TWO STEPS CHEMICAL-MECHANICAL POLISHING OF RIGID DISK SUBSTRATE TO GET ATOM-SCALE PLANARIZATION SURFACE

In order to get atomic smooth rigid disk substrate surface, ultra-fined alumina slurry and nanometer silica slurry are prepared, and two steps chemical-mechanical polishing （CMP） of rigid disk substrate in the two slurries are studied. The results show that, during the first step CMP in the alumina slurry, a high material removal rate is reached, and the average roughness （Ra） and the average waviness （Wa） of the polished surfaces can be decreased from previous 1.4 nm and 1.6 nm to about 0.6 nm and 0.7 nm, respectively. By using the nanometer silica slurry and optimized polishing process parameters in the second step CMP, the Ra and the Wa of the polished surfaces can be further reduced to 0.038 nm and 0.06 am, respectively. Atom force microscopy （AFM） analysis shows that the final polished surfaces are ultra-smooth without micro-defects.

Mechanism of amorphous Ge_2Sb_2Te_5 removal during chemical mechanical planarization in acidic H_2O_2 slurry

In this paper, chemical mechanical planarization （CMP） of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 （a-GST） in acidic H2O2 slurry is investigated. It was found that the removal rate of a-GST is strongly dependent on H2O2 concentration and gradually increases with the increase in H2O2 concentration, but the static etch rate first increases and then slowly decreases with the increase in H2O2 concentration. To understand the chemical reaction behavior of H2O2 on the a-GST surface, the potentiodynamic polarization curve, surface morphology and cross-section of a-GST immersed in acidic slurry are measured and the results reveal that a-GST exhibits a from active to passive behavior for from low to high concentration of H2O2. Finally, a possible removal mechanism of a-GST in different concentrations of H2O2 in the acidic slurry is described.

Effect of Abrasive Concentration on Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Sapphire

Effects of abrasive concentration on material removal rate CMRR） and surtace quality m the chemical mecnamcal polishing （CMP） of light-emitting diode sapphire substrates are investigated. Experimental results show that the MRR increases linearly with the abrasive concentration, while the rms roughness decreases with the increasing abrasive concentration. In addition, the in situ coefficient of friction （COF） is also conducted during the sapphire polishing process. The results present that COF increases sharply with the abrasive concentration up to 20 wt% and then shows a slight decrease from 20wt% to 40wt%. Temperature is a product of the friction force that is proportional to COF, which is an indicator for the mechanism of the sapphire CMP.

集成电路CMP中金属腐蚀复配缓蚀剂的研究进展

在化学机械抛光(CMP)过程中,集成电路金属多层布线因受抛光液中化学试剂的腐蚀而经常导致表面缺陷的出现。将两种及以上能够产生协同缓蚀效果的化学试剂复配可以得到较单一试剂更强的缓蚀性能。介绍了多试剂协同腐蚀抑制的机理,总结了国内外多试剂协同中两种缓蚀剂、表面活性剂与缓蚀剂、两种表面活性剂的复配协同在集成电路CMP金属腐蚀抑制应用中的研究进展,并延伸到碳钢金属等防腐领域,最后对CMP领域中多试剂协同抑制的发展进行了展望。

Scratch formation and its mechanism in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)

Chemical mechanical planarization(CMP)has become one of the most critical processes in semiconductor device fabrication to achieve global planarization.To achieve an efficient global planarization for device node dimensions of less than 32 nm,a comprehensive understanding of the physical,chemical,and tribo-mechanical/chemical action at the interface between the pad and wafer in the presence of a slurry medium is essential.During the CMP process,some issues such as film delamination,scratching,dishing,erosion,and corrosion can generate defects which can adversely affect the yield and reliability.In this article,an overview of material removal mechanism of CMP process,investigation of the scratch formation behavior based on polishing process conditions and consumables,scratch formation mechanism and the scratch inspection tools were extensively reviewed.The advantages of adopting the filtration unit and the jet spraying of water to reduce the scratch formation have been reviewed.The current research trends in the scratch formation,based on modeling perspective were also discussed.

Planarization mechanism of alkaline copper CMP slurry based on chemical mechanical kinetics

The planarization mechanism of alkaline copper slurry is studied in the chemical mechanical polishing （CMP） process from the perspective of chemical mechanical kinetics.Different from the international dominant acidic copper slurry,the copper slurry used in this research adopted the way of alkaline technology based on complexation. According to the passivation property of copper in alkaline conditions,the protection of copper film at the concave position on a copper pattern wafer surface can be achieved without the corrosion inhibitors such as benzotriazole（BTA）,by which the problems caused by BTA can be avoided.Through the experiments and theories research,the chemical mechanical kinetics theory of copper removal in alkaline CMP conditions was proposed. Based on the chemical mechanical kinetics theory,the planarization mechanism of alkaline copper slurry was established. In alkaline CMP conditions,the complexation reaction between chelating agent and copper ions needs to break through the reaction barrier.The kinetic energy at the concave position should be lower than the complexation reaction barrier,which is the key to achieve planarization.

Chemical mechanical planarization of amorphous Ge_2Sb_2Te_5 with a soft pad

Chemical mechanical planarization（CMP） of amorphous Ge_2Sb_2Te_5（a-GST） is investigated using two typical soft pads（politex REG and AT） in acidic slurry.After CMP,it is found that the removal rate（RR） of a-GST increases with an increase of runs number for both pads.However,it achieves the higher RR and better surface quality of a-GST for an AT pad.The in-situ sheet resistance（R_s） measure shows the higher R_s of a-GST polishing can be gained after CMP using both pads and the high R_s is beneficial to lower the reset current for the PCM cells. In order to find the root cause of the different RR of a-GST polishing with different pads,the surface morphology and characteristics of both new and used pads are analyzed,it shows that the AT pad has smaller porosity size and more pore counts than that of the REG pad,and thus the AT pad can transport more fresh slurry to the reaction interface between the pad and a-GST,which results in the high RR of a-GST due to enhanced chemical reaction.

Effect of polishing parameters on abrasive free chemical mechanical planarization of semi-polar(1122) aluminum nitride surface

An abrasive free chemical mechanical planarization（AFCMP） of semi-polar（1122） Al N surface has been demonstrated. The effect of slurry p H, polishing pressure, and platen velocity on the material removal rate（MRR） and surface quality（RMS roughness） have been studied. The effect of polishing pressure on the AFCMP of the（1122） Al N surface has been compared with that of the（1122） Al Ga N surface. The maximum MRR has been found to be 562 nm/h for the semi-polar（1122） Al N surface, under the experimental conditions of 38 k Pa pressure,90 rpm platen velocity, 30 rpm carrier velocity, slurry p H 3 and 0.4 M oxidizer concentration. The best root mean square（RMS） surface roughness of 1.2 nm and 0.7 nm, over a large scanning area of 0.70×0.96 mm^2, has been achieved on AFCMP processed semi-polar（1122） AlN and（AlGaN） surfaces using optimized slurry chemistry and processing parameters.

Electrochemical behavior and polishing properties of silicon wafer in alkaline slurry with abrasive CeO_2

The electrochemical behavior of silicon wafer in alkaline slurry with nano-sized CeO2 abrasive was investigated.The variations of corrosion potential(φcorr)and corrosion current density(Jcorr)of the P-type(100)silicon wafer with the slurry pH value and the concentration of abrasive CeO2 were studied by polarization curve technologies.The dependence of the polishing rate on the pH and the concentration of CeO2 in slurries during chemical mechanical polishing(CMP)were also studied.It is discovered that there is a large change of φcorr and Jcorr when slurry pH is altered and the Jcorr reaches the maximum(1.306 μA/cm2)at pH 10.5 when the material removal rate(MRR)comes to the fastest value.The Jcorr increases gradually from 0.994 μA/cm2 with 1% CeO2 to 1.304 μA/cm2 with 3% CeO2 and reaches a plateau with the further increase of CeO2 concentration.There is a considerable MRR in the slurry with 3% CeO2 at pH 10.5.The coherence between Jcorr and MRR elucidates that the research on the electrochemical behavior of silicon wafers in the alkaline slurry could offer theoretic guidance on silicon polishing rate and ensure to adjust optimal components of slurry.

Defectivity control of aluminum chemical mechanical planarization in replacement metal gate process of MOSFET

The replacement metal gate（RMG） defectivity performance control is very challenging in high-k metal gate（HKMG） chemical mechanical polishing（CMP）. In this study, three major defect types, including fall-on particles, micro-scratch and corrosion have been investigated. The research studied the effects of polishing pad,pressure, rotating speed, flow rate and post-CMP cleaning on the three kinds of defect, which finally eliminated the defects and achieved good surface morphology. This study will provide an important reference value for the future research of aluminum metal gate CMP.

Atomistic understanding of rough surface on the interfacial friction behavior during the chemical mechanical polishing process of diamond

The roughness of the contact surface exerts a vital role in rubbing.It is still a significant challenge to understand the microscopic contact of the rough surface at the atomic level.Herein,the rough surface with a special root mean square(RMS)value is constructed by multivariate Weierstrass–Mandelbrot(W–M)function and the rubbing process during that the chemical mechanical polishing(CMP)process of diamond is mimicked utilizing the reactive force field molecular dynamics(ReaxFF MD)simulation.It is found that the contact area A/A0 is positively related with the load,and the friction force F depends on the number of interfacial bridge bonds.Increasing the surface roughness will increase the friction force and friction coefficient.The model with low roughness and high lubrication has less friction force,and the presence of polishing liquid molecules can decrease the friction force and friction coefficient.The RMS value and the degree of damage show a functional relationship with the applied load and lubrication,i.e.,the RMS value decreases more under larger load and higher lubrication,and the diamond substrate occurs severer damage under larger load and lower lubrication.This work will generate fresh insight into the understanding of the microscopic contact of the rough surface at the atomic level.

pH调节剂在CMP工艺中的应用研究进展

pH调节剂在化学机械抛光(CMP)工艺中有重要应用,可以调节抛光液的pH值以确保抛光过程的化学反应在理想的pH值下进行,同时保持抛光化学环境的稳定等。对无机酸、有机酸、无机碱和有机碱四大类pH调节剂在合金、金属和金属化合物等材料的CMP中的应用及其作用机理进行综述。无机酸pH调节剂的主要作用机理是快速腐蚀材料表面,但其主要缺点是会将多余的金属离子引入抛光液中污染金属表面。有机酸pH调节剂的主要作用机理是螯合金属离子形成大分子络合物,但其主要缺点是稳定性差,难以保存。无机碱pH调节剂的主要作用机理是在基底表面生成一层软化层,使其在机械作用下更容易被去除,但其主要缺点是仍会引入金属离子污染材料表面。有机碱pH调节剂的主要作用机理是加速钝化膜的形成,但其主要缺点是制备困难、成本高。最后对pH调节剂在CMP中的应用前景进行了展望。

半导体材料CMP过程中磨料的研究进展

对磨料在半导体材料化学机械抛光(CMP)中的应用和研究进展进行了简单阐述,从各代半导体材料制成半导体器件的加工要求介绍了磨料在半导体材料CMP中的重要性,从CMP过程中磨料与半导体材料的相互作用介绍了磨料在半导体材料CMP中的环保性,从磨料的改性和制备介绍了磨料在半导体材料CMP中应用的限制性,重点从半导体材料的去除速率和表面质量介绍了磨料对半导体材料抛光性能的影响,并对国内外研究中单一磨料、混合磨料和复合磨料对半导体材料抛光性能的影响进行了评述,总结了近年来磨料在半导体材料CMP中的研究进展。最后,对磨料在半导体材料CMP中存在的共性问题进行了总结,并对该领域所面临的挑战及发展方向进行了展望。

阴/非离子型表面活性剂对CMP后SiO_(2)颗粒的去除效果

为了更有效地去除铜晶圆化学机械抛光(CMP)后清洗残留的SiO_(2)颗粒,选择了2种阴离子型表面活性剂(SLS、TD⁃40)和2种非离子型表面活性剂(AEO⁃5、JFC⁃6),通过接触角、表面张力、电化学、分子动力学模拟实验探究了4种表面活性剂在铜表面的润湿性、吸附构型及吸附稳定性。通过优化表面活性剂质量浓度,选择达到吸附稳定时的质量浓度配置4种表面活性剂来清洗铜晶圆,利用扫描电子显微镜观测铜表面形貌,对比它们的清洗效果。随后选择TD⁃40和JFC⁃6进行复配,研究复配后表面活性剂对硅溶胶颗粒的去除效果。实验结果表明,使用体积比为2∶1的TD⁃40与JFC⁃6进行复配得到的CMP清洗液对SiO_(2)颗粒的去除效果比单一表面活性剂的更好。

磨粒振动对碳化硅CMP的微观结构演变和材料去除的影响

针对化学机械抛光中磨料易团聚、机械和化学作用不能充分发挥等问题,采用振动辅助的方法进行优化。通过分子动力学模拟,分析磨粒振动的频率、振幅及其压入深度、划切速度对工件表面微观原子迁移的演变规律,揭示振动对材料去除和表面改善的促进机制;并通过振动辅助化学机械抛光工艺试验和表面成分分析,验证振动辅助的抛光效果和去除机制。结果表明:适当增大磨粒的振动频率、振动振幅及其压入深度、划切速度,可有效提高工件表面的原子势能和温度;磨粒振动有利于提高工件表面原子的混乱度,促进碳化硅参与氧化反应,形成氧化层并以机械方式去除;抛光试验和成分分析也证实振动可以提高材料去除率约50.5%,改善表面质量约25.4%。

复合磨料的制备及其对层间介质CMP性能的影响

以SiO_(2)为内核、CeO_(2)为外壳制备出了核壳结构复合磨料,用以提升集成电路层间介质的去除速率及表面一致性。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察复合磨料的表面形貌,利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)和X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)分析复合磨料的表面物相结构及化学键组成。研究结果表明,所制备的复合磨料呈现出“荔枝”形,平均粒径为70~90 nm,CeO_(2)粒子主要以Si—O—Ce键与SiO_(2)内核结合。将所制备的复合磨料配置成抛光液进行层间介质化学机械抛光(CMP)实验。实验结果表明,Zeta电位随着pH值的降低而升高,当pH值约为6.8时达到复合磨料的等电点。当pH值为3时,层间介质去除速率达到最大,为481.6 nm/min。此外,研究发现去除速率还与摩擦力和温度有关,CMP后的SiO_(2)晶圆均方根表面粗糙度为0.287 nm。

基于SSA-GRNN的铜CMP抛光液抛光速率预测

铜化学机械抛光(CMP)是集成电路制造的关键步骤之一,其中铜抛光速率是衡量抛光液性能的关键指标。在CMP过程中,由于铜抛光液中各组分与铜之间的化学反应复杂,需要大量的数据实验来实现可调的抛光速率。为提高铜CMP抛光速率预测的准确性,利用麻雀搜索算法对广义回归神经网络的平滑因子进行优化,提出了一种基于麻雀搜索算法的广义回归神经网络(SSA-GRNN)铜CMP抛光液抛光速率预测模型。首先,在MATLAB中建立SSA-GRNN网络模型,然后输入抛光液各组分数据,预测在不同组分下抛光液的抛光速率,最后将SSA-GRNN模型的预测结果与BP神经网络模型(BP-NCABC)的预测结果对比。结果表明,SSA-GRNN模型在训练集上的平均绝对百分比误差(MAPE)比BP-NCABC模型降低4.82百分点,在测试集上的MAPE比BP-NCABC模型降低1.78百分点;SSA-GRNN模型在训练集上的最优预测精度比BP-NCABC模型提高0.09百分点,在测试集上的最优预测精度比BP-NCABC模型提高0.32百分点。上述研究结果表明,在CMP抛光速率的预测上SSA-GRNN模型比BP-NCABC模型的准确性更高,这为指导CMP实验、提升实验效率、降低研发成本和优化抛光液组分提供了一种可选的模型。

CMP抛光垫表面及材料特性对抛光效果影响的研究进展

对化学机械抛光(CMP)工艺中的抛光垫特性、劣化以及修整进行了简单阐述,重点先从抛光垫表面特性(抛光垫表面微形貌、微孔及抛光垫的结构、表面沟槽纹理的形状、微凸体的分布)和材质特性(硬度、弹性模量和化学性能)入手,对近年来国内外的实验研究与理论模拟分析两方面进行了概括,总结了目前各个特性参数对抛光垫性能以及对CMP过程影响的进展,此外,从机械磨损和化学腐蚀两方面对抛光垫的劣化机理进行简要分析。随后,为进一步探究抛光垫修整对抛光性能影响,对抛光垫的两种修整方式和修整参数对修整的效果进行了归纳,介绍了几种新型自修整材料。最后,指出了抛光垫特性和修整在发展现状中存在的问题,未来抛光垫的发展趋势将逐渐走向创新化、智能化、理论化以及应用集成化。

低浓度CeO_(2)/SiO_(2)复合磨料对硅片CMP性能的影响

为了在硅衬底化学机械平坦化(CMP)过程中提高对硅衬底的去除速率,同时获得良好的表面质量,选用了CeO_(2)包覆SiO_(2)的壳核结构复合磨料,研究其在低浓度下对硅衬底去除速率和表面质量的影响。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、光电子能谱(XPS)对CeO_(2)/SiO_(2)复合磨料样品的结构、形貌进行了表征,表明其具有完整包覆的壳核结构。BET比表面积和摩擦系数测试显示,在相似粒径下CeO_(2)/SiO_(2)复合磨料比SiO_(2)磨料拥有更大的比表面积和摩擦系数,从而提高了对硅片的化学反应和机械磨削作用。实验表明,当采用质量分数0.5%的CeO_(2)/SiO_(2)复合磨料(粒径75nm)对硅衬底抛光后,其去除速率可达到530nm/min,硅衬底表面粗糙度为0.361nm。因此,相对于传统SiO_(2)磨料,采用CeO_(2)/SiO_(2)复合磨料抛光可以在低浓度条件下同时具备高去除速率和良好的表面质量。