A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen, a polishing pad supported on the platen, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer on the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system comprising an acoustic sensor that receives acoustic signals from the surface of the substrate, and a controller configured to detect planarization of topology on the substrate based on a signal from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.

A wafer polishing head is provided. The wafer polishing head includes a carrier head, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators disposed on the carrier head, and a membrane disposed over the plurality of piezoelectric actuators. The plurality of piezoelectric actuators is configured to provide mechanical forces on the membrane and generate an electrical charge when receiving counterforces of the mechanical forces through the membrane. A wafer polishing system and a method for polishing a substrate using the same are also provided.

Embodiments of a high-speed rotatable workpiece abrasive polishing head are disclosed that allow flat surfaced hard material workpieces or sapphire or semiconductor wafers to be polished at high abrading speeds that can use water-mist cooled quick-change fixed abrasive island-type discs. Workpieces can be quickly attached with vacuum to a rotatable workpiece plate having a curved (e.g., spherical) bearing with an offset spherical center of rotation located at the workpiece abraded surface. Abrading contact there prevents lateral abrading friction forces from tilting workpieces and causing non-flat workpiece surfaces. The workpiece carrier plate can be rotationally driven by a floating drive shaft having a spherical spline head that contacts the workpiece carrier plate at a position close to the workpiece abraded surface to avoid tilting of the workpiece due to the shaft-applied workpiece rotation forces. The workpiece head can allow the workpieces to either float in contact with the abrasive or be held in rigid contact with the abrasive.

A liquid feeder includes: a first arm having a first nozzle; a second arm having a second nozzle; a first rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the first arm; a second rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the second arm; a first rotation driver configured to rotate the first rotation shaft to turn the first arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; a second rotation driver configured to rotate the second rotation shaft to turn the second arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; and a controller. The first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are disposed coaxially with each other. The controller is capable of controlling the operation of the first rotation driver and the operation of the second rotation driver independently of each other.

A liquid feeder includes: a first arm having a first nozzle; a second arm having a second nozzle; a first rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the first arm; a second rotation shaft supporting a proximal end part of the second arm; a first rotation driver configured to rotate the first rotation shaft to turn the first arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; a second rotation driver configured to rotate the second rotation shaft to turn the second arm from a fluid feed position to a retracted position; and a controller. The first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are disposed coaxially with each other. The controller is capable of controlling the operation of the first rotation driver and the operation of the second rotation driver independently of each other.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing section and a transport section. The polishing section has a first polishing unit, a second polishing unit, and a transport mechanism. The first polishing unit has a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus. The second polishing unit has a third polishing apparatus and a fourth polishing apparatus. Each of the first to fourth polishing apparatuses has a polishing table to which a polishing pad is mounted, a top ring, and auxiliary units that perform a process on the polishing pad during polishing. Around the polishing table, a pair of auxiliary unit mounting units for mounting the respective auxiliary units in a left-right switchable manner with respect to a straight line connecting a swing center of the top ring and a center of rotation of the polishing table is provided at respective positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing section and a transport section. The polishing section has a first polishing unit, a second polishing unit, and a transport mechanism. The first polishing unit has a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus. The second polishing unit has a third polishing apparatus and a fourth polishing apparatus. Each of the first to fourth polishing apparatuses has a polishing table to which a polishing pad is mounted, a top ring, and auxiliary units that perform a process on the polishing pad during polishing. Around the polishing table, a pair of auxiliary unit mounting units for mounting the respective auxiliary units in a left-right switchable manner with respect to a straight line connecting a swing center of the top ring and a center of rotation of the polishing table is provided at respective positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing container; an injector provided inside the processing container and having a shape extending in a longitudinal direction along which a processing gas is supplied; a holder fixed to the injector; a first magnet fixed to the holder and disposed inside the processing container; a second magnet separated from the first magnet by a partition plate and disposed outside the processing container; and a driving part configured to rotate the second magnet, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are magnetically coupled to each other, and wherein by rotating the second magnet by the driving part, the first magnet magnetically coupled to the second magnet is rotated, and the injector rotates about the longitudinal direction as an axis.

The present disclosure provides a method of making a chemical mechanical planarization slurry. The method includes contacting a chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor including a carrier and a plurality of abrasive particles with a semi-permeable fiber membrane. Upon contact, the method further includes separating the chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor into a concentrate and an effluent. The concentrate includes the chemical mechanical planarization slurry and the effluent includes the carrier and a plurality of particles. The particles of the effluent have a median size that is less than a median size of the abrasive particles of the concentrate. In the method a pressure difference measured between an inlet to which the chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor is supplied and a first outlet to which the effluent is supplied is in a range of from about 1 psi to about 15 psi.

The present disclosure provides a method of making a chemical mechanical planarization slurry. The method includes contacting a chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor including a carrier and a plurality of abrasive particles with a semi-permeable fiber membrane. Upon contact, the method further includes separating the chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor into a concentrate and an effluent. The concentrate includes the chemical mechanical planarization slurry and the effluent includes the carrier and a plurality of particles. The particles of the effluent have a median size that is less than a median size of the abrasive particles of the concentrate. In the method a pressure difference measured between an inlet to which the chemical mechanical planarization slurry precursor is supplied and a first outlet to which the effluent is supplied is in a range of from about 1 psi to about 15 psi.