System and method for conditioning chemical mechanical polishing apparatus using multiple conditioning disks

Abstract

A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus provides for polishing semiconductor wafers and for conditioning the polishing pad of the CMP apparatus using multiple conditioning disks at the same time. The conditioning disks may be moved together or independently along the surface of polishing pad to condition the entire surface of the rotating polishing pad.

1 . A method for performing chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) on a substrate, comprising:
 simultaneously polishing said substrate or a material disposed over said substrate, on a polishing pad in a CMP apparatus and conditioning said polishing pad with more than one separately controllable conditioning member by urging a diamond grit surface of each said conditioning member against said polishing pad.   
     
     
         2 . The method as in  claim 1 , further comprising rotating each said diamond grit surface of each said conditioning member. 
     
     
         3 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein each said conditioning member comprises a disk and wherein said diamond grit surface forms a surface of said disk. 
     
     
         4 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein said polishing pad is disposed on and in fixed relation with respect to a platen, and said polishing comprises rotating said platen. 
     
     
         5 . The method as in  claim 4 , further comprising simultaneously sliding each said conditioning member along a radial direction of said polishing pad including sliding a first one of said conditioning members only along a first segment of a radius of said polishing pad and sliding a second one of said conditioning members along a further segment of said radius of said polishing pad such that all locations of said polishing pad are conditioned. 
     
     
         6 . The method as in  claim 1 , further comprising translating each said conditioning member against a surface of said polishing pad, wherein said more than one conditioning member are coupled to one another. 
     
     
         7 . The method as in  claim 1 , wherein said conditioning said polishing pad with more than one separately controllable conditioning member comprises translating said conditioning members with respect to each other and against a surface of said polishing pad. 
     
     
         8 . A method for conditioning a polishing pad of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus comprising simultaneously urging more than one separately controllable conditioning member against a rotating polishing pad of said CMP apparatus, each said conditioning member including a conditioning surface contacting said rotating polishing pad. 
     
     
         9 . The method as in  claim 8 , wherein each said conditioning surface comprises a diamond grit surface of a disk. 
     
     
         10 . The method as in  claim 8 , wherein said simultaneously urging comprises independently translating each said conditioning surface along a surface of said rotating polishing pad. 
     
     
         11 . The method as in  claim 8 , further comprising sliding each said conditioning surface against a surface of said polishing pad, wherein said conditioning members are coupled to one another. 
     
     
         12 . The method as in  claim 8 , further comprising polishing a material formed over a substrate, on said rotating polishing pad at the same time as said simultaneously urging. 
     
     
         13 . The method as in  claim 8 , further comprising simultaneously sliding a first one of said conditioning surfaces along a first segment of a radius of said rotating polishing pad and separately sliding a second one of said conditioning surfaces against a further segment of a radius of said rotating polishing pad such that said entire polishing pad is conditioned. 
     
     
         14 . A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus comprising:
 a polishing pad fixedly disposed on a rotatable platen;   a carrier that secures a semiconductor wafer that is being polished, against said polishing pad; and   more than one discrete conditioning fixture, each being individually controllable and including a conditioning disk in contact with said polishing pad.   
     
     
         15 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 14 , wherein each said conditioning disk has a diamond grit surface and each said discrete conditioning fixture comprises movement means for causing each said associated conditioning disk to slide across said polishing pad. 
     
     
         16 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 15 , wherein said discrete conditioning fixtures are coupled to one another by an expandable and retractable member. 
     
     
         17 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 15 , wherein said discrete conditioning fixtures are capable of independent translational motion with respect to one another. 
     
     
         18 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 14 , further comprising means for exerting a force directing each said conditioning disk against said polishing pad. 
     
     
         19 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 14 , wherein each said conditioning disk includes one of bristles and a diamond grit surface and each said discrete conditioning fixture is rotatable. 
     
     
         20 . The CMP apparatus as in  claim 14 , wherein said semiconductor wafer includes a diameter of about 450 mm and each said conditioning disk is a surface of a disk having a diameter of about 100 mm.