DOUBLE-SIDED CONDITIONER

Abstract

A double-sided conditioner includes a carrier, a plurality of polishing components, and a binding material. The carrier includes an upper surface, a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, and a plurality of opening structures that are arranged at intervals around a carrier center. The polishing components are respectively disposed in the opening structures of the carrier. Each of the polishing components has a first polishing surface exposed from the upper surface of the carrier and a second polishing surface exposed from the lower surface of the carrier. The binding material is filled into the opening structures, so as to fix in position the polishing components.

Claims

1. A double-sided conditioner, comprising: a carrier having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, wherein the carrier includes a carrier center and a plurality of opening structures that are arranged at intervals around the carrier center; a plurality of polishing components respectively disposed in the opening structures, wherein each of the polishing components has a first polishing surface exposed from the upper surface and a second polishing surface exposed from the lower surface; and a binding material filled into the opening structures, so as to fix in position the polishing components.

2. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 1, wherein each of the opening structures includes a hollow portion and at least one supporting portion around a periphery of the hollow portion; wherein each of the polishing components includes a polishing portion and at least one wing portion around a periphery of the polishing portion, the polishing portion is accommodated in the hollow portion of the corresponding opening structure and has the first polishing surface and the second polishing surface, and the at least one wing portion abuts against the at least one supporting portion of the corresponding opening structure.

3. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the at least one wing portion of each of the polishing components is immovably fixed to the at least one supporting portion of the corresponding opening structure by the binding material.

4. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the wing portion has at least one through hole, and the binding material passes through the at least one through hole to contact the supporting portion.

5. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an installation gasket that is fixed in position to the upper surface or the lower surface of the carrier and is not located at positions where the opening structures are located.

6. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 5, wherein a thickness of the installation gasket is greater than a height of the first polishing surface relative to the upper surface of the carrier or a height of the second polishing surface relative to the lower surface of the carrier.

7. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the installation gasket includes an outer frame portion and a partitioning portion located inside the outer frame portion, and the outer frame portion and the partitioning portion have a plurality of protective spaces therebetween that correspond in position to the opening structures to accommodate the polishing components, respectively.

8. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the carrier has a plurality of fixing holes that do not overlap with the opening structures in a diameter direction of the carrier, and the partitioning portion has a plurality of installation holes that correspond in position to the fixing holes.

9. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first polishing surface has a plurality of first abrasive particles and a first metal-based multi-layered structure thereon, and the first metal-based multi-layered structure has a plurality of first protrusions to fix in position the first abrasive particles, respectively; wherein the second polishing surface has a plurality of second abrasive particles and a second metal-based multi-layered structure thereon, and the second metal-based multi-layered structure has a plurality of second protrusions to fix in position the second abrasive particles, respectively.

10. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 9, wherein each of the first abrasive particles has a first inner end portion that is conformally enclosed by the corresponding first protrusion and a first outer end portion that is exposed from the corresponding first protrusion, and a ratio of a minimum width of one of the first protrusions to an average particle diameter of the first abrasive particle being enclosed by the one of the first protrusions is 0.5-5:10; wherein each of the second abrasive particles has a second inner end portion that is conformally enclosed by the corresponding second protrusion and a second outer end portion that is exposed from the corresponding second protrusion, and a ratio of a minimum width of one of the second protrusions to an average particle diameter of the second abrasive particle being enclosed by the one of the second protrusions is 0.5-5:10.

11. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 10, wherein a height of the first outer end portion of one of the first abrasive particles is less than 40% of a total height of the one of the first abrasive particles, and a height of the second outer end portion of one of the second abrasive particles is less than 40% of a total height of the one of the second abrasive particles.

12. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the first metal-based multi-layered structure or the second metal-based multi-layered structure includes a first nickel layer, a copper layer, and a second nickel layer that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside.

13. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the first metal-based multi-layered structure or the second metal-based multi-layered structure includes a first copper layer, a second copper layer, and a nickel layer that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside.

14. The double-sided conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the first metal-based multi-layered structure or the second metal-based multi-layered structure includes a first nickel layer, a first copper layer, a second copper layer, a third copper layer, and a second nickel layer that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The described embodiments may be better understood by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective assembled view of a double-sided conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective partly exploded view of the double-sided conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the double-sided conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 3;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a variant of FIG. 4 and shows a different structure of a polishing component;

[0030] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective assembled view of a double-sided conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective partly exploded view of the double-sided conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 8 to FIG. 11 are schematic top views of a double-sided conditioner according to different embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a polishing component of a double-sided conditioner according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 13 is a schematic enlarged view showing a part of a metal-based multi-layered structure of the polishing component as shown in FIG. 12;

[0035] FIG. 14 is a variant of FIG. 13 and shows a different structure of the metal-based multi-layered structure of the polishing component as shown in FIG. 12; and

[0036] FIG. 15 is a scanning electron micrograph showing a region of the double-sided conditioner in certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of a, an and the includes plural reference, and the meaning of in includes in and on. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0038] The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as first, second or third can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like.

First Embodiment

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, a double-sided conditioner Z according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in the above figures, the double-sided conditioner Z of the present disclosure includes a plurality of polishing components 1, a carrier 2, and a binding material 3. The carrier 2 has an upper surface 201 and a lower surface 202 opposite to the upper surface 201, and has a plurality of opening structures 21 that are arranged at intervals around a carrier center 2c. The opening structures 21 can have substantially the same directionality relative to the carrier center 2c. The polishing components 1 are respectively disposed in the opening structures 21, and each of the polishing components 1 has a first polishing surface 110a exposed from the upper surface 201 of the carrier 2 and a second polishing surface 110b exposed from the lower surface 202 of the carrier 2. Therefore, both front and back sides of the double-sided conditioner Z of the present disclosure can be used for dressing operations, such as removing waste accumulated on a surface of a wafer polishing pad, so as to provide a certain roughness on the surface of the wafer polishing pad to maintain good processing quality and efficiency.

[0040] More specifically, the first polishing surfaces 110a and the second polishing surfaces 110b of the polishing components 1 can serve as working surfaces. When the first polishing surfaces 110a of the polishing components 1 have become passivated and lose their dressing ability, the carrier 2 can be turned over to another opposite side, so that the second polishing surfaces 110b of the polishing components 1 can be used for dressing operations.

[0041] It should be noted that, although the dressing operation of a wafer polishing pad is used throughout the present disclosure as an example to describe the features of the double-sided dresser Z, the double-sided dresser Z can be used in other dressing operations of wafers and articles made of brittle or hard materials such as ceramics, metals, and glass.

[0042] In the present disclosure, the carrier 2 is configured to retain the polishing components 1 on a driving head of a polishing machine (not shown in figures), such that the polishing components 1 can be driven by the driving head to perform a dressing operation on a polishing pad, so as to restore the surface morphology of the polishing pad and remove waste accumulated on a surface of the polishing pad. The carrier 2 can be a metal carrier such as a metal disc, but is not limited thereto. The outer diameter of carrier 2 can be from 9 cm to 50 cm, and a thickness can be from 0.2 cm to 3 cm. However, the outer diameter and the thickness of the carrier 2 can be flexibly adjusted according to practical requirements. In certain embodiments, the carrier 2 can also be a hard plastic carrier.

[0043] Furthermore, the carrier 2 has a plurality of first fixing holes 2h1, and a plurality of fasteners F (such as screws or bolts) can be respectively inserted through the first fixing holes 2h1 to achieve a fixed connection between the carrier 2 and the driving head of the polishing machine. More specifically, the first fixing holes 2h1 are positioned to avoid the locations of the opening structures 21, i.e., the first fixing holes 2h1 do not overlap with the opening structures 21 in a diameter direction of the carrier 2. The first fixing holes 2h1 can be adjacent to an edge of the carrier 2.

[0044] If necessary, the carrier 2 can have a plurality of second fixing holes 2h2 that are different from the first fixing holes 2h1 in structure and size. Therefore, the carrier 2 can be adapted to machines of different manufacturers or models or different fasteners. More specifically, the second fixing holes 2h2 are positioned to avoid the locations of the opening structures 21 and the first fixing holes 2h1, i.e., the second fixing holes 2h2 do not overlap with the opening structures 21 and the first fixing holes 2h1 in a diameter direction of the carrier 2. The second fixing holes 2h2 are closer to the carrier center 2c than the first fixing holes 2h1.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in order to ingeniously and compactly install the polishing components 1 onto the carrier 2, each of the opening structures 21 includes a hollow portion 211 (such as a hollow groove) and at least one supporting portion 212 around a periphery of the hollow portion 211, and each of the polishing components 1 includes a polishing portion 11 and at least one wing portion 14 around a periphery of the polishing portion 11. The polishing portion 11 is accommodated in the hollow portion 211 of the corresponding opening structure 21, and is formed with the first polishing surface 110a and the second polishing surface 110b that are opposite to each other. The at least one wing portion 14 abuts against the at least one supporting portion 212 of the corresponding opening structure 21. Preferably, the supporting portion 212 is a groove-type structure, and the wing portion 14 and the supporting portion 212 complement each other in shape so as to produce a tight-fitting effect.

[0046] In practice, the at least one wing portion 14 of each of the polishing components 1 is immovably fixed to the at least one supporting portion 212 of the corresponding opening structure 21 by the binding material 3. The binding material 3 can be an adhesive material such as a synthetic resin composition that has good adhesion to the carrier 2, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the wing portion 14 can have at least one through hole 14h, and the binding material 3 can be filled into the at least one through hole 14h to contact the supporting portion 212 below the wing portion 14, thereby achieving a secure state with one or more fasteners (e.g., a screw). Therefore, the fastening effect produced by the bonding material 3 on the polishing components 1 can be improved.

[0047] In an example as shown in FIG. 4, the polishing components 1 can include a binding agent and a plurality of abrasive particles, and can be formed by a method that includes hot or cold pressing, sintering, coating, and mechanical processing steps. The mechanical processing is performed to form polishing and wing portions on a sintered body. The binding agent can be a resin, metal, or ceramic binding agent. The abrasive particles can be diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasive particles on the micron or nanometer scale.

[0048] In an example as shown in FIG. 5, the polishing portion 11 can include a rigid body 111 and a polishing layer 112 covering both front and rear surfaces of the rigid body 111, each of which has an uneven three-dimensional pattern. The rigid body 111 can be made of tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, or other hard metals, but the present disclosure is not limited to such examples.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a double-sided conditioner Z according to another one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the double-sided conditioner Z of the present disclosure can further include an installation gasket 4 to protect the polishing components 1 from external force or impact such as collisions, so as to avoid causing damage to the polishing components 1. In use, the installation gasket 4 can be fixed in position to the upper surface 201 or the lower surface 202 of the carrier 2 and avoid places where the opening structures 21 are located. A thickness of the installation gasket 4 is greater than a height of the first polishing surface 110a relative to the upper surface 201 of the carrier 2 or a height of the second polishing surface 110b relative to the lower surface 202 of the carrier 2. Therefore, in a dressing operation, a fixed connection between the carrier 2 and a driving head of a polishing machine (not shown in figures) can be formed by the installation gasket 4. When the carrier 2 is driven by the driving head, one of the first polishing surface 110a and the second polishing surface 110b can perform the dressing operation on a target object such as a polishing pad. In the presence of the installation gasket 4, another one of the first polishing surface 110a and the second polishing surface 110b and the driving head are separated from each other by a safety distance.

[0050] More specifically, the installation gasket 4 includes an outer frame portion 41 and a partitioning portion 42. The partitioning portion 42 is disposed inside the outer frame portion 41, i.e., the outer frame portion 41 surrounds the partitioning portion 42. The outer frame portion 41 and the partitioning portion 42 have a plurality of protective spaces 400 therebetween that correspond in position to the opening structures 21 to accommodate the polishing components 1, respectively. When the installation gasket 4 is fixed in position to the upper surface 201 or the lower surface 202 of the carrier 2, the outer frame part 41 can completely cover an edge area of the carrier 2, and the partitioning portion 42 can cooperate with the outer frame portion 41 to completely enclose the first polishing surfaces 110a or the second polishing surfaces 110b of the carrier 2.

[0051] In practice, the partitioning portion 42 of the installation gasket 4 has a plurality of first installation holes 4h1 that correspond in number and position to the first fixing holes 2h1 of the carrier 2. In use, a plurality of fasteners F (such as screws or bolts) can be sequentially inserted through the first fixing holes 2h1 and the first installation holes 4h1 and locked into the driving head of the polishing machine. If necessary, the partitioning portion 42 of the installation gasket 4 can have a plurality of second installation holes 4h2 that correspond in number and position to the second fixing holes 2h2 of the carrier 2.

[0052] Reference is made to FIG. 8 to FIG. 11. The double-sided conditioner Z of the present disclosure is configured to perform a dressing operation with the change in number, shape, and arrangement of the polishing components 1 on articles made of different brittle or hard materials. In addition, the size and type of abrasive particles in each of the polishing components 1 can also be changed.

[0053] Reference is made to FIG. 12, which shows an example of the polishing component 1. As shown in FIG. 12, the first polishing surface 110a has a plurality of abrasive particles 12 (i.e., first abrasive particles) thereon that are present in a substantially uniform distribution. A metal-based multi-layered structure 13 (i.e., a first metal-based multi-layered structure) is formed on the first polishing surface 110a, and has a plurality of protrusions 13a (i.e., first protrusions) to fix in position the abrasive particles 12, respectively. Accordingly, the abrasive particles 12 are securely bonded to the first polishing surface 110a. The second polishing surface 110b has a plurality of other abrasive particles 12 (i.e., second abrasive particles) thereon that are present in a substantially uniform distribution. Another metal-based multi-layered structure 13 (i.e., a second metal-based multi-layered structure) is formed on the second polishing surface 110b, and has a plurality of another protrusions 13a (i.e., second protrusions) to fix in position the other abrasive particles 12, respectively. Accordingly, the other abrasive particles 12 are securely bonded to the second polishing surface 110b.

[0054] More specifically, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 (or the other metal-based multi-layered structure) is formed on the first polishing surface 110a (or the second polishing surface 110b) by plating, and has the protrusions 13a (or the another protrusions) to fix in position the abrasive particles 12 (or the other abrasive particles), respectively. Each of the protrusions 13a (or the another protrusions) has an inner end portion 121 that is conformally enclosed by the corresponding protrusion 13a and an outer end portion 122 that is exposed from the corresponding protrusion 13a. The term conformally as used herein means that the vertical thickness or other features of one of the protrusions 13a varies along with the contours of the inner end portion 121 of the abrasive particle 12 being enclosed by the one of the protrusions 13a. The polishing component 1 can be used for dressing a wafer polishing pad, so as to maintain high polishing efficiency and increase the yield of wafers, but is not limited thereto. The technical details of the polishing portion 11, the abrasive particles 12, and the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 will be described below and in conjunction with figures.

[0055] The polishing portion 11 can include a metal substrate or a metal-clad substrate, so as to provide good support and good conductivity. The metal substrate is exemplified by a stainless steel substrate. The metal-clad substrate is exemplified by a substrate with metal layers on both front and back sides. However, such examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the polishing portion 11 can be formed into a disc shape or other geometric shapes, and a thickness of the polishing portion 11 can be adjusted according to practical requirements.

[0056] The abrasive particle 12 can be diamond abrasive particles, cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasive particles, or the combination thereof on the micron or nanometer scale. The abrasive particle 12 are distributed on the first polishing surface 110a or the second polishing surface 110b and have tips pointing upward. The tips can be in the shape of a blade, cone, cylinder, pyramid, or prism. In practice, the abrasive particles 12 are in a regular or random arrangement, and can have the same or different tip directionality. However, the above description is disclosed for exemplary purposes only, and is not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0057] Reference is made to FIG. 13 to FIG. 15. Each of the protrusions 13a is wrapped around the inner end portion 121 of one of the abrasive particles 12. In order to achieve good wrapping fixation strength and desired polishing performance, a wrapping thickness (or a width) of each of the protrusions 13a has to reach a certain ratio, and an exposed rate (or a height to be exposed) of each of the abrasive particles 12 has to reach a certain proportion. If the wrapping thickness of each of the protrusions 13a does not reach the certain ratio, the wrapping fixation strength of each of the protrusions 13a to one of the abrasive particles 12 would be negatively affected, which may lead to particles falling off easily during dressing. If the exposed rate of each of the abrasive particles 12 does not reach the certain proportion, the polishing performance would deteriorate. Preferably, a ratio of a minimum width W of one of the protrusions 13a to an average particle diameter D of the abrasive particle 12 being enclosed by the one of the protrusions 13a is 0.5-5:10, and a height of the outer end portion 122 of one of the abrasive particles 12 is less than 40% of a total height of the one of the abrasive particles 12. The particle size of each of the abrasive particles 12, the wrapping thickness or width of each of the protrusions 13a, and the exposed height of each of the abrasive particles 12 can be measured or analyzed by methods commonly used by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0058] In comprehensive consideration of conductivity, coverability, bonding strength, physical properties, and compatibility, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 can be a copper-nickel-based multi-layered structure. That is, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 includes one or more nickel layers, one or more copper layers, or any combination thereof. More specifically, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 can be a three-layered structure, as shown in FIG. 12, which includes a first nickel layer 131a, a first copper layer 132a, and a second nickel layer 131b that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside, or includes a first copper layer 132a, a second copper layer 132b, and a first nickel layer 131a that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside. Alternatively, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 can be a five-layered structure, as shown in FIG. 13, which includes a first nickel layer 131a, a first copper layer 132a, a second copper layer 132b, a third copper layer 132c, and a second nickel layer 131b that are arranged sequentially from inside to outside. The above description is disclosed for exemplary purposes only, and is not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] In practice, the metal-based multi-layered structure 13 can be formed by subjecting the first and second polishing surfaces 110a, 110b together with the abrasive particles 12 to a multi-stage electroplating treatment. The multi-stage electroplating treatment can be performed by a continuous electroplating apparatus under predetermined operation conditions (such as temperatures and current densities), in which multiple stages can use plating solutions with the same or different composition. In an example as shown in FIG. 14, five plating layers are formed under conditions as shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 First First Second Third Second Plating nickel copper copper copper nickel layers layer layer layer layer layer Temperature 40-60 20-60 20-60 20-60 40-60 ( C.) Current 0.1-6 0.1-5 0.1-5 0.1-5 0.1-6 density (A/dm.sup.2) pH of pH < 5 pH < 3 or pH < 3 or pH < 3 or pH < 5 plating pH > 8 pH > 8 pH > 8 solution

[0060] According to practical requirements (such as improving processing accuracy), a plurality of recessed regions R can be formed between the first polishing surface 110a (or the second polishing surface 110b) of the polishing portion 11 and the protrusions 13a of the metal-based multi-layered structure 13, as shown in FIG. 12. Each of the recessed regions R defines a space for allowing polishing liquid or debris to flow, so that the debris will not easily accumulate on the first polishing surface 110a (or the second polishing surface 110b). It should be noted that the adjacent two of the protrusions 13a can be separated from or close to each other, and the present disclosure is not limited in this aspect.

Beneficial Effects of the Embodiments

[0061] In the double-sided conditioner provided by the present disclosure, by virtue of a plurality of polishing components being respectively disposed in a plurality of opening structures of a carrier, a first polishing surface of each of the polishing components being exposed from an upper surface of the carrier, and a second polishing surface of each of the polishing components being exposed from a lower surface of the carrier, both front and back sides of the conditioner can be used. When the front side is passivated and loses its dressing ability, the double-sided conditioner can be turned over for allowing the back side to be used for dressing operations. Furthermore, since the polishing components are independently and respectively disposed in the opening structures, any one of the polishing components that does not meet practical requirements can be directly removed from the carrier and replaced. Thus, there is no need to replace the entire double-sided conditioner.

[0062] Furthermore, in each of the polishing components provided by the present disclosure, by virtue of the metal-based multi-layered structure being formed on a polishing surface by electroplating and having a plurality of protrusions to fix in position abrasive particles respectively, each of the abrasive particles having an inner end portion that is conformally enclosed by the corresponding protrusion and an outer end portion that is exposed from the corresponding protrusion, and a ratio of a minimum width of one of the protrusions to an average particle diameter of the abrasive particle being enclosed by the one of the protrusions is 0.5-5:10, the amount of a plating material required to fix the abrasive particles can be reduced, thereby reducing the generation of waste, and a balance between the performance and reliability of the double-sided conditioner can be achieved. Moreover, the polishing components can be used for dressing a wafer polishing pad, and debris will not easily accumulate on a polishing surface during dressing to affect processing accuracy.

[0063] The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

[0064] The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.