Conditioner for Chemical Mechanical Planarization Pad

Abstract

The present invention provides a conditioner for CMP pad required for global planarization of wafer to achieve high integration of a semiconductor element. The conditioner for CMP pad includes a metal substrate having abrasive particles fixed thereto, a plurality of abrasive particles fixed to the metal substrate, and a layer of metal binder fixing the abrasive particles to the metal substrate. The abrasive particles include at least one pattern. The pattern includes at least one row of abrasive particles and the abrasive particles include bigger abrasive particles and smaller abrasive particles. In addition, a diameter difference between smaller and bigger abrasive particles is 10 to 40%. The present invention ensures uniform dressing of conditioner, superior dressing efficiency and superior performance reproducibility.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY[0001]This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-105068 filed on Dec. 13, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a conditioner for Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) pad required for global planarization of wafer to achieve high integration of a semiconductor element. More particularly, the present invention relates to a conditioner for CMP pad in which the arrangement of abrasive particles is properly controlled.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]These days, the semiconductor industry experiences high-speed and high-integration in circuits, and with integration capacity enlarged increasingly, chip size becomes bigger. To overcome the resultant limitations, the industry has undergone structural changes such as minimized width of wiring, larger diameter of ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a conditioner for CMP pad that can achieve uniform dressing and superior dressing efficiency and performance reproducibility by arranging abrasive particles by proper size, form, and position, maintaining a uniform gap without biasing abrasive particles, and ensuring a desired particle size distribution in a predetermined ratio. The conditioner includes a metal substrate having abrasive particles fixed thereto, a number of abrasive particles fixed to the metal substrate, and a layer of metal binder fixing the abrasive particles to the metal substrate. The abrasive particles have at least one pattern, including at least one row of abrasive particles, and the abrasive particles include bigger abrasive particles and smaller abrasive particles with a diameter difference between them of 10 to 40%. The conditioner can be used with both patterned and unpatterned conditioners, and can be manufactured using brazing, electroplating, or sintering methods.

Problems solved by technology

However with higher integration of elements and reduced minimum width of wiring, the semiconductor industry has encountered limitations the conventional local planarization technology cannot overcome.

However, during polishing, pressure and relative speed are added, and thus with process time passing, the surface of pad becomes uneven and fine pores on the polishing pad are glazed by abrasive remnants, no longer capable of playing their role.

Subsequently, global planarization across wafer surface and uniform polishing on wafers during the whole process can not be accomplished.

Out of the methods of arranging abrasive particles, the random arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1, does not allow precise control of the number of abrasive particles 11 which are contained in a conditioner 10, thus unlikely to achieve reproducibility of design and performance.

Furthermore, for the random arrangement, a uniform gap of abrasive particles cannot be maintained, possibly causing abrasive particles to be locally biased in the conditioner.

In this case, a pad goes through uneven wear, resultantly deteriorating profile or uniformity of wafer to be polished.

However, with a significant increase in the number of abrasive particles being involved in a dressing, the abrasive particles cannot deeply penetrate the pad, resultantly deteriorating dressing effects.

But in case of manufacturing the conditioner according to the conventional patterning method, a predetermined ratio of bigger and smaller abrasive particles is hardly maintainable.

As a result, the conventional patterning method has limitations in realizing superior reproducibility.

Moreover, according to the conventional patterning method, in case where bigger abrasive particles or relatively smaller abrasive particles are biased in a certain region, abrasive particles of a certain region are involved in the dressing, while those of another region are not, leading to uneven wear of the pad.

As a result, superior profile of wafer may not be obtainable.

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