Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Chemical-Mechanical Planarization with structured abrasive uses a subpad to manage the pressure variations due to loading over a range of length scales. The effect of subpad construction on pressure responses related to those scales is illustrated.
A minimum length scale for the effect of the subpad is established via contact mechanics. Differences between one- and two-layer subpads are shown. Uniform compression, point loading, and edge exclusion are considered briefly. A model of the subpad as a plate on an elastic foundation is applied to the problem of die doming. The roles of process pressure, die size, and subpad construction are illustrated. Planarization at the intra-die, die, and wafer scales are related to the subpad construction.