the conditioner mounting plate from the pad conditioner assembly.
  10. A method for forming a hydrophobic coating on the surface of a polishing system component, A step of cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove polishing fluid residue from the surface of the polishing system component; and Step of applying a hydrophobic chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component using a hydrophobic applicator. Includes, The above hydrophobic applicator comprises an applicator article formed of a continuous cell-type foam material having a porosity of 60% or more, a density of 50 kg/ m³ or more, and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 25°C or less, and A method in which the polishing system component is placed within the substrate processing environment of the polishing system, and the hydrophobic chemical solution is applied to the surface of the polishing system component without removing the polishing system component from the substrate processing environment.
  11. In Paragraph 10, A method in which the above-mentioned applicator article and the above-mentioned hydrophobic chemical solution are packaged in a sealed container.
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Description

Maintenance methods for grinding systems and related articles The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. In particular, the embodiments of the present invention relate to methods for maintaining hydrophobic component surfaces in CMP systems and related hydrophobic applicator articles. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is commonly used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices to flatten or polish a layer of material deposited on a substrate surface. In a typical CMP process, a substrate is held on a substrate carrier that presses the back side of the substrate toward a rotating polishing pad in the presence of a polishing fluid. Typically, the polishing fluid comprises an aqueous solution of one or more chemical components and nanoscale polishing particles suspended in the aqueous solution. The material is removed across the surface of the material layer on the substrate in contact with the polishing pad through a combination of chemical and mechanical activity provided by the polishing fluid and the relative motion between the substrate and the polishing pad. CMP is generally considered a wet process, and the accumulation of unwanted byproducts of dried abrasive fluids on surfaces within the wet environment of a CMP system is largely inevitable. Typically, this accumulation consists of aggregated abrasive particles left behind after the excess abrasive fluid from the CMP process has been allowed to dry on the system surfaces. Unlike individual nanoscale abrasive particles that remain suspended in a carefully formulated abrasive fluid, dried aggregates of abrasive particles can cause serious damage to the substrate surface if they come into contact with the substrate surface during the CMP process. This damage often manifests as scratches on the substrate surface, such as microscratches, which can adversely affect the performance of the device formed thereon or, in some cases, render the device inoperable. Accordingly, the relevant technical field requires products and related methods to solve the problem described above. The present disclosure generally relates to chemically impregnated applicators that can be used to provide hydrophobic surfaces on CMP system components and related application methods. In one embodiment, a method for forming a hydrophobic coating on the surface of a polishing system component is provided. The method includes the steps of cleaning the surface of a polishing system component to remove polishing fluid residue from the surface of the polishing system component and applying a hydrophobic chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component. In another embodiment, a method for forming a hydrophobic coating on the surface of a polishing system component is provided. The polishing system component is placed within the substrate processing environment of the polishing system. The method includes the steps of cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove polishing fluid residue from the surface of the polishing system component and applying a hydrophobic-inducing chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component. In some embodiments, the hydrophobic-inducing solution is applied to the surface of the polishing system component without removing the polishing system component from the substrate processing environment. In another embodiment, a hydrophobic applicator is provided. Generally, the hydrophobic applicator comprises an applicator article formed from a hydrophobic chemical solution and a continuous-cell foam material having a porosity of about 60% or more. In some embodiments, the applicator and the hydrophobic chemical solution are packaged together in a sealed container. In order to enable a detailed understanding of the features of the present disclosure mentioned above, a more specific description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be made with reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that because the present disclosure may allow for other embodiments of equivalent effect, the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. FIG. 1a is a schematic side view of an exemplary grinding system that can be used with the methods provided herein, according to one embodiment. FIG. 1b is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a substrate carrier used with the polishing system of FIG. 1a according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric view of a hydrophobic applicator according to one embodiment that can be used to carry out the methods presented herein. FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric view of a hydrophobic applicator according to another embodiment that can be used to carry out the me