An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a platen having a surface to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, a pad conditioner to hold a conditioning disk against the polishing surface, an in-situ polishing pad thickness monitoring system, and a controller. The controller is configured to store data associating each of a plurality of conditioner disk products with a respective threshold value, receive an input selecting a conditioner disk product from the plurality of conditioner disk products, determine a particular threshold value associated with the selected conditioner disk product, receive a signal from the monitoring system, generate a measure of a pad cut rate from the signal, and generate an alert if the pad cut rate falls beyond the particular threshold value.

Apparatus and methods for correcting asymmetry in a thickness profile by use of a Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process. In one embodiment, a CMP system includes a polishing pad, an adhesion layer, and a platen. The polishing pad includes has a polishing surface, a second surface that is positioned opposite to the polishing surface in a first direction, and a plurality of cavities formed in the second surface. The platen includes a body that comprises a pad supporting surface and one or more ports formed in the body, configured to receive a positive or negative pressure that is generated from a fluid control device. Each of the plurality of cavities is in fluid communication with at least one of the one or more ports and the adhesion layer is disposed between the pad supporting surface of the platen and a portion of the second surface of the polishing pad.

Apparatus and methods for correcting asymmetry in a thickness profile by use of a Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process. In one embodiment, a CMP system includes a polishing pad, an adhesion layer, and a platen. The polishing pad includes has a polishing surface, a second surface that is positioned opposite to the polishing surface in a first direction, and a plurality of cavities formed in the second surface. The platen includes a body that comprises a pad supporting surface and one or more ports formed in the body, configured to receive a positive or negative pressure that is generated from a fluid control device. Each of the plurality of cavities is in fluid communication with at least one of the one or more ports and the adhesion layer is disposed between the pad supporting surface of the platen and a portion of the second surface of the polishing pad.

In a chemical mechanical polishing system, a platen shield cleaning assembly is installed on a rotatable platen in a gap between the rotatable platen and a platen shield. The assembly includes a sponge holder attached to the platen and a sponge. The sponge is held by the sponge holder such that an outer surface of the sponge is pressed against an inner surface of the platen shield.

Provided is a silicone adsorption film that excels in both adsorption to a smooth surface and the suppression of remnants of glue on the smooth surface after detachment. The silicone adsorption film comprises a base material layer and a silicone adsorption layer laminated on the base material layer. The silicone adsorption layer is a cured product of a crosslinkable composition containing (a) a crosslinkable organopolysiloxane, (b) a crosslinking agent, (c) a non-reactive MQ resin and (d) a reactive MQ resin. The silicone adsorption film excels in both adsorption to a smooth surface and the suppression of remnants of glue on the smooth surface after detachment.

In a chemical mechanical polishing system, a platen shield cleaning assembly is installed on a rotatable platen in a gap between the rotatable platen and a platen shield. The assembly includes a sponge holder attached to the platen and a sponge. The sponge is held by the sponge holder such that an outer surface of the sponge is pressed against an inner surface of the platen shield.

An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a platen having a surface to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, a pad conditioner to hold a conditioning disk against the polishing surface, an in-situ polishing pad thickness monitoring system, and a controller. The controller is configured to store data associating each of a plurality of conditioner disk products with a respective threshold value, receive an input selecting a conditioner disk product from the plurality of conditioner disk products, determine a particular threshold value associated with the selected conditioner disk product, receive a signal from the monitoring system, generate a measure of a pad cut rate from the signal, and generate an alert if the pad cut rate falls beyond the particular threshold value.

Provided is a polishing unit that can reduce penetration of a polishing slurry into a base material layer and that can prevent impairment in polishing performance. A polishing unit (10a) in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention includes: a polishing pad (100a) that includes a polishing layer (101) and a base material layer (103); and a surface plate (150), the base material layer (103) having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the polishing layer (101) and greater than a diameter of the surface plate (150).

A polishing table holds a polishing pad. A top ring holds a semiconductor wafer. A swing arm holds the top ring. The swing arm swings around a swing center on the swing arm during polishing. An optical sensor is disposed on the polishing table and measures an optical characteristic changeable in accordance with a variation in film thickness of the semiconductor wafer. A fluid supply control apparatus determines a distance from an axis of rotation to the optical sensor when the semiconductor wafer is rotated by the top ring. An end point detection section detects a polishing end point indicating an end of polishing based on the optical characteristic measured by the optical sensor and the determined distance.

A polishing table holds a polishing pad. A top ring holds a semiconductor wafer. A swing arm holds the top ring. The swing arm swings around a swing center on the swing arm during polishing. An optical sensor is disposed on the polishing table and measures an optical characteristic changeable in accordance with a variation in film thickness of the semiconductor wafer. A fluid supply control apparatus determines a distance from an axis of rotation to the optical sensor when the semiconductor wafer is rotated by the top ring. An end point detection section detects a polishing end point indicating an end of polishing based on the optical characteristic measured by the optical sensor and the determined distance.