Patent Abstract:
A utility wafer, more specifically, an utility wafer for simulating a workpiece in a semiconductor processing system. The utility wafer includes a first side, a second side and a peripheral edge wherein one or both edges of the peripheral edge are relieved to remove the otherwise sharp edge. In one embodiment, the peripheral edge is polished. The utility wafer is resistant to chipping, stress cracking and breakage when undergoing chemical mechanical planarization.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to chemical mechanical polishing, and more specifically, to the use of utility wafers for simulating chemical mechanical polishing processes. 
     2. Background of Invention 
     In semiconductor wafer processing, the use of chemical mechanical planarization, or CMP, has gained favor due to the enhanced ability to stack multiple devices on a semiconductor workpiece, or substrate, such as a wafer. As the demand for planarization of layers formed on wafers in semiconductor fabrication increases, the requirement for greater system (i.e., process tool) throughput with less wafer damage and enhanced wafer planarization has also increased. 
     Two exemplary CMP systems that address these issues are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,507, issued Sep. 8, 1998, to Perlov et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,574, issued Apr. 15, 1998, to Tolles et al., both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Perlov et al. and Tolles et al. disclose a CMP system having a planarization apparatus that is supplied wafers from cassettes located in an adjacent liquid filled bath. A transfer mechanism, or robot, facilitates the transfer of the wafers from the bath to a transfer station. The transfer station generally contains a load cup that positions the wafer into one of four processing heads mounted to a carousel. The carousel moves each processing head sequentially over the load cup to receive a wafer. As the processing heads fill, the carousel moves the processing head and wafer through the planarization stations for polishing. The wafers are planarized by moving the wafer relative to a polishing pad in the presence of a slurry or other polishing fluid medium. 
     The polishing pad may include an abrasive surface. Additionally, the slurry may contain both chemicals and abrasives that aid in the removal of material from the wafer. After completion of the planarization process, the wafer is returned back through the transfer station to the proper cassette located in the bath. 
     The ideal substrate polishing process can be described by Preston&#39;s equation:        R   =       K   P        P          Δ                 s       Δ                 t                                
     where: 
     R is the removal rate; 
     K p  is the Preston coefficient; 
     P is the applied pressure between the workpiece and the abrasive pad; and 
     Δs/Δt is the linear velocity of the abrasive pad relative the workpiece. 
     Preston&#39;s equation has shown to be a reasonably accurate model for the planarization of silicon dioxide, copper and tungsten, although the dependence of K p  on process variables, such as slurry composition and pad properties, is not well understood. For example, the theoretical value of the Preston coefficient Kp=1/2E (where E is Young&#39;s modulus of the surface being polished) does not explain the polishing rate variation with other important process variables such as pad type, pad condition, slurry abrasive and slurry chemicals. Illustrative of this is that the polishing rate has been known to vary as much as 20 percent between pads having different hardness. As a result, most chemical mechanical polishing process modeling is performed using empirical data. 
     To better predict the results of an actual chemical mechanical polishing process, typically a simulation of the processes is performed using utility wafers in the place of production wafers. Generally, the simulation comprises running a number of utility wafers through the chemical mechanical polishing system, while periodically inserting and polishing a test wafer from which the polishing attributes can be obtained to construct a model of the polishing process. For example, in an exemplary CMP simulation, approximately 2000 polishing cycles are run. After every 100 utility wafers that are polished, a test wafer is polished, removed and measured to obtain data indicative the process. Once approximately 2,000 polishing cycles are completed, a data base representative of the process can be constructed. Other simulations may be configured to run more or less polishing cycles, and may polish test wafers at different frequencies. 
     The utility wafers typically used to simulate the polishing of the production wafers generally are silicon wafers covered with a thin layer of oxide. Generally, the oxide layer can only withstand one to two polishing cycles through the chemical mechanical polishing system. The utility wafer, once the oxide has been substantially removed by polishing, can be reused after being stripped of the remaining oxide coating and a new layer of oxide is redeposited thereon. As the cost of depositing an oxide layer is not nominal, simulation tests that use between 1,500-2,000 utility wafers can become quite costly. 
     One solution to the high cost of the oxide coated silicon wafers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,951, issued Apr. 6, 1999, to Cuong van Vu. Cuong van Vu teaches a utility wafer used for mechanically conditioning and stabilizing a polishing pad. This utility wafer is comprised of a high purity solid ceramic or metal member that has a thickness of between about 3-150 mils. The thickness of the Cuong van Vu utility wafer provides some resistance to breaking when the wafer is exposed to the forces applied in a chemical mechanical planarization process. For example, Cuong van Vu teaches a quartz wafer thickness of 50 mils, and a silicon/quartz composite wafer that can withstand the surface tension forces experienced during the removal of the polished wafer from the polishing pad (dechucking) without breaking or cracking the wafer. 
     However, ceramic wafers of this type are prone to chipping as the edge of the wafer contacts the retaining ring of the polishing head during the planarization process, during dechucking from the polishing pad, or during handling in general. As the wafer contacts the retaining ring, pieces of material break off from the corners and stress cracks tend to propagate from the chipped edges as the wafer contacts against the retaining ring. These chips and cracks generally lead to premature failure of the utility wafer. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for a utility wafer that provides a durable, low cost means for simulating a wafer in a chemical mechanical polishing system. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     In one aspect, a utility wafer is provided which generally includes a first side and a second side opposing the first side and defining a thickness therebetween. A peripheral edge couples the first side and the second side. An edge defined at the interface of the peripheral edge and the first side is relieved, i.e., the edge has a chamfer, radius or other relief. Optionally, a second edge at the interface of the peripheral edge and the second side is also relieved. In another embodiment, the peripheral edge is polished. 
     In another aspect, a method for fabricating a utility wafer is provided. The method generally comprises providing a wafer having a thickness of at least about 45 mils relieving at least one edge of the wafer and polishing the wafer. In one embodiment the wafer is laser polished and annealed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a chemical mechanical planarization system; and 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation of a utility wafer. 
     To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 depicts a schematic plan view of an exemplary chemical mechanical polisher  100 . The polisher  100  has a plurality of polishing stations  106  (e.g., three), a carousel  102  that supports four polishing heads  110 , a wafer load/unload assembly  104 , and a transfer station  108 . An input/output robot  116  loads and unloads wafers  114  to/from the transfer station  108 . Four polishing heads  110  are mounted in the carousel  102 . The carousel  102  is partially cut-away to provide a view of the components of the transfer station  108 . As such, one of the four polishing heads  110  is not shown. The carousel  102  rotates about a central axis such that any one of the polishing heads  110  may be positioned at any one of the polishing stations  106  or the transfer station  108 . Consequently, the wafer  114  can be loaded into a particular polishing head  110 , and the carousel  102  can move the head  110  to a particular polishing station  106 . 
     The wafer  114  may be a production wafer, a test wafer or a utility wafer. Generally, the wafer  114  is transferred between the polisher  100  and other systems (e.g., wafer cleaners) or at least one wafer cassette  128  via the wafer input/output robot  116 . The input/output robot  116  has a gripper  118  (e.g., a vacuum gripper) that retains the wafer  114  during transfer between the transfer station  108  and the wafer cassette  128 . In normal wafer processing, the wafer cassette  128  holds production wafers. During simulations of wafer processing, the wafer cassette typically holds a plurality of utility wafers  130 , and one or more test wafers  132 . 
     The transfer station  108  comprises at least one buffer station  120  (preferably, two buffer stations  120 A and  120 B) and a transfer robot  122 . The input/output robot  116  places the wafer  114  that is entering the polisher  100  into the input buffer station  120 B. After the transfer station  108  receives the wafer  114  from the robot  116  and the robot  116  has cleared the transfer station  108 , the transfer station robot  122  retrieves the wafer  114  from the input buffer station  120 B and moves the wafer  114  to the wafer load/unload assembly  104 . The wafer load/unload assembly  104  positions the wafer  114  into a polishing head  110 . The transfer station  108  may be of any type known in the art for transferring a wafer between input/output robot and a polishing head. Preferably, the transfer station  108  is a transfer station that is described in commonly assigned U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 09/414,771, filed Oct. 6, 1999, to Tobin, and is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The carousel  102  retrieves the wafer  114  from the wafer load/unload assembly  104  and proceeds to polish the wafer  114 . While the transfer robot  122  is busy moving a wafer  114  from the buffer station  120  to the wafer load/unload assembly  104 , the input/output robot  116  may position another wafer  114  into the empty input buffer station  120 B. 
     When the wafer  114  has completed a polishing procedure, the carousel  102  moves the wafer  114  to the wafer load/unload assembly  104  and releases the wafer  114 . The transfer robot  122  then retrieves the wafer  114  from the wafer load/unload assembly  104  and places the wafer  114  into the output buffer station  120 A. The polished wafer  114  is then retrieved from the output buffer station  120 B by the input/output robot  116 . 
     FIG. 2 depicts embodiment of a utility wafer  130  according to the invention. The utility wafer  130  is typically fabricated out of a ceramic material. In one embodiment, the utility wafer  130  substantially comprises quartz. The utility wafer  130  has a first side  202 , a second side  204  side and a peripheral edge  208 . Optionally, one of the first or second sides  202 ,  204  may comprise a reflective coating. Generally, the first side  202  is substantially parallel to the second side  204  and defines a thickness  216  of at least 1.5 mm. One skilled in the art will appreciate that although thinner wafers will provide some utility, thicker wafers will allow for a greater number of passes through the polisher  100 . Tests have shown that a thickness of 1.5 mm will exhibit a life in excess of 100 polishing cycles. 
     The first side  202  and the peripheral edge  208  come together to form a first edge  206 . The second side  204  and the peripheral edge  208  come together to form a second edge  210 . At least one of the edges  206 ,  210  is relieved to remove the otherwise sharp edge by chamfering, providing a radius, tapering, undercutting or other relief for removing the sharp edge. 
     In one embodiment the first edge  206  comprises a first chamfer  218 . The first chamfer  218  generally has an angle  212  that ranges between about 30 to about 60 degrees relative the first side  202 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that other angles  212  may be utilized. The first chamfer  218  extends a distance  214  along the peripheral edge  208 . As the utility wafer  130  is polished and material is removed from the face  202 , the distance  214  will diminish. In one embodiment, the distance  214  is at least about 0.5 mm before initial polishing. The first chamfer  218  removes the sharp corner that would otherwise be present at the interface of the first side  202  and peripheral edge  208 . The first chamfer  206  thus minimizes the probability of chipping and the propagation of stress fractures through the utility wafer  130  when the peripheral edge  208  comes into contact with other objects such as, for example, a retaining ring of the polishing head  110 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that other relief geometries, chamfer angles and distances may be readily substituted without departing from the teachings herein. For example, the first edge  206  may alternatively comprise a radius of at least 5 mils. 
     Optionally, the second edge  210  may comprise a second chamfer  220  opposite the first chamfer  206 . Typically, the second chamfer  220  is fabricated identically to the first chamfer  218 , although the relative geometry of the chamfers  218 ,  220  will vary as the utility wafer  130  is polished. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the relief at the first edge  206  may be different than the relief at the second edge  210 , i.e., the first edge  206  may be chamfered while the second edge  210  has a radius. 
     In another embodiment, the peripheral edge  208  of the utility wafer  130  is optionally polished after relieving one or both of the edges  206 ,  210 . Polishing generally fuses the peripheral edge  208  of the utility wafer  130  such that any cracks or chips that may be present at the peripheral edge  208  and particularly the edges  206  and  210 , do not propagate into fractures or allow chips to be generated. Moreover, the fused peripheral edge  208  typically has more impact resistance, and is less prone to chipping than a non-fused surface. Polishing is generally in the form of heat polishing such as laser polishing or flame polishing. Optionally, polishing may be followed by annealing at an elevated temperature of, for example, about 1165° C. Prior to annealing, the utility wafer  130  should be cleaned to remove surface contamination. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in operation, a simulation of a chemical mechanical planarization process can be performed by processing a plurality of utility wafers  130  through the polisher  100 , while periodically processing the test wafer  132  at predetermined intervals during the simulation. In an exemplary test sequence, approximately twenty-five utility wafers  130  and at least one test wafer  132  are loaded into the wafer cassette  128 . The input/output robot  116  retrieves one of the utility wafers  130  from the cassette  128  and places the utility wafer  130  (shown as wafer  114  retained by robot  116 ) on the transfer station  108 . The transfer station  108  transfers the utility wafer  130  to the load/unload assembly  104  where the utility wafer is loaded one of the four polishing heads  110  mounted to the carousel  102 . 
     The utility wafer  130  is then moved to a polishing station  106  and polished. Once polishing is complete, the utility wafer  130  is returned to the cassette  128  and another utility wafer is retrieved and polished. This sequence repeats until a predetermined quantity of utility wafers  130  are polished. If the required number of passes through the polisher  100  are greater than the number of utility wafers  130  in the cassette  128 , then the utility wafers  130  passed through the polisher more than once as required. 
     Once the predetermined number of utility wafers  130  have been polished, the test wafer  132  is retrieved from the cassette  128  and processed in the polisher  100 . Once processed, the test wafer  132  is returned to the cassette  128  and another sequence of polishing the utility wafers  130  are preformed. The test wafer  132  is measured (typically remotely or in the polisher  100  before transfer to the cassette  128 ) to acquire data indicative of the polishing process. An example, thickness of an oxide layer may be measured to indicate polishing rate and uniformity of the polishing process. 
     The cycle of polishing a number of utility wafers  130  followed by a test wafer  132  is repeated until the predetermined number of cycles through the polisher  100  have completed. Data from test wafer  132  is compiled to create a data base from which a model of the polishing process just simulated can be constructed. 
     Although the teachings of the present invention that have been shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise other varied embodiments that still incorporate the teachings and do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1