Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of seal surfaces in critical component of semiconductor equipment by a custom polyurethane tool

Abstract

The existing technologies such as chemical mechanical grinding (CMG) and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) are difficult to effectively adapt to the automatic polishing of the seal surfaces of mass flow controllers (MFC) valve. This paper developed a novel polyurethane tool based on the characteristics of these technologies. The tool diameter is 10 mm, and in a processing area with a length of 10 mm and a width of 2 mm, after 2 min of polishing, it can achieve a nanoscale surface. It has been applied to polish the seal surface of MFC, which is the critical component of semiconductor equipment. In addition, this paper focuses on the polishing performance of the tool, and modeling the polishing process theoretically based on factors such as tool hardness, porosity, and polishing method. Through parameter experiments, it was found that feeding velocity V_w is the main factor affecting polishing quality and force stability. As V_w increases, the surface roughness S_a first increases and then decreases, with a minimum value of 0.006 μm, while the average polishing force gradually decreases. And the surface quality is optimal when V_w = 50 mm/min and Δz = 100 μm.