Polishing equipment, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the equipment

Abstract

Polishing equipment, comprising a polishing head ( 30 ) having an opened hollow mixing tank ( 32 ) on the opposite side of the side thereof where a polishing pad ( 36 ) is installed, a slurry feed mechanism ( 50 ) for feeding slurry into the mixing tank ( 32 ), an additive liquid feed mechanism ( 60 ) for feeding additive liquid used by adding to the slurry into the mixing tank ( 32 ), and a mixed liquid feed tube ( 34 ) extending from the mixing tank ( 32 ) into the polishing head ( 30 ) and opened to near the rotating center of the polishing pad ( 36 ), wherein the slurry fed by the slurry feed mechanism ( 50 ) and the additive liquid fed by the additive liquid feed mechanism ( 60 ) are fed from the mixed liquid feed tube ( 34 ) to the outside of the polishing pad ( 36 ) in the mixed state in the mixing tank ( 32 ).

1 . Polishing equipment comprising a surface table, which holds an object to be polished, and a polishing head, which has a polishing pad attached on a face thereof that faces a surface to be polished of said object held on said surface table, wherein said polishing pad is brought into contact with said surface of said object to polish said surface; 
 said polishing equipment further comprising:    a slurry feed mechanism, which supplies a slurry to said polishing head;    an additive liquid feed mechanism, which supplies also to said polishing head an additive liquid to be added to said slurry; and    a mixed liquid feeder, which is provided inside said polishing head and mixes said slurry supplied by said slurry feed mechanism and said additive liquid supplied by said additive liquid feed mechanism and feeds this mixture through an opening provided in a vicinity of a rotational center of said polishing pad to an outside of said polishing pad.    
   
   
       2 . The polishing equipment set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said polishing head is retained rotatably by a polishing head retaining body; and    a stirrer member, which is provided either on said polishing head or on said polishing head retaining body, is positioned in said mixed liquid feeder.    
   
   
       3 . The polishing equipment set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said stirrer member has a configuration of projections or spiral grooves.  
   
   
       4 . The polishing equipment set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said polishing head is retained rotatably by a polishing head retaining body;    said mixed liquid feeder occupies a space between said polishing head and said polishing head retaining body; and    a stirrer member having a configuration of projections or spiral grooves is provided on at least part of inner walls of said polishing head and said polishing head retaining body, which define said space.    
   
   
       5 . The polishing equipment set forth in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said surface table holds said object to be polished such that said surface to be polished faces upward; and    said polishing pad comes from above into contact with said object.    
   
   
       6 . The polishing equipment set forth in any of claims  1 ˜ 5 , wherein said object to be polished is a semiconductor wafer.  
   
   
       7 . A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising a step where the polishing equipment set forth in  claim 6  is used to polish a surface of a semiconductor wafer.