OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR IPEC 372M
TOOL STARTUP
The CMP tool remains idle for most of it's life. The idle state has no pad on the platen, no slurry in
the slurry lines, and no water flowing to the tool. To begin processing, we must prepare the tool, flush the
lines, and turn on the water.
(1) Turn water on in gray area behind tool. Black valve handle should be in the vertical position to be ON
(2) Power should already be on -- tool power should never be turned off after polishing
* If power is not on, press green POWER ON button next to screen
* Tool will power up, and request a password. Password is "333". Type and hit ENTER.
* Tool will continue to power up, and will initialize all stations (arm, load, unload)
(3) Open front plastic guard, and pull out small metal inter-lock LS 11 to stop error message
(4) Open right side plastic guard; lift and rest on wet bench knob. Pull out metal inter-lock LS 12 to stop
error message
(5) Put pad on platen
* Select Screen/Move Arm/Primary Polish
* Use wrench to remove slurry dispense wand (this avoids bending and breakage during pad placement)
* Select Screen/Manual Operations/Carrier Park (this moves head back out of the way so that pad can be
placed)
* Place pad, making sure that pad is centered. Start with far side, and work your way towards your body,
attaching the pad a bit at a time to reduce air bubbles
(6) Wet pad thoroughly with DI water gun
(7) Prime slurry line
* Choose proper slurry line for your CMP application (line 1 for oxide, line 2 for metal/experimental
slurries)
* Place slurry line in DI water jug
* Select Screen/Polish Control/Slurry #_ Test
* choose a flow rate (250 - 500 ml/min) to get water pumping through the line
* make flow rate zero when pad is adequately wet, and slurry line runs clear with water.
(8) Load recipe
* Select Screen/Process Management -- select the proper recipe
WAFER POLISHING
Pad Break-In with Dummy Wafer
Each new or used, dry pad must be made adequately wet and prepared for polishing. Otherwise,
the pad will "break in" over time, and the first wafer will polish much differently than the subsequent wafers.
Pad break-in consists of wetting the pad, then polishing a blank or "dummy" wafer with water and slurry to
make sure that the pad is wet and contains a uniform chemical concentration throughout.
(1) Set Recipe time
* Select Screen/Phase Set 1
* Set process time to 10 minutes
* Press "Phase Set 2"
(2) Make sure slurry line is in water bath, and that water bath contains ample water
(3) Load wafer
* For 5 inch wafers, you may place the wafers in the load boat, then just hit the green Start button on the
button console. The
wafer will load, polish, and unload, then proceed to polish the next wafer in the boat automatically.
* For larger wafers, you must load, polish, and unload manually
* Manual Load
- Select Screen/Manual Operations/Manual Load-Unload
- Place wafer (with face to polish DOWN) up under the carrier head. Place one side of the wafer, then
gently rock into place
inside the carrier ring
- Press "Load Wafer"
A successfully loaded wafer should result in ~ 40 kpa pressure on the gauge PI02. If the wafer is not
loaded successfully, hold the wafer and press "Unload wafer". Take the wafer off the head, and re-try!
(4) Return to Manual Operations Screen
(5) Press "Primary Polish"
This will execute your recipe program. when polishing is done, the head will pick up the wafer off of the
pad, and await
(6) Press "Head/Wafer Clean"
The arm will move to the clean station, drop the head into the clean bucket, and spray the wafer with DI
water
(7) Press "Manual Load/Unload"
- Move arm to Unload
- Hold on to wafer, then press Unload Wafer
(8) Immediately wash the wafer with the water gun, and put in the brushcleaner.
Prepare tool for polishing experiments
After successful break-in, the pad must be saturated with the slurry that will be used for the
experiments. This consists of priming the slurry lines with the desired slurry, then polishing the dummy
wafer with slurry for 2 minutes.
(1) Set Recipe time
* Select Screen/Phase Set 1
* Set process time to 2 minutes
(2) Make sure slurry line is in the slurry mixture, and that the slurry container contains ample slurry
(3) Prime the slurry line to get the slurry to the pad.
* Select Screen/Polish Control/Slurry #_ Test
* choose a flow rate (250 - 500 ml/min) to get slurry pumping through the line.
* make flow rate zero when you can see slurry dripping onto the pad, and slurry line runs cloudy with
slurry.
(4) Load wafer
* For 5 inch wafers, you may place the wafers in the load boat, then just hit the green Start button on the
button console. The wafer will load, polish, and unload, then proceed to polish the next wafer in the boat
automatically. See step (9).
* For larger wafers, you must load, polish, and unload manually
* Manual Load
- Select Screen/Manual Operations/Manual Load-Unload
- Place wafer (with face to polish DOWN) up under the carrier head. Place one side of the wafer, then
gently rock into place
inside the carrier ring
- Press "Load Wafer"
A successfully loaded wafer should result in ~ 40 kpa pressure on the gauge PI02
If the wafer is not loaded successfully, hold the wafer and press "Unload wafer". Take the wafer off the
head, and re-try!
(5) Return to Manual Operations Screen
(6) Press "Primary Polish"
This will execute your recipe program. when polishing is done, the head will pick up the wafer off of the
pad, and await
(7) Press "Head/Wafer Clean"
The arm will move to the clean station, drop the head into the clean bucket, and spray the wafer with DI
water
(8) Press "Manual Load/Unload"
- Move arm to Unload
- Hold on to wafer, then press Unload Wafer
(9) Immediately wash the dummy wafer with the water gun, and put in the brushcleaner.
CMP Experiment
Once the tool is ready (pad is broken in, slurry line is primed), the CMP experiment is very simple to
perform. It requires a check of the recipe to make sure that the time is correct, and that the proper slurry line
is selected.
(1) Set Recipe time
* Select Screen/Phase Set 1
* Set process time to length that you desire for removal rate measurements (30 sec, 1 min, or 2 min for
example)
(2) Make sure slurry line is in the slurry mixture, and that the slurry container contains ample slurry
(3) Load wafer
* For 5 inch wafers, you may place the wafers in the load boat, then just hit the green Start button on the
button console. The wafer will load, polish, and unload, then proceed to polish the next wafer in the boat
automatically. See step (8).
* For larger wafers, you must load, polish, and unload manually
* Manual Load
- Select Screen/Manual Operations/Manual Load-Unload
- Place wafer (with face to polish DOWN) up under the carrier head. Place one side of the wafer, then
gently rock into place
inside the carrier ring
- Press "Load Wafer"
A successfully loaded wafer should result in ~ 40 kpa pressure on the gauge PI02
If the wafer is not loaded successfully, hold the wafer and press "Unload wafer". Take the wafer off the
head, and re-try!
(4) Return to Manual Operations Screen
(5) Press "Primary Polish"
This will execute your recipe program. when polishing is done, the head will pick up the wafer off of the
pad, and await
(6) Press "Head/Wafer Clean"
The arm will move to the clean station, drop the head into the clean bucket, and spray the wafer with DI
water
(7) Press "Manual Load/Unload"
- Move arm to Unload
- Hold on to wafer, then press Unload Wafer
(8) Immediately wash the dummy wafer with the water gun, and put in the brushcleaner.
TOOL SHUTDOWN
After polishing is completed, it is very important to leave the tool in condition in which you found it.
This includes cleaning up any slurry beakers and work surfaces, and preparing the tool for the next user.
Shutdown should include the following four steps:
Flush Slurry Lines
Remove Pad
Return Carrier Head to 5 inch Configuration
Park Carrier In Clean Station Bath
Flush Slurry Lines
The slurry lines should be left dry, so that the pumps do not foul and grow fungus.
1) Return to the Select Screen
2) Select Screen/Polish Control
3) Platen Motor Test - set to 30 rpm
4) Place the slurry line into the DI water bath
5) Slurry #_ Test (_ is 1 for oxide slurry, 2 for metal/experimental slurries) - set to Mid
6) Allow the slurry line to run clean water for ~ 5 min
7) Remove the slurry line from the DI water bath and allow the pump to run until all water has left the line
8) Slurry #_ Test (_ is 1 for oxide slurry, 2 for metal/experimental slurries) - set to zero
9) Platen Motor Test - set to 0 rpm
*** If highly corrosive or staining slurries (i.e. K2Cr2O7 or Fe(NO3)3) are used, consider flushing the slurry
line with soapy water,
then flush with DI water.
Remove Pad
Following polishing and the slurry line flush, the pad will be dirty and in need of removal.
1) Use the DI water gun to thoroughly clean the pad
2) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm/Primary Limit
3) Use wrench to remove slurry dispense wand screw
4) Remove slurry dispense wand by grasping at the base and gently lifting upwards
5) Remove the pad (either discard or keep for future use)
6) Use wipes to dry the platen surface
7) Replace the slurry dispense wand
Park Carrier in Clean Station Bath and Turn Off Water
The carrier film should always remain wet, so the carrier should always be parked at the clean
station after the day's work.
1) Select Screen/Manual Control/Carrier Park
2) Enter the Gray Area bay behind the CMP tool, and turn off the DI water valve
3) Close all tool shields and openings
4) Abort/Spindle Off
CARRIER HEAD SIZE CONVERSION
Converting Carrier Head to 6 or 8 inch Configuration
The default configuration (until complete 8 inch cleanroom upgrade) for the tool is 5 inch
configuration. If the 6 or 8 inch carrier head was used, it must be removed and replaced with the 5 inch
head. This process is identical to the "Carrier Head Change" process
listed earlier.
1) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm/Unload
2) Use wrench to unscrew the retaining screws from the plastic carrier cover
3) Begin with screw closest to you, and use "Jog Carrier" to access the other screws. Must press and hold
this button to jog the
carrier. If you encounter a "spindles not enabled" error, then press Abort, End, Spindle On.
4) Once the screws are removed, the bottom half of the carrier may drop, so be careful! If it does not drop,
lift the plastic shield,
grab the bottom half of the carrier, and rock side to side until it separates
5) Clean the bottom half of the carrier (i.e. the black carrier film) with water and wipes
6) Place bottom half of carrier in plastic storage unit
7) Move Arm/Load
8) Select Screen/Load Station Control
9) Shuttle Move to Elevator
10) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm
11) Jog Counter Clock-Wise until arm is over gap between load cup and elevator
12) Reach under the carrier head and remove snap-ring using snap-ring tool. Only widen snap-ring enough
to remove it from the groove
in the carrier wrist. Excessive widening can lead to breakage or improper function.
13) Remove 2 set screws on either side of carrier (remove one, then use jog carrier to access the other). Do
NOT completely remove the
set screws; they are easily loosened with just a few twists of the wrench. When the screws are loosened,
the "T" bar and plastic
cover will fall; keep a hold on both pieces.
14) Slowly remove "T" bar, small rectangular "key" and plastic cover and place in the plastic storage unit
15) Take plastic cover, small rectangular "key" and "T" bar from the 5 inch head. Place the "key" in the slot,
and slide on the
plastic cover and the "T" bar.
16) Place the snap-ring under the "T" bar using the snap ring tool
17) Screw in the set screws, making sure that both are seated firmly. This may require an alternating
technique -- screw one, then the
other, then the first, etc. until the screws are firmly in place.
18) Move Arm/Unload
19) Take the bottom half of the carrier, and align the teflon piece with the "T" bar. Squeeze the bottom and
top halves together until
the plastic cover touches the stainless steel plate.
20) While squeezing the head, turn the plastic cover to align the screws with the screw holes in the stainless
steel plate.
21) Screw in all of the carrier head screws, alternating until each are tight. Do not over-tighten.
22) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm/Primary Polish
23) Use screwdriver to remove screw from weight cover on back of arm
24) Use wrench to remove screws from arm weights; remove weights; place weights on CMP shelf
25) Place 5 inch weights
26) Move weight block forward until it is aligned to the blue line
27) Tighten screws and replace cover
28) Select Screen/Machine Configuration/Wafer Size/125 mm (very important)
29) Select Screen/Arm Control/Calibrate Arm Positions
30) Move to Value = 28500 for 8 inch head; Exit
31) Set Arm Position Primary Polish; Return.
*** FOR 8 inch polishing, do not use carrier oscillation during polish***
30) Move to Value = 29436 for 6 inch head; Exit
31) Set Arm Position Primary Limit; Return
Return Carrier Head to 5 inch Configuration
The default configuration (until complete 8 inch cleanroom upgrade) for the tool is 5 inch
configuration. If the 6 or 8 inch carrier
head was used, it must be removed and replaced with the 5 inch head. This process is identical to the
"Carrier Head Change" process
listed earlier.
1) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm/Unload
2) Use wrench to unscrew the retaining screws from the plastic carrier cover
3) Begin with screw closest to you, and use "Jog Carrier" to access the other screws. Must press and hold
this button to jog the
carrier. If you encounter a "spindles not enabled" error, then press Abort, End, Spindle On.
4) Once the screws are removed, the bottom half of the carrier may drop, so be careful! If it does not drop,
lift the plastic shield,
grab the bottom half of the carrier, and rock side to side until it separates
5) Clean the bottom half of the carrier (i.e. the black carrier film) with water and wipes
6) Place bottom half of carrier in plastic storage unit
7) Move Arm/Load
8) Select Screen/Load Station Control
9) Shuttle Move to Elevator
10) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm
11) Jog Counter Clock-Wise until arm is over gap between load cup and elevator
12) Reach under the carrier head and remove snap-ring using snap-ring tool. Only widen snap-ring enough
to remove it from the groove
in the carrier wrist. Excessive widening can lead to breakage or improper function.
13) Remove 2 set screws on either side of carrier (remove one, then use jog carrier to access the other). Do
NOT completely remove the
set screws; they are easily loosened with just a few twists of the wrench. When the screws are loosened,
the "T" bar and plastic
cover will fall; keep a hold on both pieces.
14) Slowly remove "T" bar, small rectangular "key" and plastic cover and place in the plastic storage unit
15) Take plastic cover, small rectangular "key" and "T" bar from the 5 inch head. Place the "key" in the slot,
and slide on the
plastic cover and the "T" bar.
16) Place the snap-ring under the "T" bar using the snap ring tool
17) Screw in the set screws, making sure that both are seated firmly. This may require an alternating
technique -- screw one, then the
other, then the first, etc. until the screws are firmly in place.
18) Move Arm/Unload
19) Take the bottom half of the carrier, and align the teflon piece with the "T" bar. Squeeze the bottom and
top halves together until
the plastic cover touches the stainless steel plate.
20) While squeezing the head, turn the plastic cover to align the screws with the screw holes in the stainless
steel plate.
21) Screw in all of the carrier head screws, alternating until each are tight. Do not over-tighten.
22) Select Screen/Arm Control/Move Arm/Primary Polish
23) Use screwdriver to remove screw from weight cover on back of arm
24) Use wrench to remove screws from arm weights; remove weights; place weights on CMP shelf
25) Place 5 inch weights
26) Move weight block forward until it is aligned to the blue line
27) Tighten screws and replace cover
28) Select Screen/Machine Configuration/Wafer Size/125 mm (very important)
29) Select Screen/Arm Control/Calibrate Arm Positions
30) Move to Value = 29436; Exit
31) Set Arm Position Primary Limit; Return