Polishing head using zone control

A polishing head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus is provided which includes at least two polishing head zones configured to provide different temperatures for transferring heat to at least two zones of a substrate corresponding to the at least two polishing head zones. The present disclosure addresses chemical mechanical polishing which allows a control of the polishing profile even if slurries are used, which show almost no dependency between polishing rate and down force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure generally relates to a polishing head, a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus using this polishing head and a method for controlling a polishing profile with the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus, and, in particular, to a polishing head using zone control.

2. Description of the Related Art

In microstructures such as integrated circuits, a large number of elements such as transistors, capacitors and resistors are fabricated on a single substrate by depositing semiconductive, conductive and insulating material layers and patterning these layers by photolithography and etch techniques. Frequently, the problem arises that the patterning of a subsequent material layer is adversely affected by a pronounced topography of the previously formed material layers. Moreover, the fabrication of microstructures often requires the removal of excess material of a previously deposited material layer. For example, individual circuit elements may be electrically connected by means of metal lines that are embedded in a dielectric, thereby forming what is usually referred to as a metallization layer. In modern integrated circuits, a plurality of such metallization layers are typically stacked on top of each other to provide the required functionality. The repeated patterning of material layers, however, creates an increasingly non-planar surface topography, which may deteriorate subsequent patterning processes, especially for microstructures including features with minimum dimensions in the sub-micron range, as is the case for sophisticated integrated circuits.

Further, the demand for higher integration, higher clock frequencies and smaller power consumption in microprocessor technology lead to a new chip interconnection technology using copper instead of aluminum for chip wiring. Since copper is a better conductor than aluminum, chips using this technology may have smaller metal components, and use less energy to pass electricity through them. These effects lead to a high performance of the integrated circuits.

The transition from aluminum to copper required, however, significant developments in fabrication techniques. Since volatile copper compounds do not exist, copper cannot be patterned by photoresist masking and plasma etching, such that a new technology for patterning copper had to be developed, which is known as a copper damascene process. In this process, the underlying insulating layer is patterned with open trenches where the conductor should be filled in. A thick coating of copper that significantly overfills the trenches is deposited on the insulating layer. The excess copper is then removed down to the top level of the trench. Currently, there is no effective copper dry etching method because of problems removing low volatility copper compounds. Presently, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is used for removing the excess copper.

The repeated patterning of material layers, however, creates a non-planar surface topography, which may deteriorate subsequent patterning processes, especially for microstructures including features with minimum dimensions in the sub-micron range, as is the case for sophisticated integrated circuits.

In conclusion, it is typically necessary to planarize the surface of the substrate between the formation of subsequent layers. A planar surface of the substrate is desirable for various reasons, one of them being the limited optical depth of the focus in photolithography which is used to pattern the material layers of microstructures.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is an appropriate and widely used process to remove excess material, including copper and tungsten, and to achieve global planarization of a substrate. In the CMP process, a wafer is mounted on an appropriately formed carrier, a so-called polishing head, and the carrier is moved relative to a polishing pad while the wafer is in contact with the polishing pad. A slurry is supplied to the polishing pad during the CMP process and contains a chemical compound reacting with the material or materials of the layer to be planarized by, for example, converting the material into an oxide, while the reaction product, such as the metal oxide, is then mechanically removed with abrasives contained in the slurry and/or the polishing pad. To obtain a required removal rate, while at the same time achieving a high degree of planarity of the layer, parameters and conditions of the CMP process must be appropriately chosen, thereby considering factors such as construction of the polishing pad, type of slurry, pressure applied to the wafer while moving relative to the polishing pad and the relative velocity between the wafer and the polishing pad. The removal rate further significantly depends on the temperature of the slurry, which in turn is significantly affected by the amount of friction created by the relative motion of the polishing pad and the wafer, the degree of saturation of the slurry with ablated particles and, in particular, the state of the polishing surface of the polishing pad.

FIG. 1schematically shows a sketch of a conventional system100for chemical mechanical polishing. The system100comprises a platen101on which a polishing pad102is mounted. Frequently, polishing pads are formed of a cellular microstructure polymer material having numerous voids, such as polyurethane. A polishing head130comprises a body104and a substrate holder105for receiving and holding a substrate103. The polishing head130is coupled to a drive assembly106. The device100further comprises a slurry supply112and a pad conditioner (not shown).

In operation, the platen101rotates. The slurry supply112supplies slurry to a surface of the polishing pad102where it is dispensed by centrifugal forces. The slurry comprises a chemical compound reacting with the material or materials on the surface of the substrate103. The reaction product is removed by abrasives contained in the slurry and/or the polishing pad102. The polishing head130, and thus also the substrate103, is rotated by the drive assembly106in order to substantially compensate for the effects of different linear velocities of parts of the polishing pad102at different radii. In advanced systems100, the rotating polishing head130is additionally moved across the polishing pad102to further optimize the relative motion between the substrate103and the polishing pad102and to maximize pad utilization. The pad conditioner may comprise an abrasive component, e.g., diamonds, embedded in a matrix. Thus, the surface of the polishing pad102is abraded and densified slurry, as well as particles that have been polished away from the surface of the substrate, are removed from voids in the porous polishing pad102.

Various designs of chemical mechanical polishing devices are known in the art. For example, the rotating platen101may be replaced with a continuous belt kept in tension by rollers moving at high speed, or slurry may be injected through the polishing pad102in order to deliver slurry directly to the interface between the polishing pad102and the substrate103.

State of the art CMP processes use polishing heads that are capable of adjusting the polishing removal rate to flatten the removal profile by applying zone dedicated back pressures to the wafers. This means that the polishing head can provide a non-homogeneous pressure distribution which allows control of the polishing profile such that the polishing profile may be adjusted to be inverse to a deposition profile of a preceding deposition process, e.g., with an electrochemical plating tool for copper deposition.

In metal polishing processes, specifically in a copper CMP and a tungsten CMP, newly developed polishing slurries tend to have less mechanical properties and instead more chemical polishing properties. That means that the polishing rate does not (strongly) follow Preston's equation (developed by Preston, 1927) which models the mechanical effects of pressure and velocity in the CMP process:
R=K·P·V
where R denotes the polish rate, P is the applied downward pressure, V is the linear velocity of the wafer relative to the polishing pad and K is a proportionality constant, called the Preston coefficient.

These slurries are specifically designed for very low down force processes that are typically employed with ULK materials (ultra low dielectric constant materials). Some of these slurries do not show any significant increase of the removal rate when the downward pressure is increased. As a result, the control of the removal profile is limited with conventional polishing heads using zone dedicated back pressures.

Therefore, one problem with conventional systems for chemical mechanical polishing is that control of the polishing profile is not sufficiently effective for CMP processes, in particular if ULK materials are involved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a polishing head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus comprises at least two polishing head zones configured to provide different temperatures for transferring heat to at least two zones of a substrate corresponding to the at least two polishing head zones.

According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus comprises a polishing platen rotatably supported and driven by a drive assembly, a polishing pad attached to the polishing platen, a slurry supply arranged to allow the supply of polishing slurry to the polishing pad and a polishing head supported rotatably and radially movable relative to the polishing platen, wherein the polishing head comprises at least two polishing head zones configured to provide different temperatures for transferring heat to at least two zones of a substrate corresponding to the at least two polishing head zones, wherein the zones are formed by at least one of (i) separated chambers in the polishing head, each provided with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for supplying the separated chambers with a first type of fluid having a predetermined temperature, and (ii) separated electrical heating zones.

According to a further embodiment of this disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling an across wafer removal profile with a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus including a polish head with at least two polishing head zones configured to provide different temperatures for transferring heat to at least two zones of a substrate corresponding to the at least two polishing head zones, wherein the method comprises the steps of supplying a chemically active polishing slurry to a rotating polishing pad, placing the polishing head eccentrically above the polishing pad with a substrate to be polished therebetween, setting each temperature controllable zone to a predetermined temperature and rotating the polishing head, thereby removing excess material from the substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally directed to chemical mechanical polishing which allows control of the polishing profile, even if slurries are used, which show almost no dependency between polishing rate and down force. Further, this disclosure addresses chemical mechanical polishing in very low down force processes that are necessary if ULK materials are involved, which are very sensitive to stress. Since conventional chemical mechanical polishing processes work with polishing heads with zone dedicated back pressures for controlling the polishing profile, the state of the art polishing apparatus are not suitable for low down force polishing processes.

Besides the method using zone dedicated back pressure adjustment for polishing profile control, other process parameters exist, such as slurry flow, platen speed and head speed, which have an influence on the polishing rate. These influences are, however, more complex and are difficult to apply in real time process control resulting in more profile deviations and process risk.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a polishing head which is segmented into at least two different segments or zones which allow individual temperature adjustment. Since the polishing effect of the low down force slurries is based on chemical reactions, the temperature dependence of the chemical reaction may be used for polishing rate control. Typically, the relation between temperature and polishing rate is an Arrhenius type dependency, as illustrated in the calibration curve inFIG. 5. Thus, a control of polish profile may be realized.

FIG. 2schematically depicts a zone structure202of a polishing head130. The different temperatures T1, T2and T3are transferred to a substrate203, one side of which is in close contact with the Zones1,2and3of the polishing head. During operation, the other side of the substrate203is exposed to the chemical polishing slurry to remove excess material thereon during the polishing process.

As illustrated inFIG. 2, in one illustrative embodiment, the zones typically have a circular shape. The zones are, however, not limited to a circular shape or a particular number. As the person skilled in the art will appreciate after a complete reading of the present application, the shape and the number of the zones may be designed according to the needs of a particular process. For example, the zones may have a semicircular or rectangular shape and may comprise more than or less than four segments, depending on the desired temperature gradient and smoothness of the gradient.FIG. 2further presents an illustrative example for particular temperatures in the zones. In detail, Zone1is adjusted to temperature T1. Zone2is adjusted to a temperature that is higher than T1by T*. Zone3, that represents the zone in the center, is adjusted to a temperature that is higher than the temperature T2by the same temperature T* as before. This leads to a rotationally symmetric temperature distribution that is approximately bell-shaped. As a result, the removal rate during polishing has its maximum in the center of the substrate203, and decreases constantly to the edge of the substrate203. Thus, a polishing profile may be achieved which is inverse to a deposition profile of, for instance, an electrochemical plating tool for depositing copper.

There are several approaches to providing a polishing head with zones of different temperatures. In the first approach, the polishing head is provided with separate chambers, whereby each chamber is associated with a particular zone. The temperature in each zone is adjusted by filling the chamber with a fluid of a particular temperature. This approach allows heating above ambient temperature and cooling below ambient temperature according to the process needs.

According to a second approach, the zones are provided by attaching separated electrical heating elements to the polishing head, which are brought into contact with the substrate. The second approach allows only actively heating above ambient temperature. Cooling is restricted to naturally cooling down to ambient temperatures. Further active cooling requires additional means for active cooling below ambient by, for instance, Peltier elements or supplying pre-cooled gases or liquids.

In order to enhance the capability of temperature adjustment in terms of velocity of temperature changes and extending the achievable temperature range, both approaches may be combined.

In order to improve efficiency of temperature adjustment, the polishing head may further comprise a heat transfer element for transferring heat from the polishing head zones to the corresponding substrate zones. The heat transfer element should have high thermal conductivity and a low thermal capacitance. This may be achieved by selecting appropriate materials and reducing thickness and volume of the heat transfer element.

In order to achieve a better control of the temperature distribution, the heat transfer element may be formed in segments corresponding to the polishing head zones.

Improving heating and cooling efficiency may be achieved if the heat transfer element is provided with a cavity having a predetermined volume containing a fluid for heat transfer. Optionally the fluid may be exchanged and the cavity may be designed in a flow through configuration in order to further improve efficiency of temperature adjustments.

The heat transfer element may comprise a thin sheet-like membrane with high thermal conductivity, for instance made of a metal, for separating fluid from the substrate. The volume of the cavity has a thickness of less than 5 mm and preferably of less than 2 mm. The sheet-like membrane has a preferable thickness of less than 1 mm. The fluid may comprise a noble gas, for example, argon gas.

In order to improve cooling efficiency, the separated electrical heating zones may further comprise means for removing heat, for instance a Peltier element or heat sink with a fluid as means for removal of heat.

FIGS. 3 and 4exemplify two embodiments of a realization of zones for adjusting temperature.

InFIG. 3, zones are provided by attaching separated electrical heating zones using a contact material to the wafer having a high thermal conductivity and a low thermal capacitance. InFIG. 3, reference numeral206denotes an electrical heater which is attached to a small volume of a heat transfer medium205. The predetermined volume of heat transfer medium205is separated from the substrate203by a sheet-like membrane204. In the case of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3, the sheet-like membrane204is separated into zone-like parts corresponding to the zones of different temperatures. In order to improve heat transfer, the volume of the heat transfer medium should have a thickness of less than 5 mm and preferably less than 2 mm. The heat transfer medium should have a high thermal conductivity and a small thermal capacitance. Preferably, noble gases, e.g., argon, as a heat transfer medium is preferred. For cooling down the zones, the native cool down may be used, pre-cooled gas or liquid may replace the working material of the heat transfer medium205, or Peltier elements may be used.

FIG. 4shows an embodiment wherein one side of heating elements206are brought into contact with one side of a substrate203. The other side of the heating elements206is in contact with a heat transfer medium205to improve efficiency of cooling and heating. In order to enhance the capability of temperature adjustment beyond the natural heating and cooling capability of the heating element, the fluid or the gas may be changed, for instance, by use of a flow-through configuration207.

A method of chemical mechanical polishing is explained in the following. At first, a chemically active polishing slurry is supplied to a rotating polishing pad. Next, the polishing head is placed eccentrically above the polishing pad with a substrate to be polished being placed therebetween. Then, each temperature controllable zone is set to a predetermined temperature. Finally, the polishing head is rotated, thereby removing excess material from the substrate. In one illustrative embodiment, the temperature of each zone is set on the basis of a known profile of a material deposited on the substrate and a known relation between temperature and polishing rate. This relation is determined in a calibration process and leads to a calibration curve as exemplified inFIG. 5. Typically, the measurement data are inserted in an Arrhenius plot, which leads to a linearized calibration curve, thus simplifying the interpolation of calibration data. InFIG. 5, the horizontal axis denotes the inverse absolute temperature in a Kelvin scale and the vertical axis denotes the natural logarithm of the removal rate in an Angstrom per second scale.FIG. 5is used only for illustrative purposes and values for the vertical axis have been omitted because they depend strongly on the used slurry. The horizontal axis shows the conventional working temperature range.

In order to accelerate heat flow and temperature adjustment, the heat transfer medium may be replaced by a predetermined rate that is smaller than a heat transfer rate from the heat transfer fluid to the substrate. In one illustrative embodiment, the temperatures are set such that the expected removal profile (polishing profile) is inverse to the deposition profile to achieve a flat surface after polishing. The temperature adjustment may be carried out on the basis of a run-by-run temperature adjustment or on the basis of an on-the-fly adjustment. The proposed method and devices are not limited to conventional chemical mechanical polishing, but also include electrochemical mechanical polishing, whereby the polishing rate is fine tuned by temperature adjustments due to temperature dependence of a Redox potential.