公开(公告)号：US12079984B2

公开(公告)日：2024-09-03

申请号：US17678936

申请日：2022-02-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Sidney P. Huey ,  Thomas Li ,  Benjamin Cherian

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  B24B37/005 ,  G06T7/20 ,  H04N5/272 ,  H04N7/18 ,  H01L21/306 ,  H01L21/3105 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: G06T7/001 ,  B24B37/005 ,  G06T7/20 ,  H04N5/272 ,  H04N7/18 ,  G06T2207/10016 ,  G06T2207/20081 ,  G06T2207/20084 ,  G06T2207/30148 ,  G06T2207/30232 ,  H01L21/30625 ,  H01L21/31053 ,  H01L22/12

Abstract: Monitoring operations of a polishing system includes obtaining a time-based sequence of reference images of a component of the polishing system performing operations during a test operation of the polishing system, receiving from a camera a time-based sequence of monitoring images of an equivalent component of an equivalent polishing system performing operations during polishing of a substrate, determining a difference value for the time-based sequence of monitoring images by comparing the time-based sequence of reference images to the time-based sequence of monitoring image using an image processing algorithm, determining whether the difference value exceeds a threshold, and in response to determining the difference value exceeds the threshold, indicating an excursion.

公开(公告)号：US12057354B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-06

申请号：US18200244

申请日：2023-05-22

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Kiran Lall Shrestha ,  Doyle E. Bennett ,  David Maxwell Gage ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Harry Q. Lee

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/10 ,  G06F17/15 ,  G06N3/08 ,  H01L21/304 ,  H01L21/321

CPC classification number: H01L22/14 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/105 ,  G06F17/15 ,  G06N3/08 ,  H01L21/304 ,  H01L21/3212 ,  H01L22/12 ,  H01L22/26

Abstract: A method of polishing a substrate includes polishing a conductive layer on the substrate at a polishing station, monitoring the layer with an in-situ eddy current monitoring system to generate a plurality of measured signals values for a plurality of different locations on the layer, generating thickness measurements the locations, and detecting a polishing endpoint or modifying a polishing parameter based on the thickness measurements. The conductive layer is formed of a first material having a first conductivity. Generating includes calculating initial thickness values based on the plurality of measured signals values and processing the initial thickness values through a neural network that was trained using training data acquired by measuring calibration substrates having a conductive layer formed of a second material having a second conductivity that is lower than the first conductivity to generated adjusted thickness values.

公开(公告)号：US12020159B2

公开(公告)日：2024-06-25

申请号：US18310520

申请日：2023-05-01

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G05B13/02 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G06N3/045 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: G06N3/08 ,  G05B13/027 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G06N3/045 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G05B2219/32335 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  G05B2219/41054 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/45199

Abstract: A method of generating training spectra for training of a neural network includes measuring a first plurality of training spectra from one or more sample substrates, measuring a characterizing value for each training spectra of the plurality of training spectra to generate a plurality of characterizing values with each training spectrum having an associated characterizing value, measuring a plurality of dummy spectra during processing of one or more dummy substrates, and generating a second plurality of training spectra by combining the first plurality of training spectra and the plurality of dummy spectra, there being a greater number of spectra in the second plurality of training spectra than in the first plurality of training spectra. Each training spectrum of the second plurality of training spectra having an associated characterizing value.

公开(公告)号：US11865664B2

公开(公告)日：2024-01-09

申请号：US17341285

申请日：2021-06-07

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kun Xu ,  Harry Q. Lee ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  David Maxwell Gage

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  H01L21/321 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/10

CPC classification number: B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/013 ,  B24B49/105 ,  H01L21/3212

Abstract: During polishing of a stack of adjacent layers, a plurality of instances of a profile control algorithm are executed on a controller with different instances having different values for a control parameter. A first instance receives a sequence of characterizing values from an in-situ monitoring system during an initial time period to control a polishing parameter, and a second instance receives the sequence of characterizing values during the initial time period and a subsequent time period to control the polishing parameter. Exposure of the underlying layer is detected based on the sequence of characterizing values from the in-situ monitoring system.

公开(公告)号：US20230390891A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US17952059

申请日：2022-09-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Haoquan Fang ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Sohrab Pourmand ,  Jeonghoon Oh ,  Brian J. Brown

IPC: B24B49/00 ,  B24B49/18

CPC classification number: B24B49/003 ,  B24B49/186

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a conditioner head to hold a conditioner disk in contact with the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the polishing pad and the conditioner disk so as to condition the polishing pad, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system having an acoustic sensor to receive acoustic signals from the conditioner disk, and a controller configured to analyze a signal from the acoustic sensor and determine a characteristic of the conditioner disk or conditioner head based on the signal.

公开(公告)号：US20230390885A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US17963143

申请日：2022-10-10

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Benjamin Cherian ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08

CPC classification number: B24B37/005 ,  G01H11/08

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish an overlying layer on the substrate, an in-situ acoustic monitoring system comprising an acoustic sensor that receives acoustic signals from the surface of the substrate, and a controller configured to determine an angular orientation of the substrate based on received acoustic signals from the in-situ acoustic monitoring system.

公开(公告)号：US20230267329A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-24

申请号：US18310520

申请日：2023-05-01

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Nicholas A. Wiswell ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G05B13/02 ,  G06N3/045

CPC classification number: G06N3/08 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G05B13/027 ,  G06N3/045 ,  G05B2219/45199 ,  G05B2219/32335 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  G05B2219/41054

Abstract: A method of generating training spectra for training of a neural network includes measuring a first plurality of training spectra from one or more sample substrates, measuring a characterizing value for each training spectra of the plurality of training spectra to generate a plurality of characterizing values with each training spectrum having an associated characterizing value, measuring a plurality of dummy spectra during processing of one or more dummy substrates, and generating a second plurality of training spectra by combining the first plurality of training spectra and the plurality of dummy spectra, there being a greater number of spectra in the second plurality of training spectra than in the first plurality of training spectra. Each training spectrum of the second plurality of training spectra having an associated characterizing value.

公开(公告)号：US11731238B2

公开(公告)日：2023-08-22

申请号：US16820299

申请日：2020-03-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc

Inventor： Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Benjamin Cherian

IPC: G06T7/529 ,  G06T7/40 ,  G06T17/30 ,  G06V10/10 ,  G06V10/82 ,  B24B49/12 ,  B24B37/005

CPC classification number: B24B49/12 ,  B24B37/005 ,  G06T7/40 ,  G06T7/529 ,  G06T17/30 ,  G06V10/10 ,  G06V10/82 ,  G06T2207/20081

Abstract: An apparatus for chemical mechanical polishing includes a platen having a surface to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, a pad conditioner to press an abrasive body against the polishing surface, an in-situ polishing pad monitoring system including an imager disposed above the platen to capture an image of the polishing pad, and a controller configured to receive the image from the monitoring system and generate a measure of polishing pad surface roughness based on the image. The controller can use machine-learning based image processing to generate the measure of surface roughness.

公开(公告)号：US11651207B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-16

申请号：US16449104

申请日：2019-06-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Cherian ,  Nicholas Wiswell ,  Jun Qian ,  Thomas H. Osterheld

IPC: G06N3/08 ,  G06N3/04 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  H01L21/66 ,  G05B13/02

CPC classification number: G06N3/08 ,  G05B13/027 ,  G05B19/4063 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G06N3/0454 ,  H01L22/12 ,  G05B2219/32335 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  G05B2219/41054 ,  G05B2219/45031 ,  G05B2219/45199

Abstract: A method of generating training spectra for training of a neural network includes measuring a first plurality of training spectra from one or more sample substrates, measuring a characterizing value for each training spectra of the plurality of training spectra to generate a plurality of characterizing values with each training spectrum having an associated characterizing value, measuring a plurality of dummy spectra during processing of one or more dummy substrates, and generating a second plurality of training spectra by combining the first plurality of training spectra and the plurality of dummy spectra, there being a greater number of spectra in the second plurality of training spectra than in the first plurality of training spectra. Each training spectrum of the second plurality of training spectra having an associated characterizing value.

公开(公告)号：US20220347813A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-03

申请号：US17730811

申请日：2022-04-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Thomas H. Osterheld ,  Benjamin Cherian

IPC: B24B37/005

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen having a top surface to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad during a polishing process, a temperature monitoring system including a non-contact thermal imaging camera positioned above the platen to have a field of view of a portion of the polishing pad on the platen, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive the thermal image from the temperature monitoring system, input the thermal image into a machine learning model trained by training examples to determine an indication for one or more of 1) a presence of a process excursion, 2) a substrate state, or 3) a diagnosis for the process excursion, and receive from the machine learning model the indication.