Joseph R Breivogel

60830891, Jul 4, 2000

Aug 11, 1997

8/909348

Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Matthew J. Prince - Portland OR
Christopher E. Barns - Portland OR

Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA

B24B 500

451287

A novel method and apparatus for uniformly polishing thin films formed on a semiconductor substrate. A substrate is placed face down on a moving polishing pad so that the thin film to be polished is placed in direct contact with the moving polishing pad. The substrate is forcibly pressed against the polishing pad with pneumatic or hydraulic pressure applied to the backside of the substrate during polishing. Additionally, a wear ring is placed on the polishing pad around and adjacent to the substrate and forcibly pressed onto the polishing pad with a downward pressure from a second source so that the wear ring is coplanar with the substrate in order to eliminate edge rounding effects.

55540643, Sep 10, 1996

Aug 6, 1993

8/103412

Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Samuel F. Louke - Beaverton OR
Michael R. Oliver - Tigard OR
Leopoldo D. Yau - Portland OR
Christopher E. Barns - Portland OR

Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA

B24B 2900
B24B 722

451 41

A method and apparatus for polishing a thin film formed on a semiconductor substrate. A table covered with a polishing pad is orbited about an axis. Slurry is fed through a plurality of spaced-apart holes formed through the polishing pad to uniformly distribute slurry across the pad surface during polishing. A substrate is pressed face down against the orbiting pad's surface and rotated to facilitate, along with the slurry, the polishing of the thin film formed on the substrate.

55474179, Aug 20, 1996

Mar 21, 1994

8/210957

Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Matthew J. Price - Portland OR
Christopher E. Barns - Portland OR

Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA

B24B 5300

451 58

A method of polishing a thin film formed on a semiconductor substrate. In a method of the present invention a polishing pad is rotated. A substrate is pressed against the rotating polishing pad so that the thin film to be polished is placed in direct contact with the polishing pad. During polishing, the polishing pad is continually conditioned by forming a plurality of grooves into the polishing pad. The grooves are formed by a conditioning block having a substantially planar bottom surface with a plurality of groove generating points extending from the substantially planar surface of the conditioning block. The grooves are generated by sweeping and rotating the conditioning block between an outer radius and an inner radius of the polishing pad.

60959045, Aug 1, 2000

Feb 1, 1996

8/595182

Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Samuel F. Louke - Beaverton OR
Michael R. Oliver - Tigard OR
Leopoldo D. Yau - Portland OR
Christopher E. Barns - Portland OR

Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA

B24B 722

451 41

A method and apparatus for polishing a thin film formed on a semiconductor substrate. A table covered with a polishing pad is orbited about an axis. Slurry is fed through a plurality of spaced-apart holes formed through the polishing pad to uniformly distribute slurry across the pad surface during polishing. A substrate is pressed face down against the orbiting pad's surface and rotated to facilitate, along with the slurry, the polishing of the thin film formed on the substrate.

56350830, Jun 3, 1997

Jun 6, 1995

8/467546

Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Matthew J. Prince - Portland OR
Christopher E. Barns - Portland OR

Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA

H01L 21306

216 88

A novel method and apparatus for uniformly polishing thin films formed on a semiconductor substrate. A substrate is placed face down on a moving polishing pad so that the thin film to be polished is placed in direct contact with the moving polishing pad. The substrate is forcibly pressed against the polishing pad with pneumatic or hydraulic pressure applied to the backside of the substrate during polishing. Additionally, a wear ring is placed on the polishing pad around and adjacent to the substrate and forcibly pressed onto the polishing pad with a downward pressure from a second source so that the wear ring is coplanar with the substrate in order to eliminate edge rounding effects.

57625360, Jun 9, 1998

Feb 6, 1997

8/797470

Anil K. Pant - Santa Cruz CA
Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Douglas W. Young - Sunnyvale CA
Rahul Jairath - San Jose CA
Erik H. Engdahl - Livermore CA

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

B24B 4900
B24B 5100

451 6

A technique for utilizing sensors to monitor the polishing of a semiconductor wafer when a linear polisher is utilized to polish the wafer. The sensors are distributed along the surface or are coupled to openings along the surface to monitor the on-going polishing process. The sensed information from the sensors are processed in order to provide feedback for compensating the fluid dispensing when fluid platens are used and/or the downforce exerted by the wafer carrier.

59160128, Jun 29, 1999

Jun 25, 1997

8/882658

Anil K. Pant - Santa Cruz CA
Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Douglas W. Young - Sunnyvale CA
Robert M. Rivera - San Leandro CA

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

B35B 100
B35B 719

451 41

A technique for controlling a polishing rate across a substrate surface when performing CMP, in order to obtain uniform polishing of the substrate surface. A support housing which underlies a polishing pad includes a plurality of openings for dispensing a pressurized fluid. The openings are arranged into a pre-configured pattern for dispensing the fluid to the underside of the pad opposite the substrate surface being polished. The openings are configured into a number of groupings, in which a separate channel is used for each grouping so that fluid pressure for each group of openings can be separately and independently controlled.

58713905, Feb 16, 1999

Feb 6, 1997

8/795880

Anil K. Pant - Santa Cruz CA
Douglas W. Young - Sunnyvale CA
Joseph R. Breivogel - Aloha OR
Konstantin Volodarski - San Francisco CA
Leon Volfovski - Mountain View CA

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

B24B 2120

451 5

The present invention describes an apparatus and method for aligning a pad/belt on a roller for use in chemical mechanical polishing using linear planarization. The present invention comprises an alignment sensor that senses the alignment of the pad/belt. The present invention additionally comprises a tensioner that tensions the pad/belt on the roller. And, a controller that controls the alignment of the pad/belt on the roller by controlling the tensioner.