Sivakumar Dhandapani

8337279, Dec 25, 2012

Jun 22, 2009

12/489132

Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Stan D. Tsai - Fremont CA, US
Daxin Mao - San Jose CA, US
Sameer Deshpande - Milpitas CA, US
Gregory E. Menk - Pleasanton CA, US
Charles C. Garretson - San Jose CA, US
Jason Garcheung Fung - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christopher D. Cocca - Fremont CA, US
Hung Chih Chen - Sunnyvale CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B24B 1/00
B24B 49/00
B24B 51/00

451 9, 451 10, 451 11, 451 21, 451 56

A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad is provided. The conditioning element is held by a conditioning arm rotatably mounted to a base at a pivot point. An actuator pivots the arm about the pivot point. The conditioning element is urged against the surface of the polishing pad, and translated with respect to the polishing pad to remove material from the polishing pad and roughen its surface. The interaction of the abrasive conditioning surface with the polishing pad surface generates a frictional force. The frictional force may be monitored by monitoring the torque applied to the pivot point, and material removal controlled thereby. The conditioning time, down force, translation rate, or rotation of the conditioning pad may be adjusted based on the measured torque.

8467896, Jun 18, 2013

May 24, 2012

13/480434

Jun Qian - Sunnyvale CA, US
Charles C. Garretson - Sunnyvale CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Jeffrey Drue David - San Jose CA, US
Harry Q. Lee - Los Altos CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

G06F 19/00
B24B 49/04
B24B 49/12

700160, 700173, 700175, 451 5

A substrate having a plurality of zones is polished and spectra are measured. For each zone, a first linear function fits a sequence of index values associated with reference spectra that best match the measured spectra. A projected time at which a reference zone will reach the target index value is determined based on the first linear function, and for at least one adjustable zone, a polishing parameter adjustment is calculated such that the adjustable zone has closer to the target index at the projected time than without such adjustment. The adjustment is calculated based on a feedback error calculated for a previous substrate. The feedback error for a subsequent substrate is calculated based on a second linear function that fits a sequence of index values associated with reference spectra that best match spectra measured after the polishing parameter is adjusted.

8535115, Sep 17, 2013

Jan 28, 2011

13/016504

Jeffrey Drue David - San Jose CA, US
Boguslaw A. Swedek - Cupertino CA, US
Dominic J. Benvegnu - La Honda CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B24B 1/00

451 6, 451 5, 451 41, 451287, 451289, 356630, 356614

A polishing apparatus includes a platen to hold a polishing pad having a plurality of optical apertures, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the carrier head and the platen, and an optical monitoring system. The optical monitoring system includes at least one light source, a common detector, and an optical assembly configured to direct light from the at least one light source to each of a plurality of separated positions in the platen, to direct light from each position of the plurality of separated positions to the substrate as the substrate passes over said each position, to receive reflected light from the substrate as the substrate passes over said each position, and to direct the reflected light from each of the plurality of separated positions to the common detector.

20080138988, Jun 12, 2008

Dec 7, 2007

11/952777

Jeffrey Drue David - San Jose CA, US
Jun Qian - Sunnyvale CA, US
Garrett Sin - San Jose CA, US
Daxin Mao - San Jose CA, US
Chris Heung-Gyun Lee - San Jose CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Boguslaw A. Swedek - Cupertino CA, US
Dominic J. Benvegnu - La Honda CA, US
Lakshmanan Karuppiah - San Jose CA, US

H01L 21/302

438692

During polishing of a substrate, polysilicon can be removed from a surface of the substrate. Detecting an endpoint during polishing of polysilicon can include polishing the substrate having a polysilicon residue on an area of oxide area and optically detecting clearance of the polysilicon residue.

20090275265, Nov 5, 2009

Apr 28, 2009

12/431532

Jun Qian - Sunnyvale CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Harry Q. Lee - Los Altos CA, US
Thomas H. Osterheld - Mountain View CA, US
Zhize Zhu - Cupertino CA, US

B24B 49/04
B24B 49/12

451 5, 451 6

A computer implemented method includes obtaining at least one current spectrum with an in-situ optical monitoring system, comparing the current spectrum to a plurality of different reference spectra, and determining based on the comparing whether a polishing endpoint has been achieved for the substrate having the outermost layer undergoing polishing. The current spectrum is a spectrum of light reflected from a substrate having an outermost layer undergoing polishing and at least one underlying layer. The plurality of reference spectra represent spectra of light reflected from substrates with outermost layers having the same thickness and underlying layers having different thicknesses.

20110256812, Oct 20, 2011

Apr 14, 2011

13/087180

Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Jun Qian - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christopher D. Cocca - Fremont CA, US
Jason G. Fung - Sunnyvale CA, US
Charles C. Garretson - Sunnyvale CA, US
Gregory E. Menk - Pleasanton CA, US
Stan D. Tsai - Fremont CA, US

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. - Santa Clara CA

B24B 53/02

451 56

Embodiments described herein use closed-loop control (CLC) of conditioning sweep to enable uniform groove depth removal across the pad, throughout pad life. A sensor integrated into the conditioning arm enables the pad stack thickness to be monitored in-situ and in real time. Feedback from the thickness sensor is used to modify pad conditioner dwell times across the pad surface, correcting for drifts in the pad profile that may arise as the pad and disk age. Pad profile CLC enables uniform reduction in groove depth with continued conditioning, providing longer consumables lifetimes and reduced operating costs.

20110281501, Nov 17, 2011

May 17, 2010

12/781644

Jun Qian - Sunnyvale CA, US
Charles C. Garretson - Sunnyvale CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US
Jeffrey Drue David - San Jose CA, US
Harry Q. Lee - Los Altos CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B24B 49/04
B24B 49/12

451 5, 451 6

A substrate having a plurality of zones is polished and spectra are measured. For each zone, a first linear function fits a sequence of index values associated with reference spectra that best match the measured spectra. A projected time at which a reference zone will reach the target index value is determined based on the first linear function, and for at least one adjustable zone, a polishing parameter adjustment is calculated such that the adjustable zone has closer to the target index at the projected time than without such adjustment. The adjustment is calculated based on a feedback error calculated for a previous substrate. The feedback error for a subsequent substrate is calculated based on a second linear function that fits a sequence of index values associated with reference spectra that best match spectra measured after the polishing parameter is adjusted.

20120009847, Jan 12, 2012

Jul 6, 2010

12/831153

Gregory E. Menk - Pleasanton CA, US
Stan D. Tsai - Fremont CA, US
Sang J. Cho - San Jose CA, US
Sivakumar Dhandapani - San Jose CA, US

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. - Santa Clara CA

B24B 49/10

451 5

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate. The methods generally include measuring the thickness of a polishing pad having grooves or other slurry transport features on a polishing surface. Once the depth of the grooves on the polishing surface is determined, a flow rate of a polishing slurry is adjusted in response to the determined groove depth. A predetermined number of substrates are polished on the polishing surface. The method can then optionally be repeated.