Conventional polishing process variables such as down force, platen speed, slurry flow rate, etc. tend to be both coupled together and indirect. Within this context, one might argue that the net rate of slurry admission or concomitantly, effective volume of slurry between the substrate and pad is a direct process parameter, which is affected by polishing pressure, substrate-pad relative velocity, pad wear and texture, etc. In this work, the role of slurry admittance is investigated by direct control of interference between the pad surface and the carrier retainer ring. Both fixed and dynamic implementations are investigated. Observed patterns of material removal on substrates polished with a fixed orientation are correlated and discussed.

The properties of abrasive particles, and their interactions with surface films to be polished, play a key role in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). This study applies the packed column technique for the investigation of the adhesion phenomena at the particle/film interface as a function of different slurry chemistries relevant to polishing processes. Well-defined dispersions, including uniform spherical silica and silica cores coated with nanosized ceria, as well as calcined alumina were used to represent slurry abrasives, and copper or glass beads to simulate wafers or discs. It was shown that the pH and slurry flow rate had significant effects on particle attachment and removal. The results of deposition of silica particles on copper beads in the presence of various concentrations of H2O2 and of detachment from copper beads of alumina particles, loaded at different pH values, had strong correlations to the polish rates of the metal.

In chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), it is critical to understand dynamic contact at the pad-particles-wafer interface for desired CMP performance. The dynamic contact is dependent on process variables (platen velocity and down pressure) and particle characteristics (size and concentration), which in turn affect friction force. In this study, we have characterized the dynamic contact at the pad-particles-wafer interface as a function of platen velocity and down pressure. In situ lateral friction force measurements were carried out for silica slurry / sapphire wafer system in order to investigate the dynamic contact during polishing. As solids loading increases, the slope in the friction force vs. platen velocity curve changes from a negative to a positive value. Friction force increases with down pressure for different solids loading conditions. Consequently, friction force is determined as a function of down pressure and platen velocity, validating a dynamic contact mechanism during CMP.

Low-κ/Cu interconnect integration achievement is one of the key issues for the future sub-100 nm technologies. Nowadays, no definitive integration scheme has been reported. Low-κ integration is especially difficult because the trench/via etching and CMP processes can damage its properties. In the present work, we present results on different materials that could be used in such integration. We focused our study on the barrier (Ta/TaN) and on a low-κ material (dense and porous), that is a spin-on-dielectric (SOD) of the methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ) type. CMP slurries were made from monodisperse colloidal silica particles. In a first approach, the slurries compositions mainly differed by their pH and abrasive characteristics. The particle size ranged from 12 to 80 nm, with a pH varying between 2 and 11. The sensitivity of the Ta/TaN and low-κ removal rates will also be reported. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the different films were carried out in order to evaluate the impact of CMP on their surface quality. Measurements did not show any surface degradation or/and scratches, and no delamination has been observed. Post-CMP κ value measurements have been carried out to highlight possible damage on the low-ê dielectric materials.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a manufacturing process used to remove or planarize metallic, dielectric, or barrier layers on silicon wafers. During polishing, a wafer is pressed against an elastic pad that is flooded with slurry. Prior work has shown that an asymmetrical, subambient pressure develops at the interface between the silicon and the pad during polishing. Since the slurry pressure is on the order of the wafer-on-pad contact stress, the total contact pressure is asymmetrical. This promotes a non-uniform polishing rate, since Preston's equation states that the material removal rate is proportional to the total contact pressure. In order to determine the total contact pressure, experiments were conducted to measure the two-dimensional fluid pressure. A superposition method was then employed to calculate the slurry film thickness by performing an equilibrium analysis of the forces and moments created by the fluid and solid interactions. The film thickness obtained by this method is used to model the slurry pressure using the polar Reynolds' equation. Modeling results qualitatively agree with experiments.