JP5911792B2 - Polishing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a polishing method for polishing a surface of an object to be polished (substrate) such as a wafer, and more particularly to a polishing method including a step of cleaning a polishing surface with an atomizer.

  A polishing apparatus for polishing the surface of a wafer generally includes a polishing table that supports a polishing pad having a polishing surface, and a top ring (polishing head) that holds the wafer. Then, while pressing the wafer held by the top ring with a predetermined pressure against the polishing surface of the polishing pad, the polishing table and the top ring are moved relative to each other to bring the wafer into sliding contact with the polishing surface. The surface is polished to a flat and mirror surface. In chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), a polishing liquid (slurry) is supplied to the polishing surface during polishing.

  In this way, when the surface of the wafer is polished while supplying the polishing liquid, polishing debris and abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid are deposited on the polishing surface. Therefore, the polishing surface may be cleaned by spraying a cleaning fluid such as a mixed fluid of liquid (for example, pure water) and gas (for example, nitrogen gas) or a liquid (for example, pure water) from the atomizer toward the polishing surface. Widely done.

JP 2007-168039 A

  There are two types of atomizers: a movable type and a fixed type. The movable type atomizer is configured to inject the cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface at a predetermined cleaning position above the polishing surface, and to move to a retreat position outside the polishing surface when the cleaning fluid has been ejected. The fixed type atomizer is fixed at the cleaning position, and the cleaning fluid is sprayed onto the polishing surface at the cleaning position, and remains in that position even after the spraying of the cleaning fluid is finished. Such a fixed type atomizer has an advantage that the structure is simple and the throughput does not increase because it does not move.

  However, since the fixed type atomizer is always above the polishing surface, liquid (usually pure water) remaining in the atomizer may be dripped onto the polishing surface during the polishing of the wafer. If the liquid drops on the polishing surface during the polishing of the wafer in this way, the polishing liquid (usually slurry) is diluted, which adversely affects the polishing of the wafer. Even in the movable type, the liquid drops from the atomizer at an unintended timing.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a polishing method capable of preventing liquid from dropping from an atomizer during polishing of a substrate such as a wafer. .

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate is slidably contacted with the polishing surface while supplying the polishing liquid to the polishing surface, and the substrate is polished. The cleaning fluid is sprayed from the atomizer fixed at a position above the polishing surface toward the polishing surface to clean the polishing surface, and after stopping the injection of the cleaning fluid, purge gas is supplied to the atomizer. The polishing method is characterized in that the cleaning liquid that is supplied and remains in the atomizer is discharged.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the purge gas is supplied to the atomizer through the same path as the cleaning fluid.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the purge gas is supplied before the next substrate is polished.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, immediately after stopping the ejection of the cleaning fluid, a purge gas is supplied to the atomizer and the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer is discharged.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cleaning fluid is a mixed fluid of the cleaning liquid and an inert gas, and the inert gas is also used as the purge gas.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of dressing the polishing surface with a dresser while jetting the cleaning fluid toward the polishing surface.

  According to the present invention, the cleaning liquid (for example, pure water) remaining inside the atomizer can be removed by the purge gas. Therefore, the cleaning liquid does not drop on the polishing surface during the polishing of the substrate, and dilution of the polishing liquid can be prevented.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate such as a wafer. It is a side view of an atomizer. It is a bottom view of an atomizer. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of processing of a wafer including polishing of a wafer (substrate) and cleaning of a polishing pad.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate such as a wafer. As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus is provided with a polishing table 5 for supporting a polishing pad 3 as a polishing tool, and for holding the wafer W and pressing the wafer W against the polishing pad 3 on the polishing table 5. A top ring 15 and a polishing liquid supply mechanism 10 for supplying a polishing liquid (for example, slurry) to the polishing pad 3 are provided. The polishing pad 3 is affixed to the upper surface of the polishing table 5, and the upper surface of the polishing pad 3 constitutes a polishing surface 3 a for polishing the wafer W. As a polishing tool, fixed abrasive grains or polishing cloths may be used instead of the polishing pad 3.

  The polishing table 5 is connected to a table motor 8 disposed below the table shaft 6, and the table motor 8 rotates the polishing table 5 and the polishing pad 3 in a direction indicated by an arrow. ing. The top ring 15 is connected to the lower end of the drive shaft 16. The top ring 15 is configured to hold the wafer W on the lower surface thereof by vacuum suction. The drive shaft 16 is connected to a vertical movement mechanism and a rotation mechanism (not shown) installed in the top ring head 18. The top ring 15 is moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism and a rotation mechanism via a drive shaft 16 to rotate.

  The top ring head 18 is connected to a top ring pivot shaft 19 and pivots about the top ring pivot shaft 19. When the top ring head 18 pivots, the top ring 15 moves between a polishing position above the polishing pad 3 and a predetermined transport position outside the polishing pad 3 in the radial direction.

  The polishing of the wafer W is performed as follows. The top ring 15 holding the wafer W is moved from the transfer position to the polishing position. The top ring 15 and the polishing table 5 are rotated in directions indicated by arrows, respectively, and a polishing liquid (slurry) is supplied onto the polishing pad 3 from the polishing liquid supply mechanism 10. In this state, the top ring 15 presses the wafer W against the polishing surface 3a of the polishing pad 3 to bring the wafer W and the polishing surface 3a into sliding contact. The surface of the wafer W is polished by the mechanical action of abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid and the chemical action of the polishing liquid. Such a polishing apparatus is called a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) apparatus.

  The polishing apparatus further includes a dresser 20 that sharpens (dresses or conditions) the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3. Abrasive grains (not shown) such as diamond particles are fixed to the lower surface of the dresser 20, and a dressing surface for dressing the polishing surface 3a is constituted by these abrasive grains. The dresser 20 is supported by a dresser head 22, and the dresser 20 is moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism and a rotation mechanism (not shown) installed in the dresser head 22 to rotate.

  The dresser head 22 is connected to a dresser turning shaft 23 and is turned around the dresser turning shaft 23. When the dresser head 22 rotates, the dresser 20 swings on the polishing surface 3a in the radial direction of the polishing table 5. The dresser 20 rotates while swinging on the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3, and dresses the polishing surface 3 a by slightly scraping the polishing pad 3.

  The polishing apparatus further includes an atomizer 30 that cleans the polishing surface 3 a by spraying a mist-like cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3. The cleaning fluid is a fluid containing at least a cleaning liquid (usually pure water). More specifically, the cleaning fluid is composed of a mixed fluid of a cleaning liquid and a gas (for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas) or only a cleaning liquid. By spraying such a cleaning fluid onto the polishing surface 3a, polishing residues remaining on the polishing surface 3a of the polishing pad 3 and abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid are removed.

  The atomizer 30 extends along the radial direction of the polishing pad 3 (or the polishing table 5) and is supported by a support shaft 39. The support shaft 39 is located outside the polishing table 5. The position of the atomizer 30 is fixed by a support shaft 39 and is located above the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3. A fluid pipe 41 for supplying the cleaning fluid to the atomizer 30 is connected to the atomizer 30. The fluid pipe 41 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply source 48 and a gas supply source 49 through a cleaning liquid pipe 43 and a gas pipe 45, respectively. The flow rate adjusting valves 51 and 52 are respectively disposed in the cleaning liquid pipe 43 and the gas pipe 45, and the flow rate adjusting valves 51 and 52 adjust the mixing ratio of the cleaning liquid and the gas constituting the cleaning fluid.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the atomizer 30, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the atomizer 30. The atomizer 30 includes an atomizer head 31 having a plurality of jet nozzles 32 and an atomizer cover 33 fixed to the atomizer head 31. The injection nozzle 32 is provided on the bottom surface of the atomizer head 31. These injection nozzles 32 are located above the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3 and are arranged along the radial direction of the polishing pad 3. The atomizer head 31 has a fluid port 38 to which the fluid pipe 41 described above is connected. The fluid port 38 communicates with the ejection nozzle 32 through a flow path (not shown) formed in the atomizer head 31. The cleaning fluid supplied from the fluid pipe 41 is introduced from the fluid port 38 to the atomizer 30, flows through the atomizer head 31, and is discharged from the respective injection nozzles 32.

  The atomizer cover 33 includes side plates 34a and 34b fixed to both sides of the atomizer head 31, and bulging portions 35a and 35b fixed to the side plates 34a and 34b, respectively. The side plates 34 a and 34 b extend along the direction in which the injection nozzles 32 are arranged, and are arranged so as to sandwich the injection nozzles 32. Further, the side plates 34 a and 34 b extend downward, and the lower ends thereof are positioned below the injection nozzle 32. The bulging portions 35a and 35b have a wing shape extending substantially horizontally from the side plates 34a and 34b, and the width (the horizontal dimension from the side plates 34a and 34b) is the flow of the cleaning fluid in the atomizer head 31. It gradually gets smaller along the direction. The lower ends of the bulging portions 35 a and 35 b are located below the injection nozzle 32.

  The side plates 34 a and 34 b are provided to prevent the cleaning fluid sprayed from the spray nozzle 32 from scattering over a wide range, and the bulging portions 35 a and 35 b are cleaned from the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3. It is provided to catch up. The atomizer cover 33 basically composed of the side plates 34a and 34b and the bulging portions 35a and 35b is made of a resin such as polyvinyl chloride. The side plates 34a and 34b and the bulging portions 35a and 35b may be integrally formed.

  The supply and stop of the cleaning fluid from the atomizer 30 are executed by operating the flow rate adjusting valves 51 and 52. That is, when the flow rate adjusting valves 51 and 52 are opened, a mist-like cleaning fluid is supplied from the atomizer 30 to the polishing pad 3 and the polishing surface 3a of the polishing pad 3 is cleaned. When the fluid regulating valves 51 and 52 are closed, the supply of the cleaning fluid to the polishing pad 3 is stopped. The cleaning of the polishing pad 3 by the atomizer 30 is executed after the polishing of the wafer is completed.

  The atomizer 30 according to the present embodiment is a fixed type whose position is fixed. Since such a fixed type atomizer 30 is located above the polishing pad 3 even during the polishing of the wafer, the cleaning liquid (usually remaining inside the atomizer 30 or the fluid pipe 41 when the wafer is being polished (usually May be dripped onto the polishing pad 3. Such a cleaning liquid dilutes the polishing liquid (slurry) and adversely affects the polishing of the wafer.

  Thus, after the cleaning fluid is sprayed from the atomizer 30 onto the polishing pad 3, purge gas is supplied to the atomizer 30 to eliminate the cleaning liquid remaining inside the atomizer 30 and the fluid piping 41. As the purge gas, a gas constituting the cleaning fluid is used. That is, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used as the purge gas. The gas supply source 49 described above also functions as a purge gas supply source. The purge gas stored in the gas supply source (purge gas supply source) 49 is introduced into the atomizer 30 by opening the flow rate adjustment valve 52. That is, the purge gas passes through the gas pipe 45, further flows through the fluid pipe 41 and the fluid port 38, flows into the atomizer 30, passes through the flow path formed in the atomizer 30, and is discharged from the injection nozzle 32. . Thus, the purge gas is supplied to the atomizer 30 through the same path as the cleaning fluid, and is injected from the injection nozzle 32 in the same manner as the cleaning fluid. Therefore, the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer 30 and the fluid pipe 41 is discharged from the injection nozzle 32 together with the purge gas.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of wafer processing including polishing of the wafer (substrate) and cleaning of the polishing pad 3. First, the top ring 15 holding the wafer to be polished is moved to a polishing position above the polishing pad 3. With the top ring 15 and the polishing table 5 rotating, the polishing liquid is supplied onto the polishing surface 3 a of the polishing pad 3. In this state, the wafer is pressed against the polishing pad 3 on the polishing table 5 by the top ring 15. The wafer is polished by the chemical action (etching action) of the polishing liquid and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid.

  Next, the supply of the polishing liquid is stopped, and the cleaning fluid is sprayed from the atomizer 30 onto the polishing pad 3 almost simultaneously, whereby the polishing surface 3a of the polishing pad 3 is cleaned. When the spray of the cleaning fluid onto the polishing pad 3 is started, the wafer remains in sliding contact with the polishing pad 3. In this state, pure water is supplied onto the polishing pad 3 from a pure water supply nozzle (not shown) provided in the polishing liquid supply mechanism 10, and the wafer on the polishing pad 3 is washed with pure water. The process of sliding the wafer against the polishing pad 3 while supplying pure water to the polishing pad 3 in this way is called water polishing. With this water polishing, the polishing of the wafer does not proceed substantially.

  Next, the top ring 15 holding the polished wafer is moved to a transfer position outside the polishing pad 3. Subsequently, the polishing pad 3 is dressed by the dresser 20. During dressing of the polishing pad 3, the supply of the cleaning fluid from the atomizer 30 to the polishing pad 3 is continued. When dressing of the polishing pad 3 is completed, the supply of the cleaning fluid to the polishing pad 3 is stopped. Immediately thereafter, a purge gas is injected from the atomizer 30, whereby the residual cleaning liquid is removed from the atomizer 30 and the fluid piping 41.

  If the purge gas is injected for a long time, the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer 30 and the fluid piping 41 can be sufficiently removed. However, the purge gas may dry the polishing pad 3. Therefore, in order to prevent the polishing pad 3 from drying, the purge gas is injected for a predetermined time. This predetermined time is changed based on factors such as the length and shape of the atomizer 30 and / or the fluid piping 41. In one example, the predetermined time is about 2 seconds.

  After the purge gas injection is stopped, the next wafer is transferred onto the polishing pad 3 by the top ring 15. Thereafter, the polishing of the wafer, the cleaning of the polishing pad 3, the dressing of the polishing pad 3, and the injection of purge gas are repeated in the same manner.

  As another embodiment, a drain line (not shown) for discharging the remaining cleaning liquid may be provided between the flow regulating valve 51 and the atomizer 30. Further, in order to promote the discharge of the remaining cleaning liquid, the atomizer 30 itself is tilted so that the fluid pipe 41 attachment root side of the atomizer 30 is lowered, and the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer 30 passes through the fluid pipe 41 and the drain line. It may be possible to discharge from

  The embodiment described above is described for the purpose of enabling the person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiment can be naturally made by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be construed in the widest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Polishing pad 3a Polishing surface 5 Polishing table 6 Table shaft 8 Table motor 10 Polishing liquid supply mechanism 15 Top ring 16 Drive shaft 18 Top ring head 19 Top ring turning shaft 20 Dresser 22 Dresser head 23 Dresser turning shaft 30 Atomizer 31 Atomizer head 32 Spray nozzle 33 Atomizer cover 34a, 34b Side plates 35a, 35b Swelling portion 38 Fluid port 39 Support shaft 41 Fluid piping 43 Cleaning liquid piping 45 Gas piping 48 Cleaning liquid supply source 49 Gas supply source (purge gas supply source)
51,52 Flow control valve

Claims (6)

Polishing the substrate by bringing the substrate into sliding contact with the polishing surface while supplying the polishing liquid to the polishing surface;
After polishing the substrate, a cleaning fluid containing at least a cleaning liquid is sprayed from the atomizer fixed at a position above the polishing surface toward the polishing surface to clean the polishing surface,
A polishing method, wherein after the jetting of the cleaning fluid is stopped, a purge gas is supplied to the atomizer to discharge the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer.   The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the purge gas is supplied to the atomizer through the same path as the cleaning fluid.   3. The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the supply of the purge gas is performed before polishing the next substrate.   4. The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein a purge gas is supplied to the atomizer and the cleaning liquid remaining in the atomizer is discharged immediately after stopping the ejection of the cleaning fluid. 5. . The cleaning fluid is a mixed fluid of the cleaning liquid and an inert gas,
The polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the inert gas is also used as the purge gas.   The polishing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of dressing the polishing surface with a dresser while spraying the cleaning fluid toward the polishing surface.

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