US 11,766,758 B2
Chemical mechanical polishing apparatus using a magnetically coupled pad conditioning disk
Wen-Pin Ho, Zhubei (TW); Ren-Hao Jheng, Hsinchu (TW); and S. P. Cheng, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jan. 27, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/159,376.
Prior Publication US 2022/0234165 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. B24B 37/04 (2012.01); B24B 37/20 (2012.01)
CPC B24B 37/042 (2013.01) [B24B 37/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus comprising:
a polishing pad located on a top surface of a platen configured to rotate around a vertical axis passing through the platen;
a wafer carrier configured to hold a substrate on a bottom surface thereof and to press the substrate on a top surface of the polishing pad;
a slurry dispenser configured to dispense slurry over the top surface of the polishing pad; and
a pad conditioning unit comprising a pad conditioning disk and a conditioning head configured to hold the pad conditioning disk, wherein the conditioning head comprises an electromagnet and the pad conditioning disk comprises a first ferromagnetic material portion configured to be attracted to the electromagnet when the electromagnet is energized, wherein the conditioning head comprises a cylindrical cavity that contains an outer screw thread on an inner sidewall thereof, wherein the pad conditioning disk comprise an inner screw thread as an outermost laterally protruding structure of the pad conditioning disk, and wherein the inner screw thread is configured to fit the outer screw thread.