Conditioner assembly and polishing apparatus including the same

Abstract

A polishing apparatus includes a rotatable platen that supports a polishing pad, a CMP head that holds an object to be processed on the platen, a fluid supply device configured to supply a polishing fluid onto the polishing pad, and a conditioner assembly configured to condition the polishing pad. The conditioner assembly includes a conditioner disk, a disk head including a disk plate coupled to the conditioner disk, and a protective wall protruding upwardly from the disk plate. The disk plate and the protective wall are a monolithic structure of polymer resin. A conditioner spindle portion is connected to a conditioner arm and to the disk head. The protective wall extends around the conditioner spindle portion in spaced apart relationship. A height of the disk head is 0.3 to 0.7 times a distance from a lower surface of the disk head to a lower surface of the conditioner arm.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A polishing apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable platen configured to support a polishing pad;   a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) head configured to hold an object to be processed on the platen;   a fluid supply device configured to supply a polishing fluid onto the polishing pad; and   a conditioner assembly configured to condition the polishing pad, the conditioner assembly comprising:
 a conditioner disk; 
 a disk head comprising a disk plate coupled to the conditioner disk and a protective wall protruding upwardly from the disk plate, wherein the disk plate and the protective wall are a monolithic structure of polymer resin; and 
 a conditioner spindle portion having one end connected to a conditioner arm and an opposite end fastened to the disk head, 
 wherein the protective wall extends peripherally around the conditioner spindle portion and is radially spaced apart from the conditioner spindle portion, and 
 wherein a height of the disk head in a vertical direction is 0.3 to 0.7 times a distance from a lower surface of the disk head to a lower surface of the conditioner arm. 
   
     
     
         2 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective wall has an outer side surface that is perpendicular to an upper surface of the disk plate. 
     
     
         3 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective wall has an outer side surface that is inclined relative to an upper surface of the disk plate. 
     
     
         4 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the outer side surface of the protective wall comprises a first surface, having a first angle relative to the upper surface of the disk plate, and a second surface having a second angle, different from the first angle, relative to the upper surface of the disk plate. 
     
     
         5 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein each of the first angle and the second angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. 
     
     
         6 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective wall has an outer side surface that is curved. 
     
     
         7 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the polymer resin comprises at least one of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). 
     
     
         8 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the disk plate has a height, smaller than a height of the protective wall. 
     
     
         9 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the disk plate and the protective wall have a height ratio of 1:2 to 1:4. 
     
     
         10 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid supply device comprises a fluid supply nozzle spaced apart from the polishing pad by a first separation distance, and wherein the height of the disk head is three to seven times the first separation distance. 
     
     
         11 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the conditioner disk has a height in the vertical direction that is smaller than a height of the disk plate in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         12 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioner assembly further comprises a magnetic attachment system configured to couple the disk plate and the conditioner disk to each other. 
     
     
         13 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the magnetic attachment system comprises a magnet embedded in the disk plate. 
     
     
         14 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the magnet is exposed at a lower surface of the disk plate. 
     
     
         15 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioner assembly further comprises at least one positioning pin extending outward from a lower surface of the disk plate. 
     
     
         16 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the disk plate comprises at least one positioning groove within the lower surface of the disk plate, and wherein the at least one positioning pin has a portion inserted into the at least one positioning groove. 
     
     
         17 . The polishing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the disk plate comprises a positioning projection protruding from a lower surface of the disk plate, and wherein the disk plate and the positioning projection are a monolithic structure. 
     
     
         18 . A conditioner assembly for conditioning a polishing pad of a polishing apparatus, the conditioner assembly comprising:
 a conditioner disk;   a disk head comprising a disk plate coupled to the conditioner disk and a protective wall protruding upwardly from the disk plate, wherein the disk plate and the protective wall are a monolithic structure of polymer resin; and   a conditioner spindle portion having one end connected to a conditioner arm and an opposite end fastened to the disk head,   wherein the protective wall extends peripherally around the conditioner spindle portion and is radially spaced apart from the conditioner spindle portion, and   wherein a height of the disk head in a vertical direction is 0.3 to 0.7 times a distance from a lower surface of the disk head to a lower surface of the conditioner arm.   
     
     
         19 . The conditioner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein an angle formed by an outer side surface of the protective wall and an upper surface of the disk plate is greater than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees. 
     
     
         20 . A conditioner assembly for conditioning a polishing pad of a polishing apparatus, the conditioner assembly comprising:
 a conditioner disk;   a disk head comprising a disk plate coupled to the conditioner disk and a protective wall protruding upwardly from the disk plate, wherein the disk plate and the protective wall are a monolithic structure of polymer resin; and   a conditioner spindle portion having one end connected to a conditioner arm and an opposite end fastened to the disk head,   wherein the protective wall extends peripherally around the conditioner spindle portion and is radially spaced apart from the conditioner spindle portion, and   wherein an outer side surface of the protective wall is convexly curved.