Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
CMP removal rate (RR) of electrodeposited Cu film was found to increase by 35% over time after plating. The RR increase was attributed to Cu film hardness reduction of 43% and grain growth from the initial 0.1urn at as-deposit to lum at the final stage at room temperature. The removal rate increase will translate to variations in manufacturing environment and are therefore unacceptable. It was found that annealing at ∼100C for 5 minutes in inert gas will stabilize Cu films and provide consistent CMP removal rate.