Improved Capabilities for the 372M and 472 Polishing Platforms

Large numbers of IPEC 372M and 472 polishers are in service at numerous fabs, R&D labs, and other CMP facilities around the globe. These tools were one of the market-dominant platforms during the initial adoption and growth phase of CMP in the late 1990´s, and are still viable for many applications. However, these tools were produced at a time when fabs used very little factory automation. Many fabs are now pushing the envelope of as-designed performance in an effort to leverage continued use of their fully depreciated asset base for the production of advanced technologies. The key challenges these customers face are typically factory automation capability, pad conditioning consistency, process stability and improved wafer metrics out to 3mm edge exclusion.