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Mechanism and an empirical model of the fixed abrasivepolishing process on a web-format tool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Rajasekhar Venigalla
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699
Laertis Economikos
Affiliation:
IBM Microelectronics, East Fishkill Facility, Hopewell Junction, New York 12533
S. V. Babu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering and Center for Advanced Materials Processing, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York 13699
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Abstract

Several chemical–mechanical planarization characterization test wafers were polished to understand the polishing mechanism of the fixed abrasive process. Oxide thickness removal in the “active” (up) and the “recessed” (down) regions of the wafer was monitored for different times of polish. It was found that there was no significant removal in the recessed areas until the step height was reduced to about 100 Å, and the polish rate in the active area decreased rapidly once this critical step height had been attained. At this critical step height, the polish rate of the down areas started to increase and approached that of the up area, with both eventually reaching the negligibly low removal rate of the blanket wafer. The drop in the polish rate of the up area, after planarity had been attained, was fitted to an exponential model.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

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