US 11,794,305 B2
Platen surface modification and high-performance pad conditioning to improve CMP performance
Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee, San Jose, CA (US); Anand Nilakantan Iyer, Cupertino, CA (US); Hyuen Karen Tran, San Jose, CA (US); and Ghunbong Cheung, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 28, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/35,504.
Prior Publication US 2022/0097206 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. B24B 53/00 (2006.01); B24B 37/16 (2012.01); B24B 29/04 (2006.01)
CPC B24B 53/005 (2013.01) [B24B 29/04 (2013.01); B24B 37/16 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A polishing system, comprising:
a substrate carrier comprising an annular retaining ring configured to surround a to-be-processed substrate during a polishing process; and
a rotatable polishing platen comprising a cylindrical metal body having a pad-mounting surface, wherein
the pad-mounting surface comprises a plurality of polishing zones which include a first zone having a circular or annular shape, a second zone circumscribing the first zone, and a third zone circumscribing the second zone,
at least portions of the pad-mounting surface in the first and third zones define a plane,
the plane is orthogonal to a rotational axis of the polishing platen,
the pad-mounting surface in the second zone is recessed from the plane,
a width of the second zone is less than an outer diameter of the annular retaining ring, and
the pad-mounting surface in the third zone slopes upwardly from the pad-mounting surface in the second zone to intersect a circumferential edge of the platen at an acute angle.