US20060194522A1 - Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates Download PDFInfo
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- US20060194522A1 US20060194522A1 US11/413,290 US41329006A US2006194522A1 US 20060194522 A1 US20060194522 A1 US 20060194522A1 US 41329006 A US41329006 A US 41329006A US 2006194522 A1 US2006194522 A1 US 2006194522A1
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- Prior art keywords
- planarizing
- planarizing pad
- mold material
- substrate
- mold
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
- B24B37/11—Lapping tools
- B24B37/20—Lapping pads for working plane surfaces
- B24B37/26—Lapping pads for working plane surfaces characterised by the shape of the lapping pad surface, e.g. grooved
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
- B24B37/11—Lapping tools
- B24B37/20—Lapping pads for working plane surfaces
- B24B37/22—Lapping pads for working plane surfaces characterised by a multi-layered structure
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24D—TOOLS FOR GRINDING, BUFFING OR SHARPENING
- B24D11/00—Constructional features of flexible abrasive materials; Special features in the manufacture of such materials
- B24D11/001—Manufacture of flexible abrasive materials
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
- B24D—TOOLS FOR GRINDING, BUFFING OR SHARPENING
- B24D18/00—Manufacture of grinding tools or other grinding devices, e.g. wheels, not otherwise provided for
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
- H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
- H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
- H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
- H01L21/306—Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching
- H01L21/30625—With simultaneous mechanical treatment, e.g. mechanico-chemical polishing
Definitions
- This invention relates to planarizing pads and to methods and apparatuses for forming and using planarizing pads, such as disposable and/or conditionless planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates.
- FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an existing web-format planarizing machine 10 for planarizing a substrate 12 .
- the planarizing machine 10 has a support table 14 with a top-panel 16 at a workstation where an operative portion (A) of a planarizing pad 40 is positioned.
- the top-panel 16 is generally a rigid plate to provide a flat, solid surface to which a particular section of the planarizing pad 40 may be secured during planarization.
- the planarizing machine 10 also has a plurality of rollers to guide, position and hold the planarizing pad 40 over the top-panel 16 .
- the rollers include a supply roller 20 , first and second idler rollers 21 a and 21 b, first and second guide or pre-operative portion of the planarizing pad 40 , and the take-up roller 23 carries a used or post-operative portion of the planarizing pad 40 .
- the first idler roller 21 a and the first guide roller 22 a stretch the planarizing pad 40 over the top-panel 16 to hold the planarizing pad 40 stationary during operation.
- a motor (not shown) drives at least one of the supply roller 20 and the take-up roller 23 to sequentially advance the planarizing pad 40 across the top-panel 16 . Accordingly, clean pre-operative sections of the planarizing pad 40 may be quickly substituted for used sections to provide a consistent surface for planarizing and/or cleaning the substrate 12 .
- the web-format planarizing machine 10 also has a carrier assembly 30 that controls and protects the substrate 12 during planarization.
- the carrier assembly 30 generally has a substrate holder 32 to pick up, hold and release the substrate 12 at appropriate stages of the planarizing process.
- Several nozzles 33 attached to the substrate holder 32 dispense a planarizing solution 44 onto a planarizing surface 42 of the planarizing pad 40 .
- the carrier assembly 30 also generally has a support gantry 34 carrying a drive assembly 35 that translates along the gantry 34 .
- the drive assembly 35 generally has an actuator 36 , a drive shaft 37 coupled to the actuator 36 , and an arm 38 projecting from the drive shaft 37 .
- the arm 38 carries the substrate holder 32 via a terminal shaft 39 such that the drive assembly 35 orbits the substrate holder 32 about an axis B-B (as indicated by arrow R 1 ).
- the terminal shaft 39 may also rotate the substrate holder 32 about its central axis C-C (as indicated by arrow R 2 ).
- the planarizing pad 40 and the planarizing solution 44 define a planarizing medium that mechanically and/or chemically-mechanically removes material from the surface of the substrate 12 .
- the planarizing pad 40 used in the web-format planarizing machine 10 is typically a fixed-abrasive planarizing pad in which abrasive particles are fixedly bonded to a suspension material.
- the planarizing solution is a “clean solution” without abrasive particles because the abrasive particles are fixedly distributed across the planarizing surface 42 of the planarizing pad 40 .
- the planarizing pad 40 may be a non-abrasive pad without abrasive particles, composed of a polymeric material (e.g., polyurethane) or other suitable materials.
- the planarizing solutions 44 used with the non-abrasive planarizing pads are typically CMP slurries with abrasive particles and chemicals to remove material from a substrate.
- the carrier assembly 30 presses the substrate 12 against the planarizing surface 42 of the planarizing pad 40 in the presence of the planarizing solution 44 .
- the drive assembly 35 then orbits the substrate holder 32 about the axis B-B and optionally rotates the substrate holder 32 about the axis C-C to translate the substrate 12 across the planarizing surface 42 .
- the abrasive particles and/or the chemicals in the planarizing medium remove material from the surface of the substrate 12 .
- the CMP processes should consistently and accurately produce a uniformly planar surface on the substrate assembly to enable precise fabrication of circuits and photo-patterns.
- During the fabrication of transistors, contacts, interconnects and other features many substrate assemblies develop large “step heights” that create a highly topographic surface across the substrate assembly.
- steps heights that create a highly topographic surface across the substrate assembly.
- non-uniform substrate surfaces significantly increase the difficulty of forming sub-micron features. For example, it is difficult to accurately focus photo patterns to within tolerances approaching 0.1 micron on non-uniform substrate surfaces because sub-micron photolithographic equipment generally has a very limited depth of field.
- CMP processes are often used to transform a topographical substrate surface into a highly uniform, planar substrate surface.
- planarizing surface 42 of the planarizing pad 40 can become glazed with accumulations of slurry and/or material removed from the substrate 12 or the planarizing pad 40 .
- One conventional approach to addressing this problem is to remove the accumulations by conditioning the planarizing pad 40 , for example, by abrading the planarizing pad 40 with an abrasive disk (not shown).
- a drawback with this approach is that the equipment required for conditioning the planarizing pad 40 adds complexity to the planarizing machine 10 and, if the conditioning operation is performed separately from the planarizing operation, it reduces the time that the planarizing pad 40 is available for planarizing. Conventional conditioning processes can thus limit the overall efficiency of the apparatus.
- U.S. application Ser. No. 09/001,333 discloses a disposable planarizing pad film made from materials such as Mylar or polycarbonate.
- the pads disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/011,333 can have microfeatures of different heights that entrap small volumes of an abrasive slurry and maintain the slurry in contact with the substrate.
- the microfeatures can be formed using a variety of techniques, such as embossing or photo-patterning.
- FIGS. 2A-2E One conventional method for photo-patterning is shown schematically in FIGS. 2A-2E .
- a photopolymer composite 50 is formed by disposing a photopolymer resist material 53 on a substrate polymer 52 which is supported by support layer 51 .
- the photopolymer resist material 53 is then exposed to a radiation source 63 .
- a mask 60 having opaque portions 61 and transmissive portions 62 blocks the radiation emitted from the radiation source 63 from striking unexposed portions 55 of the photopolymer resist material 53 , while allowing the radiation to strike exposed portions 54 .
- the exposed portions 54 change chemical characteristics as a result of being exposed to the radiation source 63 .
- the photopolymer resist material 53 is initially soluble in a selected solvent
- exposure to the selected radiation can change the exposed portions 54 to become insoluble in the selected solvent.
- the photopolymer resist material is initially insoluble in the selected solvent
- exposure to the selected radiation can make the exposed portions 54 soluble. In either case, the solubility of the unexposed portions 55 remains unchanged.
- FIG. 2C schematically illustrates the photopolymer composite 50 after being rinsed with the selected solvent.
- the exposed portions 54 of the photopolymer resist material 53 remain intact and the unexposed portions have been removed by the solvent to expose the substrate polymer 52 below.
- the substrate polymer 52 is then etched to remove the portions of the substrate polymer material from between the exposed portions 54 of the photopolymer resist material 53 and form recesses 70 , as is shown in FIG. 2D .
- the exposed portions 54 of the photopolymer resist material 53 are then removed, leaving the finished article (shown in FIG. 2E ) having protrusions 76 separated by the recesses 70 .
- One drawback with the method discussed above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2E is that separate steps are required to place the photopolymer resist material 53 on the substrate polymer 52 and remove the photopolymer resist material 53 from the substrate polymer 52 after the recesses 70 are formed. Furthermore, the solvent that removes the photopolymer resist material 53 may be different than the solvent that removes the underlying substrate polymer 52 , requiring the manufacturer to keep multiple solvents on hand.
- One method for reducing the number of manufacturing steps and solvents associated with photoresistive techniques used in the printing industry is to etch the recesses 70 directly in a photosensitive material.
- Cyrel® available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. of Wilmington, Del., is used to make printing plates by forming surface features directly in a photosensitive material without separately etching the material below.
- such printing plates are generally unsuitable for application to planarizing pads because the surfaces of the plates have deep recesses that separate inked regions from non-inked regions of the plates to prevent blurring of the resulting image. These deep recesses will not adequately support the planarizing liquid adjacent to the surface of a microelectronic substrate, reducing the effectiveness of the planarizing pad.
- the present invention is directed toward planarizing pads for planarizing microelectronic substrates, methods for forming planarizing pads, and methods for planarizing the microelectronic substrates.
- the planarizing pad is formed by exposing a first portion of a surface of an energy-sensitive, non-sacrificial planarizing pad material to a selected energy source without exposing a second portion of the surface (adjacent to the first portion) to the selected radiation energy source.
- the method can further include exposing the planarizing pad material to a solvent to remove material from one of the first and second portions of the planarizing pad material at a greater rate than removing material from the other of the first and second portions.
- the process forms a plurality of recesses directly in the surface of the planarizing pad material, with the recesses configured to support a planarizing liquid proximate to the surface of the planarizing pad material during planarization of the microelectronic substrate.
- the planarizing pad can have a variety of shapes and features.
- the planarizing pad can be elongated and can extend between a supply roller and a take-up roller for use with a web-format planarizing machine.
- the planarizing pad can have a circular planform shape for use with a conventional rotary format planarizing machine.
- the planarizing pad can have abrasive elements fixedly disbursed therein and/or can be used with a planarizing liquid having a suspension of abrasive particles.
- the steps discussed above with respect to the radiation-sensitive planarizing pad material can be used to process a radiation-sensitive mold material into a mold.
- the mold can be wrapped around a roller which rotates to engage the planarizing pad material and emboss the planarizing pad material with recesses and texture elements, or the mold can have a flat shape which presses against the planarizing pad material to form recesses and texture elements in the planarizing pad material.
- FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a planarizing apparatus in accordance with the prior art.
- FIGS. 2A-2E are partially schematic side elevational views of a photopolymer composite undergoing a photo-etching process in accordance with the prior art.
- FIGS. 3A-3D are partially schematic side elevational views of a photopolymer composite undergoing a photo-etching process to produce a planarizing surface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a planarizing pad having fixed abrasive elements in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a rotary embossing drum for forming a planarizing surface in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of an embossing plate for forming a planarizing surface in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of an apparatus having a planarizing pad in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention.
- planarizing pads methods for making planarizing pads, and methods for the mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarizing of substrate assemblies used in the fabrication of microelectronic substrates.
- Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description, and in FIGS. 3A-7 , to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein.
- One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that the invention may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description.
- FIG. 3A is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of a portion of a photosensitive composite 150 for forming a planarizing pad in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
- the composite 150 includes a layer of photopolymer resist material 153 that can undergo a chemical change upon exposure to radiation at a selected wavelength.
- the photopolymer resist material 153 can have a forward surface 171 (facing downwardly in FIG. 3A ) and a rear surface 172 facing opposite the forward surface 171 .
- a removable protective film 157 is positioned adjacent to the forward surface 171 to protect the forward surface 171 during handling.
- a backing layer or substrate 156 is positioned adjacent to the rear surface 172 to support the photopolymer resist material 153 .
- Photosensitive composites 150 of the type shown in FIG. 3A are commercially available from du Pont de Nemours and Co. of Wilmington, Del. under the name Cyrel®.
- a portion of the photopolymer resist material 153 adjacent to the backing layer 156 can be chemically altered or “set” to resist etching and provide an etch stop within the photopolymer resist material 153 .
- an energy source 163 can emit selected radiation that passes through the backing layer 156 and penetrates through the rear surface 172 of the photopolymer resist material 153 to a selected pre-exposure depth indicated by etch-stop line 158 , setting the portion of the backing layer 156 between the rear surface 172 and the etch-stop line 158 .
- the backing layer 156 can include a polyester such as Mylar®, available from du Pont de Nemours and Co. or another material that is transparent to the selected radiation.
- the pre-exposure depth can be from about 0.001 inch to about 0.008 inch and in other embodiments the pre-exposure depth can have other values.
- the pre-exposure depth generally depends on the overall thickness of the photopolymer resist material 153 and the dimensions of the features to be formed therein. In either embodiment, the pre-exposure step produces a pre-exposed portion 159 of the photopolymer resist material 153 that resists subsequent etching, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 3C .
- the pre-exposure process and the pre-exposed portion 159 can be eliminated and other methods can be used to halt subsequent etching within the photopolymer resist material 153 , or the subsequent etching can continue through the photopolymer resist material 153 to the backing layer 156 .
- the composite 150 is inverted, as shown in FIG. 3B , so that the rear surface 172 of the photopolymer resist material 153 faces downwardly and the forward surface 171 faces upwardly.
- the protective layer 157 ( FIG. 3A ) is removed from the forward surface 171 and a mask 160 is positioned on or adjacent to the forward surface 171 .
- the mask 160 includes opaque portions 161 that block the selected radiation from striking portions of the forward surface 171 , and transmissive portions 162 that allow the selected radiation to strike other portions of the forward surface 171 .
- the transmissive portions 162 include apertures in the mask 160 .
- the transmissive portions 162 can be transparent or translucent to the selected radiation, so long as they allow at least some of the selected radiation to pass through the mask 160 .
- the opaque portions 161 and the transmissive portions 162 of the mask 160 can be evenly spaced to produce an even pattern of recesses in the planarizing surface of the resulting planarizing pad, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
- the opaque portions and the transmissive portions can be concentrated in one or more regions of the composite 150 .
- the opaque portions 161 and the transmissive portions 162 can be randomly spaced to produce a corresponding random arrangement of recesses, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 4 .
- the composite 150 and the mask 160 can be exposed to radiation emitted from the energy source 163 to illuminate exposed portions 154 of the photopolymer resist material 153 while unexposed portions 155 remain shielded from exposure to the radiation.
- the energy source 163 can selectively direct focused energy to the exposed portions 154 without the presence of the mask 160 .
- the photopolymer resist material is initially soluble in a selected solvent.
- the exposed portions 154 become generally insoluble (or less soluble) in the solvent after being exposed to the selected radiation, and the unexposed portions 155 remain soluble in the selected solvent.
- an initially insoluble photopolymer resist material 153 can be selected to undergo the opposite change upon exposure to a selected radiation, such that the exposed portions 154 become soluble (or more soluble) and the unexposed portions remain insoluble (or less soluble).
- the energy source 163 can be selected to produce the desired change in the photopolymer resist material 153 .
- the energy source 163 can be selected to emit ultraviolet radiation, that renders the exposed portions 154 insoluble when exposed to solvents such as nonyl acetate and/or benzyl alcohol.
- the energy source 163 can emit other radiation (such as neutron beams or electron beams) to change the solubility of other radiation-sensitive materials.
- the composite 150 is exposed to the selected radiation for long enough to cause the exposed portions 154 to change solubility down to the etch-stop line 158 .
- the composite 150 can be exposed to the selected radiation for a period of time sufficient to change the solubility of the photopolymer resist material 153 to a predetermined depth.
- the mask 160 is removed, as shown in FIG. 3C .
- the composite 150 is then rinsed with a solvent that selectively dissolves or etches the unexposed portions 155 while leaving the exposed portions 154 at least substantially intact.
- the resulting topography includes a plurality of recesses 170 separated by upwardly projecting contact elements 176 that contact a microelectronic substrate or substrate assembly 112 (hereinafter microelectronic substrate) during planarization.
- the composite 150 can be heat cured to strengthen and harden the contact elements 176 , or the curing process can be eliminated, depending on the strength of the photopolymer resister material.
- the tops or engaging contact surfaces 177 of the contact elements 176 are each at approximately the same height so that the tops 177 define a generally flat plane.
- the tops 177 can be at different heights.
- the composite 150 can form a planarizing pad 140 for use with an apparatus generally similar to that shown in FIG. 1 to planarize the microelectronic substrate 112 .
- the recesses 170 of the planarizing pad 140 are configured to contain a planarizing liquid 144 and keep the planarizing liquid 144 in contact with the microelectronic substrate 112 as the substrate 112 is planarized in a manner generally in accordance with that discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 .
- the depth D of the recesses 170 can range from about 0.001 inch to 0.004 inch.
- the thickness T 1 of the photopolymer resist material 153 can range from approximately 0.002 inch to approximately 0.010 inches.
- the thickness T 2 of the backing material 156 can range from about 0.001 inches to about 0.010 inch.
- the thicknesses T 1 and T 2 of the resist material 153 and the backing material 156 , and the depth D of the recesses 170 can have other values so long as the planarizing pad 140 can effectively keep the planarizing liquid 144 in contact with the substrate 112 .
- the planarizing pad 140 can be relatively thin to allow the planarizing pad 140 to flex easily as it passes over the rollers shown in FIG. 1 .
- the planarizing pad 140 can have a greater thickness, for example, when the planarizing pad 140 remains flat throughout its operation, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7 .
- planarizing pad 140 eliminates the need to periodically condition the pad 140 because it is more economical to discard used pads than to condition them.
- the planarizing pad 140 can be relatively inexpensive to fabricate compared to many conventional pads. This is unlike some conventional planarizing pads, which are expansive and must be reconditioned when they are worn, potentially increasing the time and effort required to keep the planarizing machine operating at peak efficiency.
- planarizing pad 140 when compared to conventional disposable planarizing pads, is that it can be manufactured using a photoresist process that forms the recesses 170 and contact elements 176 integrally in a single layer of photosensitive material, rather than requiring a sacrificial polymer layer, as was discussed above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2E . Accordingly, embodiments of the planarizing pad 140 may be simpler and less expensive to manufacture than some conventional planarizing pads.
- planarizing pad 140 when compared to printing plates formed with photoresist techniques, is that the recesses 170 are shallow enough to support the planarizing liquid 144 adjacent to the substrate 112 . Accordingly, the planarizing pad 140 can have recesses 170 that are unlike the recesses of some printing plates, which are deliberately made deeper than those of the planarizing pad 140 to prevent ink from filling the recesses and blurring the printed images.
- FIG. 4 is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of a planarizing pad 240 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the planarizing pad 240 can include a layer of photopolymer resist material 253 formed in general accordance with the steps outlined above with reference to FIGS. 3A-3D , but which includes a plurality of fixed abrasive elements 273 .
- the fixed abrasive elements 273 can be selected from alumina, titania, ceria, silica, calcium carbonate or other substances that are effective at removing material from the microelectronic substrate 112 ( FIG. 3D ), and are also compatible with both the photopolymer resist material 253 and the processes discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3A-3D .
- the photopolymer resist material 253 can include additives, such as chalk, to improve the uniformity of the distribution of the abrasive elements 273 .
- the photopolymer resist material 253 can include chalk or other additives, such as carbonaceous materials, to control the hardness of the planarizing pad 240 .
- the photopolymer resist material 253 can include a suspension of graphite particles to soften the planarizing pad 240 or an amorphous carbon material to harden the planarizing pad 240 .
- the planarizing pad 240 can have a hardness of from about 50 to about 80 on the Shore D hardness scale.
- the photopolymer resist material 253 can include other substances to control specific characteristics of the abrasive elements 273 and/or the overall characteristics of the planarizing pad 240 .
- planarizing pad 240 shown in FIG. 4 One feature of the planarizing pad 240 shown in FIG. 4 is that the fixed abrasive elements 273 can eliminate the need for abrasive particles in the planarizing liquid 244 disposed on the planarizing pad 240 . And advantage of this feature is that it generally provides a desired distribution of fixed abrasive elements 273 in contact with the planarized surface of the substrate 112 . This is an improvement over providing abrasive particles in a slurry because the slurry can be squeezed out from between the substrate 112 and the planarizing pad 240 such that distribution of abrasive particle contacting the substrate assembly 112 is not easily controlled.
- planarizing pad 240 shown in FIG. 4 can include a backing layer 256 attached with an adhesive 274 to a support layer 275 .
- the support layer 275 can provide additional rigidity and support for the photopolymer resist material 253 .
- the support layer 275 can be sized to allow the planarizing pad 240 to bend around the rollers of a web-format planarizing machine, or the support layer 275 can be relatively thick and the planarizing pad 240 can remain flat for either web-format or rotary planarizing machines (discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7 ). Where the support layer 275 is not included, the planarizing pad 240 can rest directly on a top-panel, or platen of a planarizing machine.
- the spacing between adjacent recesses 270 and/or the size of the recess 270 can vary across the pad 240 either uniformly or non-uniformly.
- the spacing between adjacent recesses 270 can be random.
- the spacing can be closer in one portion of the planarizing pad 240 than in another.
- the recesses can have other spacing or other size arrangements.
- an advantage of the mask 160 ( FIG. 3B ) used to define the spacing between the recesses 270 is that the mask 160 can accurately control the spacing between the recesses 270 .
- Another advantage is that the same mask 160 can be used repeatedly to place the same pattern of recesses 270 on a series of planarizing pads 240 . Accordingly, worn planarizing pads can be removed and replaced with identical fresh planarizing pads, reducing or eliminating the need for adjusting the operating characteristics of the planarizing machine on which the planarizing pads to account for variations from one planarizing pad 240 to the next.
- FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a planarizing pad 340 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the planarizing pad 340 can include a thermoplastic or uncured thermoset material that is embossed with a pattern of recesses 370 a and roughness elements 376 a arranged either randomly, variably, or uniformly, as discussed above.
- the recesses 370 a and the roughness elements 376 a can be formed by a mold 380 which includes an embossing wheel 381 having an embossing surface 382 defined by a layer of photopolymer resist material 353 .
- the photopolymer resist material 353 can include recesses 370 and protrusions or texture elements 376 formed in generally the same manner as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3A-4 .
- the embossing wheel 381 rotates about an axis 385 generally transverse to the plane of FIG. 5 , the protrusions 376 press into the planarizing pad 340 to form the recesses 370 a and the roughness elements 376 a.
- the polishing pad 340 includes a thermoset material
- the polishing pad 340 can be cured after the recesses 370 a and roughness elements 376 a are formed to harden the definition of these features.
- the polishing pad 340 can also include abrasive elements generally similar to those discussed above with reference to FIG. 4 .
- An advantage of the process discussed above with reference to FIG. 5 is that a single surface formed with the photopolymer resist material 353 can generate a large number of planarizing pads 340 .
- a further advantage is that the embossing wheel 381 can easily generate a single elongated planarizing pad 340 for use with a web-format planarizing machine.
- FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a planarizing pad 440 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
- the planarizing pad 440 can be formed from a thermoplastic or uncured thermoset material that is embossed with a mold 480 that includes a flat embossing plate 481 .
- the embossing plate 481 has protrusions 476 and recesses 470 formed in a layer of photopolymer resist material 453 in a manner generally similar to that discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3A-4 .
- the mold 480 can be lowered and raised as indicated by arrows D and E, respectively, to form recesses 470 a by pressing the protrusions 476 into the planarizing pad 440 .
- the flat plate 481 can be sized to produce a single planarizing pad 440 with one pressing cycle.
- the flat plate 481 can be repeatedly pressed into successive portions of an elongated planarizing pad, as the pad and the flat plate 481 move laterally relative to one another, to emboss the entire length of the planarizing pad 440 .
- FIG. 7 is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of a planarizing machine 510 with a generally circular platen or table 520 , a carrier assembly 530 , a planarizing pad 540 positioned on the table 520 , and a planarizing fluid 544 on the planarizing pad 540 .
- the planarizing machine 510 may also have an under-pad 525 attached to an upper surface 522 of the platen 520 for supporting the planarizing pad 540 .
- a drive assembly 526 rotates (arrow F) and/or reciprocates (arrow G) the platen 520 to move the planarizing pad 540 during planarization.
- the carrier assembly 530 controls and protects the substrate 112 during planarization.
- the carrier assembly 530 typically has a substrate holder 532 with a pad 534 that holds the substrate 112 via suction.
- a drive assembly 536 of the carrier assembly 530 typically rotates and/or translates the substrate holder 532 (arrows H and I, respectively).
- the substrate holder 532 may include a weighted, free-floating disk (not shown) that slides over the planarizing pad 540 .
- the planarizing pad 540 can have recesses and roughness elements formed by any of the methods discussed above with reference to FIGS. 3A-6 .
- the carrier assembly 530 presses the substrate 112 against a planarizing surface 542 of the planarizing pad 540 in the presence of the planarizing fluid 544 .
- the platen 520 and/or the substrate holder 532 then move relative to one another to translate the substrate 112 across the planarizing surface 542 .
- the abrasive particles and/or the chemicals in the planarizing medium remove material from the surface of the substrate 112 .
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for planarizing a microelectronic substrate. In one aspect of the invention, a first portion of an energy-sensitive, non-sacrificial planarizing pad material is exposed to a selected energy without exposing a second portion of the material to the selected energy source. The planarizing pad material is exposed to a solvent to remove material from one of the first or second portions of the planarizing pad material at a faster rate than removing material from the other of the first and second portions. The process forms a plurality of recesses directly in the surface of the planarizing pad which are configured to support a planarizing liquid proximate to the surface of the planarizing pad material during planarization of the microelectronic substrate. Alternatively, the process can form a mold having protrusions that are pressed into the planarizing pad to define the recesses in the pad.
Description
- This invention relates to planarizing pads and to methods and apparatuses for forming and using planarizing pads, such as disposable and/or conditionless planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates.
- Mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization processes (“CMP”) are used in the manufacturing of electronic devices for forming a flat surface on semiconductor wafers, field emission displays and many other microelectronic-device substrate assemblies. CMP processes generally remove material from a substrate assembly to create a highly planar surface at a precise elevation in the layers of material on the substrate assembly.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an existing web-format planarizingmachine 10 for planarizing asubstrate 12. The planarizingmachine 10 has a support table 14 with a top-panel 16 at a workstation where an operative portion (A) of a planarizingpad 40 is positioned. The top-panel 16 is generally a rigid plate to provide a flat, solid surface to which a particular section of theplanarizing pad 40 may be secured during planarization. - The planarizing
machine 10 also has a plurality of rollers to guide, position and hold the planarizingpad 40 over the top-panel 16. The rollers include asupply roller 20, first andsecond idler rollers 21 a and 21 b, first and second guide or pre-operative portion of the planarizingpad 40, and the take-up roller 23 carries a used or post-operative portion of the planarizingpad 40. Additionally, the first idler roller 21 a and the first guide roller 22 a stretch theplanarizing pad 40 over the top-panel 16 to hold theplanarizing pad 40 stationary during operation. A motor (not shown) drives at least one of thesupply roller 20 and the take-up roller 23 to sequentially advance theplanarizing pad 40 across the top-panel 16. Accordingly, clean pre-operative sections of the planarizingpad 40 may be quickly substituted for used sections to provide a consistent surface for planarizing and/or cleaning thesubstrate 12. - The web-
format planarizing machine 10 also has acarrier assembly 30 that controls and protects thesubstrate 12 during planarization. Thecarrier assembly 30 generally has asubstrate holder 32 to pick up, hold and release thesubstrate 12 at appropriate stages of the planarizing process.Several nozzles 33 attached to thesubstrate holder 32 dispense a planarizingsolution 44 onto a planarizingsurface 42 of theplanarizing pad 40. Thecarrier assembly 30 also generally has asupport gantry 34 carrying adrive assembly 35 that translates along thegantry 34. Thedrive assembly 35 generally has anactuator 36, adrive shaft 37 coupled to theactuator 36, and anarm 38 projecting from thedrive shaft 37. Thearm 38 carries thesubstrate holder 32 via aterminal shaft 39 such that thedrive assembly 35 orbits thesubstrate holder 32 about an axis B-B (as indicated by arrow R1). Theterminal shaft 39 may also rotate thesubstrate holder 32 about its central axis C-C (as indicated by arrow R2). - The
planarizing pad 40 and the planarizingsolution 44 define a planarizing medium that mechanically and/or chemically-mechanically removes material from the surface of thesubstrate 12. The planarizingpad 40 used in the web-format planarizingmachine 10 is typically a fixed-abrasive planarizing pad in which abrasive particles are fixedly bonded to a suspension material. In fixed-abrasive applications, the planarizing solution is a “clean solution” without abrasive particles because the abrasive particles are fixedly distributed across theplanarizing surface 42 of theplanarizing pad 40. In other applications, theplanarizing pad 40 may be a non-abrasive pad without abrasive particles, composed of a polymeric material (e.g., polyurethane) or other suitable materials. The planarizingsolutions 44 used with the non-abrasive planarizing pads are typically CMP slurries with abrasive particles and chemicals to remove material from a substrate. - To planarize the
substrate 12 with the planarizingmachine 10, thecarrier assembly 30 presses thesubstrate 12 against the planarizingsurface 42 of theplanarizing pad 40 in the presence of theplanarizing solution 44. Thedrive assembly 35 then orbits thesubstrate holder 32 about the axis B-B and optionally rotates thesubstrate holder 32 about the axis C-C to translate thesubstrate 12 across theplanarizing surface 42. As a result, the abrasive particles and/or the chemicals in the planarizing medium remove material from the surface of thesubstrate 12. - The CMP processes should consistently and accurately produce a uniformly planar surface on the substrate assembly to enable precise fabrication of circuits and photo-patterns. During the fabrication of transistors, contacts, interconnects and other features, many substrate assemblies develop large “step heights” that create a highly topographic surface across the substrate assembly. Yet, as the density of integrated circuits increases, it is necessary to have a planar substrate surface at several intermediate stages during substrate assembly processing because non-uniform substrate surfaces significantly increase the difficulty of forming sub-micron features. For example, it is difficult to accurately focus photo patterns to within tolerances approaching 0.1 micron on non-uniform substrate surfaces because sub-micron photolithographic equipment generally has a very limited depth of field. Thus, CMP processes are often used to transform a topographical substrate surface into a highly uniform, planar substrate surface.
- One problem with conventional CMP methods is that the
planarizing surface 42 of theplanarizing pad 40 can become glazed with accumulations of slurry and/or material removed from thesubstrate 12 or theplanarizing pad 40. One conventional approach to addressing this problem is to remove the accumulations by conditioning theplanarizing pad 40, for example, by abrading theplanarizing pad 40 with an abrasive disk (not shown). A drawback with this approach is that the equipment required for conditioning theplanarizing pad 40 adds complexity to the planarizingmachine 10 and, if the conditioning operation is performed separately from the planarizing operation, it reduces the time that theplanarizing pad 40 is available for planarizing. Conventional conditioning processes can thus limit the overall efficiency of the apparatus. - One approach to address this drawback is to eliminate the need to condition the pad by making the planarizing surface or the entire planarizing pad disposable. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/001,333 discloses a disposable planarizing pad film made from materials such as Mylar or polycarbonate. The pads disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/011,333 can have microfeatures of different heights that entrap small volumes of an abrasive slurry and maintain the slurry in contact with the substrate. The microfeatures can be formed using a variety of techniques, such as embossing or photo-patterning.
- One conventional method for photo-patterning is shown schematically in
FIGS. 2A-2E . As shown inFIG. 2A , aphotopolymer composite 50 is formed by disposing a photopolymer resistmaterial 53 on asubstrate polymer 52 which is supported bysupport layer 51. The photopolymer resistmaterial 53 is then exposed to aradiation source 63. Amask 60 havingopaque portions 61 andtransmissive portions 62 blocks the radiation emitted from theradiation source 63 from strikingunexposed portions 55 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 53, while allowing the radiation to strike exposedportions 54. - As shown schematically in
FIG. 2B , the exposedportions 54 change chemical characteristics as a result of being exposed to theradiation source 63. For example, when the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 is initially soluble in a selected solvent, exposure to the selected radiation can change the exposedportions 54 to become insoluble in the selected solvent. Alternatively, when the photopolymer resist material is initially insoluble in the selected solvent, exposure to the selected radiation can make the exposedportions 54 soluble. In either case, the solubility of theunexposed portions 55 remains unchanged. - When the exposed
portions 54 are rendered insoluble by exposure to the selected radiation,FIG. 2C schematically illustrates thephotopolymer composite 50 after being rinsed with the selected solvent. The exposedportions 54 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 remain intact and the unexposed portions have been removed by the solvent to expose thesubstrate polymer 52 below. Thesubstrate polymer 52 is then etched to remove the portions of the substrate polymer material from between the exposedportions 54 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 andform recesses 70, as is shown inFIG. 2D . The exposedportions 54 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 are then removed, leaving the finished article (shown inFIG. 2E ) havingprotrusions 76 separated by therecesses 70. - One drawback with the method discussed above with reference to
FIGS. 2A-2E is that separate steps are required to place the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 on thesubstrate polymer 52 and remove the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 from thesubstrate polymer 52 after therecesses 70 are formed. Furthermore, the solvent that removes the photopolymer resistmaterial 53 may be different than the solvent that removes theunderlying substrate polymer 52, requiring the manufacturer to keep multiple solvents on hand. - One method for reducing the number of manufacturing steps and solvents associated with photoresistive techniques used in the printing industry is to etch the
recesses 70 directly in a photosensitive material. For example, Cyrel®, available from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. of Wilmington, Del., is used to make printing plates by forming surface features directly in a photosensitive material without separately etching the material below. However, such printing plates are generally unsuitable for application to planarizing pads because the surfaces of the plates have deep recesses that separate inked regions from non-inked regions of the plates to prevent blurring of the resulting image. These deep recesses will not adequately support the planarizing liquid adjacent to the surface of a microelectronic substrate, reducing the effectiveness of the planarizing pad. - The present invention is directed toward planarizing pads for planarizing microelectronic substrates, methods for forming planarizing pads, and methods for planarizing the microelectronic substrates. In one aspect of the invention, the planarizing pad is formed by exposing a first portion of a surface of an energy-sensitive, non-sacrificial planarizing pad material to a selected energy source without exposing a second portion of the surface (adjacent to the first portion) to the selected radiation energy source. The method can further include exposing the planarizing pad material to a solvent to remove material from one of the first and second portions of the planarizing pad material at a greater rate than removing material from the other of the first and second portions. The process forms a plurality of recesses directly in the surface of the planarizing pad material, with the recesses configured to support a planarizing liquid proximate to the surface of the planarizing pad material during planarization of the microelectronic substrate.
- The planarizing pad can have a variety of shapes and features. For example, the planarizing pad can be elongated and can extend between a supply roller and a take-up roller for use with a web-format planarizing machine. Alternatively, the planarizing pad can have a circular planform shape for use with a conventional rotary format planarizing machine. In either of these embodiments, the planarizing pad can have abrasive elements fixedly disbursed therein and/or can be used with a planarizing liquid having a suspension of abrasive particles.
- In another aspect of the invention, the steps discussed above with respect to the radiation-sensitive planarizing pad material can be used to process a radiation-sensitive mold material into a mold. The mold can be wrapped around a roller which rotates to engage the planarizing pad material and emboss the planarizing pad material with recesses and texture elements, or the mold can have a flat shape which presses against the planarizing pad material to form recesses and texture elements in the planarizing pad material.
-
FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a planarizing apparatus in accordance with the prior art. -
FIGS. 2A-2E are partially schematic side elevational views of a photopolymer composite undergoing a photo-etching process in accordance with the prior art. -
FIGS. 3A-3D are partially schematic side elevational views of a photopolymer composite undergoing a photo-etching process to produce a planarizing surface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a planarizing pad having fixed abrasive elements in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 5 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a rotary embossing drum for forming a planarizing surface in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 6 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of an embossing plate for forming a planarizing surface in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 7 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of an apparatus having a planarizing pad in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention. - The present disclosure describes planarizing pads, methods for making planarizing pads, and methods for the mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarizing of substrate assemblies used in the fabrication of microelectronic substrates. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description, and in
FIGS. 3A-7 , to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that the invention may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description. -
FIG. 3A is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of a portion of aphotosensitive composite 150 for forming a planarizing pad in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, the composite 150 includes a layer of photopolymer resistmaterial 153 that can undergo a chemical change upon exposure to radiation at a selected wavelength. The photopolymer resistmaterial 153 can have a forward surface 171 (facing downwardly inFIG. 3A ) and arear surface 172 facing opposite theforward surface 171. A removableprotective film 157 is positioned adjacent to theforward surface 171 to protect theforward surface 171 during handling. A backing layer orsubstrate 156 is positioned adjacent to therear surface 172 to support the photopolymer resistmaterial 153.Photosensitive composites 150 of the type shown inFIG. 3A are commercially available from du Pont de Nemours and Co. of Wilmington, Del. under the name Cyrel®. - In one embodiment, a portion of the photopolymer resist
material 153 adjacent to thebacking layer 156 can be chemically altered or “set” to resist etching and provide an etch stop within the photopolymer resistmaterial 153. For example, anenergy source 163 can emit selected radiation that passes through thebacking layer 156 and penetrates through therear surface 172 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 to a selected pre-exposure depth indicated by etch-stop line 158, setting the portion of thebacking layer 156 between therear surface 172 and the etch-stop line 158. Accordingly, thebacking layer 156 can include a polyester such as Mylar®, available from du Pont de Nemours and Co. or another material that is transparent to the selected radiation. In one embodiment, the pre-exposure depth can be from about 0.001 inch to about 0.008 inch and in other embodiments the pre-exposure depth can have other values. The pre-exposure depth generally depends on the overall thickness of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 and the dimensions of the features to be formed therein. In either embodiment, the pre-exposure step produces apre-exposed portion 159 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 that resists subsequent etching, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 3C . Alternatively, the pre-exposure process and thepre-exposed portion 159 can be eliminated and other methods can be used to halt subsequent etching within the photopolymer resistmaterial 153, or the subsequent etching can continue through the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 to thebacking layer 156. - Once the pre-exposure operation has been completed, the composite 150 is inverted, as shown in
FIG. 3B , so that therear surface 172 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 faces downwardly and theforward surface 171 faces upwardly. The protective layer 157 (FIG. 3A ) is removed from theforward surface 171 and amask 160 is positioned on or adjacent to theforward surface 171. Themask 160 includesopaque portions 161 that block the selected radiation from striking portions of theforward surface 171, andtransmissive portions 162 that allow the selected radiation to strike other portions of theforward surface 171. In one embodiment, thetransmissive portions 162 include apertures in themask 160. Alternatively, thetransmissive portions 162 can be transparent or translucent to the selected radiation, so long as they allow at least some of the selected radiation to pass through themask 160. - In one embodiment, the
opaque portions 161 and thetransmissive portions 162 of themask 160 can be evenly spaced to produce an even pattern of recesses in the planarizing surface of the resulting planarizing pad, as will be discussed in greater detail below. In one alternative embodiment the opaque portions and the transmissive portions can be concentrated in one or more regions of the composite 150. In another alternative embodiment, theopaque portions 161 and thetransmissive portions 162 can be randomly spaced to produce a corresponding random arrangement of recesses, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 4 . In any of the foregoing embodiments, the composite 150 and themask 160 can be exposed to radiation emitted from theenergy source 163 to illuminate exposedportions 154 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 whileunexposed portions 155 remain shielded from exposure to the radiation. Alternatively, theenergy source 163 can selectively direct focused energy to the exposedportions 154 without the presence of themask 160. - In a “negative resist process” according to one embodiment, the photopolymer resist material is initially soluble in a selected solvent. The exposed
portions 154 become generally insoluble (or less soluble) in the solvent after being exposed to the selected radiation, and theunexposed portions 155 remain soluble in the selected solvent. Alternatively, in a “positive resist process,” an initially insoluble photopolymer resistmaterial 153 can be selected to undergo the opposite change upon exposure to a selected radiation, such that the exposedportions 154 become soluble (or more soluble) and the unexposed portions remain insoluble (or less soluble). In either embodiment, theenergy source 163 can be selected to produce the desired change in the photopolymer resistmaterial 153. For example, in one embodiment, theenergy source 163 can be selected to emit ultraviolet radiation, that renders the exposedportions 154 insoluble when exposed to solvents such as nonyl acetate and/or benzyl alcohol. Alternatively, theenergy source 163 can emit other radiation (such as neutron beams or electron beams) to change the solubility of other radiation-sensitive materials. When the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 has been pre-exposed (as discussed above with reference toFIG. 3A ), the composite 150 is exposed to the selected radiation for long enough to cause the exposedportions 154 to change solubility down to the etch-stop line 158. Where the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 has not been pre-exposed, the composite 150 can be exposed to the selected radiation for a period of time sufficient to change the solubility of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 to a predetermined depth. - After the exposed
portions 154 have changed solubility, themask 160 is removed, as shown inFIG. 3C . The composite 150 is then rinsed with a solvent that selectively dissolves or etches theunexposed portions 155 while leaving the exposedportions 154 at least substantially intact. As shown inFIG. 3D , the resulting topography includes a plurality ofrecesses 170 separated by upwardly projectingcontact elements 176 that contact a microelectronic substrate or substrate assembly 112 (hereinafter microelectronic substrate) during planarization. The composite 150 can be heat cured to strengthen and harden thecontact elements 176, or the curing process can be eliminated, depending on the strength of the photopolymer resister material. In one embodiment, the tops or engagingcontact surfaces 177 of thecontact elements 176 are each at approximately the same height so that the tops 177 define a generally flat plane. Alternatively, the tops 177 can be at different heights. In either embodiment, the composite 150 can form aplanarizing pad 140 for use with an apparatus generally similar to that shown inFIG. 1 to planarize themicroelectronic substrate 112. - In one embodiment, the
recesses 170 of theplanarizing pad 140 are configured to contain aplanarizing liquid 144 and keep the planarizing liquid 144 in contact with themicroelectronic substrate 112 as thesubstrate 112 is planarized in a manner generally in accordance with that discussed above with reference toFIG. 1 . Accordingly, the depth D of therecesses 170 can range from about 0.001 inch to 0.004 inch. The thickness T1 of the photopolymer resistmaterial 153 can range from approximately 0.002 inch to approximately 0.010 inches. The thickness T2 of thebacking material 156 can range from about 0.001 inches to about 0.010 inch. Alternatively, the thicknesses T1 and T2 of the resistmaterial 153 and thebacking material 156, and the depth D of therecesses 170, can have other values so long as theplanarizing pad 140 can effectively keep the planarizing liquid 144 in contact with thesubstrate 112. In one aspect of this embodiment, theplanarizing pad 140 can be relatively thin to allow theplanarizing pad 140 to flex easily as it passes over the rollers shown inFIG. 1 . Alternatively, theplanarizing pad 140 can have a greater thickness, for example, when theplanarizing pad 140 remains flat throughout its operation, as will be discussed in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 7 . - An advantage of several embodiments of the
planarizing pad 140 discussed above with reference toFIGS. 3A-3D is that they eliminate the need to periodically condition thepad 140 because it is more economical to discard used pads than to condition them. Theplanarizing pad 140 can be relatively inexpensive to fabricate compared to many conventional pads. This is unlike some conventional planarizing pads, which are expansive and must be reconditioned when they are worn, potentially increasing the time and effort required to keep the planarizing machine operating at peak efficiency. - An advantage of several embodiments of the
planarizing pad 140, when compared to conventional disposable planarizing pads, is that it can be manufactured using a photoresist process that forms therecesses 170 andcontact elements 176 integrally in a single layer of photosensitive material, rather than requiring a sacrificial polymer layer, as was discussed above with reference toFIGS. 2A-2E . Accordingly, embodiments of theplanarizing pad 140 may be simpler and less expensive to manufacture than some conventional planarizing pads. - Still a further advantage of several embodiments of the
planarizing pad 140, when compared to printing plates formed with photoresist techniques, is that therecesses 170 are shallow enough to support theplanarizing liquid 144 adjacent to thesubstrate 112. Accordingly, theplanarizing pad 140 can haverecesses 170 that are unlike the recesses of some printing plates, which are deliberately made deeper than those of theplanarizing pad 140 to prevent ink from filling the recesses and blurring the printed images. -
FIG. 4 is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of aplanarizing pad 240 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In one aspect of this embodiment, theplanarizing pad 240 can include a layer of photopolymer resistmaterial 253 formed in general accordance with the steps outlined above with reference toFIGS. 3A-3D , but which includes a plurality of fixedabrasive elements 273. The fixedabrasive elements 273 can be selected from alumina, titania, ceria, silica, calcium carbonate or other substances that are effective at removing material from the microelectronic substrate 112 (FIG. 3D ), and are also compatible with both the photopolymer resistmaterial 253 and the processes discussed above with reference toFIGS. 3A-3D . - In one embodiment, the photopolymer resist
material 253 can include additives, such as chalk, to improve the uniformity of the distribution of theabrasive elements 273. In other embodiments, the photopolymer resistmaterial 253 can include chalk or other additives, such as carbonaceous materials, to control the hardness of theplanarizing pad 240. For example, the photopolymer resistmaterial 253 can include a suspension of graphite particles to soften theplanarizing pad 240 or an amorphous carbon material to harden theplanarizing pad 240. In one aspect of this embodiment, theplanarizing pad 240 can have a hardness of from about 50 to about 80 on the Shore D hardness scale. In other embodiments, the photopolymer resistmaterial 253 can include other substances to control specific characteristics of theabrasive elements 273 and/or the overall characteristics of theplanarizing pad 240. - One feature of the
planarizing pad 240 shown inFIG. 4 is that the fixedabrasive elements 273 can eliminate the need for abrasive particles in theplanarizing liquid 244 disposed on theplanarizing pad 240. And advantage of this feature is that it generally provides a desired distribution of fixedabrasive elements 273 in contact with the planarized surface of thesubstrate 112. This is an improvement over providing abrasive particles in a slurry because the slurry can be squeezed out from between thesubstrate 112 and theplanarizing pad 240 such that distribution of abrasive particle contacting thesubstrate assembly 112 is not easily controlled. - Another feature of the
planarizing pad 240 shown inFIG. 4 is that it can include a backing layer 256 attached with an adhesive 274 to asupport layer 275. An advantage of this arrangement is that thesupport layer 275 can provide additional rigidity and support for the photopolymer resistmaterial 253. In one embodiment, thesupport layer 275 can be sized to allow theplanarizing pad 240 to bend around the rollers of a web-format planarizing machine, or thesupport layer 275 can be relatively thick and theplanarizing pad 240 can remain flat for either web-format or rotary planarizing machines (discussed in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 7 ). Where thesupport layer 275 is not included, theplanarizing pad 240 can rest directly on a top-panel, or platen of a planarizing machine. - Another feature of the
planarizing pad 240 shown inFIG. 4 is that the spacing betweenadjacent recesses 270 and/or the size of therecess 270 can vary across thepad 240 either uniformly or non-uniformly. In one aspect of this embodiment, the spacing betweenadjacent recesses 270 can be random. Alternatively, the spacing can be closer in one portion of theplanarizing pad 240 than in another. In other embodiments, the recesses can have other spacing or other size arrangements. Regardless of the spacing and/or size of therecesses 270 on theplanarizing pad 240, an advantage of the mask 160 (FIG. 3B ) used to define the spacing between therecesses 270 is that themask 160 can accurately control the spacing between therecesses 270. - Another advantage is that the
same mask 160 can be used repeatedly to place the same pattern ofrecesses 270 on a series ofplanarizing pads 240. Accordingly, worn planarizing pads can be removed and replaced with identical fresh planarizing pads, reducing or eliminating the need for adjusting the operating characteristics of the planarizing machine on which the planarizing pads to account for variations from oneplanarizing pad 240 to the next. -
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of aplanarizing pad 340 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. Theplanarizing pad 340 can include a thermoplastic or uncured thermoset material that is embossed with a pattern ofrecesses 370 a androughness elements 376 a arranged either randomly, variably, or uniformly, as discussed above. Therecesses 370 a and theroughness elements 376 a can be formed by amold 380 which includes anembossing wheel 381 having anembossing surface 382 defined by a layer of photopolymer resistmaterial 353. Accordingly, the photopolymer resistmaterial 353 can includerecesses 370 and protrusions ortexture elements 376 formed in generally the same manner as discussed above with reference toFIGS. 3A-4 . As theembossing wheel 381 rotates about anaxis 385 generally transverse to the plane ofFIG. 5 , theprotrusions 376 press into theplanarizing pad 340 to form therecesses 370 a and theroughness elements 376 a. When thepolishing pad 340 includes a thermoset material, thepolishing pad 340 can be cured after therecesses 370 a androughness elements 376 a are formed to harden the definition of these features. Thepolishing pad 340 can also include abrasive elements generally similar to those discussed above with reference toFIG. 4 . - An advantage of the process discussed above with reference to
FIG. 5 is that a single surface formed with the photopolymer resistmaterial 353 can generate a large number ofplanarizing pads 340. A further advantage is that theembossing wheel 381 can easily generate a single elongatedplanarizing pad 340 for use with a web-format planarizing machine. -
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of aplanarizing pad 440 formed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. Theplanarizing pad 440 can be formed from a thermoplastic or uncured thermoset material that is embossed with amold 480 that includes aflat embossing plate 481. Theembossing plate 481 hasprotrusions 476 and recesses 470 formed in a layer of photopolymer resistmaterial 453 in a manner generally similar to that discussed above with reference toFIGS. 3A-4 . Themold 480 can be lowered and raised as indicated by arrows D and E, respectively, to formrecesses 470 a by pressing theprotrusions 476 into theplanarizing pad 440. In one embodiment, theflat plate 481 can be sized to produce asingle planarizing pad 440 with one pressing cycle. Alternatively, theflat plate 481 can be repeatedly pressed into successive portions of an elongated planarizing pad, as the pad and theflat plate 481 move laterally relative to one another, to emboss the entire length of theplanarizing pad 440. -
FIG. 7 is a partially schematic, partial cross-sectional side elevational view of aplanarizing machine 510 with a generally circular platen or table 520, acarrier assembly 530, aplanarizing pad 540 positioned on the table 520, and aplanarizing fluid 544 on theplanarizing pad 540. Theplanarizing machine 510 may also have an under-pad 525 attached to anupper surface 522 of theplaten 520 for supporting theplanarizing pad 540. Adrive assembly 526 rotates (arrow F) and/or reciprocates (arrow G) theplaten 520 to move theplanarizing pad 540 during planarization. - The
carrier assembly 530 controls and protects thesubstrate 112 during planarization. Thecarrier assembly 530 typically has asubstrate holder 532 with apad 534 that holds thesubstrate 112 via suction. Adrive assembly 536 of thecarrier assembly 530 typically rotates and/or translates the substrate holder 532 (arrows H and I, respectively). Alternatively, thesubstrate holder 532 may include a weighted, free-floating disk (not shown) that slides over theplanarizing pad 540. - The
planarizing pad 540 can have recesses and roughness elements formed by any of the methods discussed above with reference toFIGS. 3A-6 . To planarize thesubstrate 112 with theplanarizing machine 510, thecarrier assembly 530 presses thesubstrate 112 against aplanarizing surface 542 of theplanarizing pad 540 in the presence of theplanarizing fluid 544. Theplaten 520 and/or thesubstrate holder 532 then move relative to one another to translate thesubstrate 112 across theplanarizing surface 542. As a result, the abrasive particles and/or the chemicals in the planarizing medium remove material from the surface of thesubstrate 112. - From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the process steps discussed above with reference to
FIGS. 3A-3D can be performed in a batch operation or in a continuous or semi-continuous operation as the polishing pad material moves from one process station to the next. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims (15)
1-34. (canceled)
35. A method for forming a planarizing pad for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:
selectively exposing a first portion of an energy-sensitive mold material to a selected energy source without exposing a second portion of the mold material adjacent to the first portion to the selected energy source;
exposing the mold material to a solvent to remove material from one of the first and second portions at a greater rate than removing material from the other of the first and second portions, forming texture elements that project outwardly from the surface of the mold material; and
pressing together the texture elements of the mold material and a planarizing pad material to form recesses in the planarizing pad material that are configured to support a planarizing liquid proximate to the surface of the planarizing pad material during planarization of the microelectronic substrate.
36. The method of claim 35 wherein the planarizing pad material is elongated along a planarizing pad axis and the mold material encircles a rotation axis transverse to the planarizing pad axis with the texture elements facing outwardly from the rotation axis, further comprising rotating the mold material relative to the planarizing pad material about the rotation axis while the texture elements of the mold material engage the planarizing pad material.
37. The method of claim 35 wherein the mold material defines a generally flat plane and engaging the texture elements of the mold material with the planarizing pad material includes pressing one of the mold material and the planarizing pad material against the other in a direction inclined relative to the plane of the mold material.
38. The method of claim 35 , further comprising selecting the planarizing pad material from a thermoplastic material and a thermoset material.
39. The method of claim 35 , further comprising:
selecting the planarizing pad material to have a thickness of from about 0.002 inch to about 0.010 inch;
forming texture elements to project outwardly from the surface of the mold material by from about 0.001 inch to about 0.004 inch; and
forming the recesses in the surface of the planarizing pad material to have a depth of from about 0.001 inch to about 0.004 inch measured from the surface of the planarizing pad material.
40. The method of claim 35 , further comprising selecting the texture elements to have an approximately uniform spacing.
41. The method of claim 35 , further comprising selecting the texture elements to have a random spacing.
42. The method of claim 35 wherein the surface of the mold material is a first surface and the mold material has a second surface opposite the first surface, further comprising exposing the second surface to the selected energy source to alter the solubility of the mold material to a selected depth beneath the second surface.
43. The method of claim 35 wherein the surface of the mold material is a first surface, the mold material having a second surface opposite the first surface, further comprising:
selecting a substrate material that transmits the selected radiation from the selected energy source therethrough;
attaching the substrate material to the second surface of the mold material to support the mold material; and
exposing the second surface of the mold material to the selected radiation to alter the solubility of the mold material to a selected depth beneath the second surface by irradiating the substrate material with the selected radiation and passing the selected radiation through the substrate material to the second surface of the planarizing pad material.
44. The method of claim 35 wherein exposing the mold material to the selected energy source includes exposing the mold material to ultraviolet radiation.
45. The method of claim 35 , further comprising:
attaching the planarizing pad material to an elongated substrate material to form an elongated planarizing pad; and
rolling the elongated planarizing pad upon itself to form a roll.
46. The method of claim 35 , further comprising selecting the planarizing pad material to have a generally circular platform shape.
47. The method of claim 35 wherein exposing the first portion of the mold material to the selected energy source includes increasing a solubility of the first portion.
48-87. (canceled)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US11/413,290 US20060194522A1 (en) | 2000-08-30 | 2006-04-28 | Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US09/651,778 US6592443B1 (en) | 2000-08-30 | 2000-08-30 | Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates |
US10/621,193 US7192336B2 (en) | 2000-08-30 | 2003-07-15 | Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates |
US11/413,290 US20060194522A1 (en) | 2000-08-30 | 2006-04-28 | Method and apparatus for forming and using planarizing pads for mechanical and chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates |
Related Parent Applications (1)
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US6592443B1 (en) | 2003-07-15 |
US20060194523A1 (en) | 2006-08-31 |
US20040087250A1 (en) | 2004-05-06 |
US7192336B2 (en) | 2007-03-20 |
US7223154B2 (en) | 2007-05-29 |
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