Conditioner for soft pad and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a conditioner for a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) pad, which is used in a CMP process that is part of a semiconductor element manufacturing process, and more particularly, to a conditioner for a soft pad, and a method of manufacturing the same, wherein the conditioner can be used under CMP conditions using a slurry having a small amount of polishing particles, and/or a porous pad having comparatively low hardness and very high porosity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A conditioner for a soft pad, comprising:
 a substrate having at least one flat surface; and   a plurality of cutting tips formed to protrude upward on part or all of the surface of the substrate and spaced apart from each other.   
     
     
         2 . The conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the cutting tips are made of a same material, including any one selected from the group consisting of a carbide material, a ceramic material including SiC or Si 3 N 4 , and a composite ceramic material including one or both of SiO 2  and Al 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         3 . The conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting tips are configured such that upper ends thereof are provided in a form of a plane, a line, or a point. 
     
     
         4 . The conditioner of  claim 3 , wherein when the upper ends of the cutting tips are provided in the form of a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate, with an overall shape thereof having any one or more shapes selected from the group consisting of a cylindrical shape, a polyprismoidal shape, a truncated conical shape, and a truncated pyramidal shape. 
     
     
         5 . The conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting tips are configured to be the same as in one or more selected from the group consisting of an overall shape, a protrusion height and a separation interval. 
     
     
         6 . The conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the conditioner for a soft pad is applied to a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process including a copper CMP process under one or both conditions of using a load of three (3) pounds or less and using a slurry having 1% or less of polishing particles. 
     
     
         7 . A method of manufacturing a conditioner for a soft pad, the method comprising:
 preparing a substrate having a thickness greater than a protrusion height of the cutting tips; and   forming a plurality of protrusions at a predetermined interval on one surface of the substrate depending on a predetermined pattern, thus producing the cutting tips.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the protrusions formed in producing the cutting tips are configured such that upper ends thereof are provided in a form of a plane, a line or a point. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein forming the cutting tips is performed using both an etching process and any one micromachining process selected from the group consisting of cutting wheel processing, end milling, milling cutter processing, drilling, tapping, and laser processing, or using either the etching process or the any one micromachining process. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the etching process includes subjecting the surface of the substrate, on which the protrusions will be formed, to photolithography, then extending part or all of the protrusion height of the protrusions at a predetermined interval by etching, wherein when part of the protrusion height is protruded, forming a rest of the height of the protrusions which are partially protruded, using any one micromachining process. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein when the part of the protrusion height is protruded, the protrusion height of the protrusions extended by the etching is 1˜50% of a total protrusion height. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising subjecting one surface of the substrate, before formation of the cutting tips, to precision grinding and lapping. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the substrate and the cutting tips are made of a same material, including any one selected from the group consisting of a carbide material, a ceramic material including SiC or Si3N4, and a composite ceramic material including one or both of SiO2 and Al2O3. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the cutting tips are configured such that upper ends thereof are provided in a form of a plane, a line or a point. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein when the upper ends of the cutting tips are provided in the form of a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate, with an overall shape thereof having any one or more shapes selected from the group consisting of a cylindrical shape, a polyprismoidal shape, a truncated conical shape, and a truncated pyramidal shape. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the cutting tips are configured to be the same as in one or more selected from the group consisting of an overall shape, a protrusion height and a separation interval. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the conditioner for a soft pad is applied to a chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process including a copper CMP process under one or both conditions of using a load of three (3) pounds or less and using a slurry having 1% or less polishing particles.