Polishing head and polishing carrier apparatus having the same

Abstract

A polishing head includes a carrier body detachably fixed to a drive shaft and having a plurality of first fluid passages penetrating therethrough to extend from an upper surface to a lower surface of the carrier body, upper end portions of the first fluid passages being arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction about a central axis thereof, a flexible membrane clamped to a lower portion of the carrier body to form a plurality of pressurizing chambers, wherein at least one of the pressurizing chambers is divided into a plurality of sub-chambers arranged in a circumferential direction about a central axis of the flexible membrane, the sub-chambers being in fluid communication with lower end portions of the first fluid passages respectively, and a fluid sealing part on the carrier body to support the carrier body to be rotatable and flow a fluid into each of the first fluid passages in a sealed state.

1 . A polishing head, comprising:
 a carrier body detachably fixed to a drive shaft and having a plurality of first fluid passages penetrating therethrough to extend from an upper surface to a lower surface of the carrier body, upper end portions of the first fluid passages being arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction about a central axis thereof;   a flexible membrane clamped to a lower portion of the carrier body to form a plurality of pressurizing chambers, wherein at least one of the pressurizing chambers is divided into a plurality of sub-chambers arranged in a circumferential direction about a central axis of the flexible membrane, the sub-chambers being in fluid communication with lower end portions of the first fluid passages respectively; and   a fluid sealing part on the carrier body to support the carrier body to be rotatable and flow a fluid into each of the first fluid passages in a sealed state.   
     
     
         2 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the carrier body includes:
 a housing fixed to the drive shaft; and   a base assembly installed beneath the housing and rotatable together with the housing.   
     
     
         3 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the first fluid passages extend from an upper surface to a lower surface of the base assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fluid sealing part includes:
 a rotary ring on an upper surface of the carrier body to be rotatable together with the carrier body, wherein first through-holes penetrate through the rotary ring to be connected to the first fluid passages respectively; and   a stationary ring supported fixedly on the rotary ring such that the rotary ring has a sliding movement on the stationary ring, the stationary ring having second through-holes penetrating therethrough, wherein the first through-holes are selectively connected to the second through-holes by a relative rotational movement of the rotary ring.   
     
     
         5 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the first through-holes have a slit-type cylindrical shape extending within a predetermined angle about a central axis. 
     
     
         6 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein a number of the first through-holes is the same as a number of the second through-holes. 
     
     
         7 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein a number of the first through-holes is the same as a number of the first fluid passages. 
     
     
         8 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the second through-holes are arranged at equal angle intervals with respect to a central axis. 
     
     
         9 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the flexible membrane includes:
 a disk-shaped main portion having a first surface contacting a backside of a substrate to be polished and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and   at least one extending portion protruding from the second surface of the main portion to be clamped to the lower portion of the carrier body to form at least one of the pressurizing chambers.   
     
     
         10 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the flexible membrane includes a partition portion dividing the at least one of the pressurizing chambers to form the plurality of the sub-chambers. 
     
     
         11 . A polishing head, comprising:
 a housing detachably fixed to a drive shaft;   a base assembly installed beneath the housing and rotatable together with the housing, the base assembly having a plurality of first fluid passages penetrating therethrough to extend from an upper surface to a lower surface of the base assembly;   a flexible membrane clamped to a lower portion of the base assembly to form a plurality of pressurizing chambers, wherein at least one of the pressurizing chamber is divided into a plurality of sub-chambers, the sub-chambers being in fluid communication with the first fluid passages respectively; and   a fluid sealing part on the base assembly around the housing to support the base assembly to be rotatable and to flow a fluid into each of the first fluid passages in a sealed state.   
     
     
         12 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein upper end portions of the first fluid passages are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction about a central axis of the base assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the fluid sealing part includes:
 a rotary ring on an upper surface of the base assembly, wherein first through-holes penetrate through the rotary ring to be connected to the first fluid passages respectively; and   a stationary ring supported fixedly on the rotary ring such that the rotary ring has a sliding movement on the stationary ring, the stationary ring having second through-holes penetrating therethrough, wherein the first through-holes are selectively connected to the second through-holes by a relative rotational movement of the rotary ring.   
     
     
         14 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the first through-holes have a slit-type cylindrical shape extending within a predetermined angle about a central axis. 
     
     
         15 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a number of the first through-holes is the same as a number of the second through-holes. 
     
     
         16 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a number of the first through-holes is the same as a number of the first fluid passages. 
     
     
         17 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the second through-holes are arranged at equal angle intervals with respect to a central axis. 
     
     
         18 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the flexible membrane includes:
 a disk-shaped main portion having a first surface contacting a backside of a substrate to be polished and a second surface opposite to the first surface; and   at least one extending portion protruding from the second surface of the main portion to be clamped to the lower portion of the base assembly to form at least one of the pressurizing chambers.   
     
     
         19 . The polishing head as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the flexible membrane includes a partition portion dividing the at least one of the pressurizing chamber into the plurality of the sub-chambers. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A polishing carrier apparatus, comprising:
 an upper module having a rotary union;   a polishing head configured to suck and pressurize a substrate to be polished, the polishing head including a carrier body detachably fixed to a drive shaft of the rotary union, a flexible membrane clamped to a lower portion of the carrier body to form a plurality of pressurizing chambers, wherein at least one of the pressurizing chamber is divided into a plurality of sub-chambers, and a fluid sealing part on the carrier body to support the carrier body to be rotatable;   a sealing housing interposed between the upper module and the polishing head; and   a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into each of the sub-chambers through the sealing housing and the fluid sealing part.   
     
     
         22 - 25 . (canceled)