Pad flattening ratio, coefficient of friction and removal rate analysis during silicon dioxide chemical mechanical planarization

Pad flattening ratio (PFR) was investigated as a non-destructive pad surface analysis method on the IC1000 K-groove pad during silicon dioxide chemical mechanical planarization. The PFR defines as the ratio of the bright area to the total image area. A series of marathon polishing runs were performed under ex-situ diamond disc pad conditioning, ex-situ high-pressure micro jet (HPMJ) pad conditioning and no pad conditioning methods where PFR analysis was performed to estimate the amount of pad surface flattening or glazing under these conditions. With no conditioning, PFR increased rapidly to 40% indicating severe glazing. With ex-situ diamond disc pad conditioning, PFR remained relatively constant below 12%, suggesting a rough and stable pad surface for polishing, while with ex-situ HPMJ conditioning it increased gradually and stabilized at the value of about 23%. Real-time analysis of friction force and silicon dioxide removal rate showed a clear correlation among the PFR, the coefficient of friction and the removal rate during the silicon dioxide chemical mechanical planarization.     

Surface Removal Rate in Chemical-Mechanical Polishing

Variation of the surface removal rate with down pressure, pad asperity, and relative velocity in chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) was studied. A phenomenological model for contact of pad asperities with abrasive particles and wafer is described. The functional dependence of the polishing rate on pressure and velocity was found to be related to the distribution of pad asperities. Simple argument based on the mechanical contact theory suggests that the linear variation predicted by Preston's equation follows when the pad asperities have a random distribution. The sublinear dependence of the removal rate, however, is obtained when the pad asperities have a wavy distribution. The use of the statistical least-square method is suggested as a way to determine the relationship between the removal rate and pressure for different industrial pads used in CMP processes.

CMP polishing planarization surface removal     

固结磨料化学机械研抛K9玻璃的材料去除机理

采用失重法对固结磨料研抛K9玻璃材料去除过程中的机械与化学作用进行了分离,采用显微硬度方法分析了研抛液对K9玻璃工件表层硬度的影响.研究结果表明:研抛液能与K9玻璃发生化学反应并在其表面形成一层较基质材料软的变质层,变质层厚度随浸泡时间的延长而增加；单纯研抛液的化学作用对K9玻璃的材料去除作用有限,固结磨料研抛垫对K9玻璃的机械去除作用主要以脆性去除为主,化学与机械的交互作用是K9玻璃影响材料去除的主要方式:当研抛盘转速为200r/min时,化学作用与机械作用达到平衡,交互作用最为强烈,材料去除率达到最大值.     

Characterization of thermoset and thermoplastic polyurethane pads, and molded and non-optimized machined grooving methods for oxide chemical mechanical planarization applications

This paper systematically studies the effect of pad material, grooving method and grooving pattern on interlayer dielectric chemical mechanical planarization. The tested polishing pads consist of thermoplastic and thermoset polyurethanes synthesized using two different processes. Grooves created using a molding technique are compared with grooves formed by mechanical cutting. The concentric groove design is also compared with the logarithmic positive spiral positive grooving design. Experimental data collected include removal rate, coefficient of friction, shear force variance, pad temperature and dynamic mechanical analyzer measurements. Scanning electron microscope images are used to correlate grooving methods with coefficient of friction and shear force variance measurements. Results show that all of the pads polish wafers in boundary lubrication mode with unique friction coefficient, shear force variance and pad temperature characteristics. Simulations using a two-step removal rate mechanism are performed to estimate the chemical and mechanical rate constants. The analysis indicates that the thermoplastic pad is more mechanically controlled than the thermoset pad and that molded grooving induces a more mechanically controlled process than non-optimized machined grooving.     

静电自组装制备复合磨粒及其 对铜的抛光特性研究

研究苯代三聚氰胺甲醛（BGF）微球与阳离子型聚电解质聚二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵（PDADMAC）、阴离子型聚电解质聚4－苯乙烯璜酸钠（PSS）之间的吸附特性,利用静电自组装技术改变和控制BGF微球的荷电特性,制备出不同形式的PEi BGF/SiO2复合磨粒,以Zeta电位、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和热重分析（TG）等手段对复合磨粒进行了表征,并利用这些复合磨粒制备了铜片抛光用的复合磨粒抛光液。抛光试验表明,吸附在聚合物微球表面和游离于抛光液中的SiO2磨粒在抛光中均起到材料去除作用。传统单一SiO2磨粒抛光液的铜材料去除率为264 nm/min,PE0 BGF/SiO2混合磨粒抛光液的铜材料去除率为348 nm/min,PE3 BGF/SiO2复合磨粒抛光液的铜材料去除率为476 nm/min。经上述3种抛光液抛光后的铜表面,在5 μm×5 μm范围内,表面粗糙度Ra从0.166 μm分别降至3.7 nm、2.6 nm和1.5 nm,峰谷值Rpv分别小于20 nm、14 nm和10 nm,复合磨粒抛光液对铜片有良好的抛光性能。     

亲水性固结磨料研磨垫自修整机理探索

自修整特性是亲水性固结磨料研磨垫(FAP)的重要性能之一.为了探究其自修整的实现机理,使用PHL-350型平面高速研磨抛光机对K9玻璃圆片进行马拉松式实验.研究了研磨压力和孔隙对研磨垫自修整性能的影响.实验表明:研磨压力从0.15 MPa提高到0.20 MPa,研磨垫的自修整效果显著提高,经过一段时间后,1#研磨垫和2#研磨垫的材料去除速率分别保持在10μm/min和8μm/min以上.同时,成孔剂的加入使基体砂浆磨损率提高了近7倍,提高了固结磨料研磨垫的材料去除速率的稳定性.因此,提高压力和适当弱化基体有助于实现固结磨料研磨垫的自修整过程.     

Modeling and calculation of slurry-chemistry effects on chemical–mechanical planarization with a grooved pad

During chemical–mechanical planarization (CMP), a rotating wafer is pressed against a rotating pad, while a slurry is dragged into the pad–wafer interface. Here, taking into account the dependence of local material removal rate (MRR) on the slurry’s chemical activity, the effects of pad groove geometry and various other process parameters on the spatial average and non-uniformity of MRR are examined. Technically, the slurry flow is calculated by following an existing approach that integrates two-dimensional fluid-film lubrication theory and contact-mechanics models. A slurry impurity transport equation is then used to calculate the impurity concentration that determines the slurry’s chemical activity and hence the local MRR. The numerical results obtained here indicate that the presence of pad grooves generally decreases the average slurry impurity concentration, and increases the average contact stress on the pad–wafer interface. However, as a grooved pad has less contact area for effective interaction with the wafer surface, the average MRR may or may not be increased, depending upon the specific setting of process parameters. Meanwhile, it appears that the retaining ring generally used to keep the wafer in place also plays an important part in reducing the MRR non-uniformity.     

Static and dynamic removal rates of a new hydrodynamic polishing tool

A new tool for hydrodynamic radial polishing, HyDra, allows for the local polishing of optical surfaces with a controllable wear rate. The results of the removal rate for different polisher types and sizes, applied air pressures for slurry expulsion, and tool height with respect to the working surface, are reported. We present a numerical analysis of the volumetric removal rate for the dynamic experiments as well as a comparison with a similar technique.     

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of on-axis Si-face 6H-SiC wafer for obtaining atomically flat defect-free surface

Due to its high mechanical hardness and excellent chemical inertness, SiC single-crystal wafer is extremely difficult to realize effectively removed total planarization. Owing to crystalline polarity and anisotropy, material removal rate (MRR) on Si-face (0001) of SiC wafer is significantly lower than C-face (000 $ \bar{1} $ ) for a defect-free surface. In the paper, the slurry containing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), potassium hydroxide and abrasive colloidal silica, is introduced to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of on-axis Si-face 6H-SiC wafer, resulting in acquiring high MRR with 105 nm/h, and atomically flat defect-free surface with atomic step-terrace structure and roughness of 0.0667 nm by atomic force microscope (AFM), in order to satisfy further demands of electronic device fabrication towards substrate wafer performance. The effects of the three ingredients in the slurry towards MRR of SiC wafer, polished surface quality and coefficient of friction in polishing process are studied. Optical microscope, optical interferometry profiler and AFM are used to observe the polished surface. In addition, the CMP removal mechanism of SiC wafer and the formation of ultra-smooth surface are discussed.     

碲锌镉晶片机械研磨和机械抛光工艺研究

研究了碲锌镉(CZT)晶片表面的机械研磨和机械抛光工艺.采用不同粒度的Al2O3磨料对CZT晶体表面进行机械研磨和机械抛光,并研究了工艺参数变化对CZT晶体表面质量、粗糙度、研磨速度和抛光速度的影响.结果表明,机械研磨采用粒度2.5μm的Al2O3磨料,最佳的研磨压力和研磨盘转速分别为120g/cm.和75r/min,...     

Passivation layer effect on surface integrity induced by Cu-CMP

To achieve efficient Cu-Chemical-Mechanical Polishing planarization at miniaturized device dimensions, there is a need for a better understanding of the surface integrity induced by the process. Surface quality and stresses are the two selected indices in this article to evaluate the Cu-CMP process induced surface integrity. The thickness of the passivation layer and the penetration depth of abrasives are considered as the main effects for the generations of surface qualities and residual stress. Experimental validation on copper films on silicon wafer was performed by CMP with different pads and slurries to generate varied residual stresses and surface qualities. Depth of scratches and surface roughness were measured by the atomic force microscope. The stress measurements of the thin films were performed by a Grazing Incident X-ray diffraction instrument with its principles based upon modified sin²Ψ method. Accordingly, the surface roughness and stress were related to the thickness of the passivation layer and the CMP process conditions. When the penetration depth is larger than the passivation layer thickness, the roughness values are mainly decided by the selection of pads and the resultant penetration depth. In addition, the residual stress profiles are dependent on the CMP process conditions which include the slurries and pad parameters. The stress profile obtained for the slurry SDK with soft pad Politex composed smallest maximum tensile stress below the surface and a steady transition of stress profile compared to the stress profile obtained at the initial condition. At the condition for the same slurry SDK, but with a hard pad of IC1000, the CMP process induced larger maximum stress and sharper profile transition.     

A chemical mechanical polishing model incorporating both the chemical and mechanical effects

A comprehensive model for the material removal in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is presented in which both chemical and mechanical effects are taken into consideration. The chemical effects come into play through the formation of chemically modified surface layer on the wafer surface that, in turn, is removed mechanically by the plastic deformation induced by slurry particles. This model describes the influence of most, if not all, variables involved in the CMP process including slurry characteristics (solid loading, particle size and distribution, modulus), pad properties (modulus, hardness, asperity sizes and distribution) and processing conditions (down-pressure, velocity). Although more elaborate experimental verification of the model is yet to follow, this model appears to be capable of explaining many experimental observations on both oxide and metal CMP that, otherwise, could not be explained properly.     

乳酸体系抛光液中锇的化学机械抛光

本文研究了乳酸(HL)体系抛光液中金属锇的化学机械抛光(CMP)行为,采用电化学分析方法和X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)分析氧化剂和腐蚀抑制剂的作用机理,利用原子力显微镜(AFM)观察抛光前后锇的表面形貌.结果表明,当抛光液仅含有H2O2时,金属锇表面腐蚀不明显;在一定浓度范围内H2O2浓度的增加可以提高金属锇表面的腐蚀速度,但是不利于金属锇表面钝化膜的形成.当抛光条件为:压力为6.895 kPa,转速为50 r/min,抛光液流量为50 mL/min,pH值为5.0;抛光液组成为:SiO2质量分数为1%,HL质量分数为1%,H2O2质量分数为3%时,得到最大去除速率为23.34 nm/min,表面粗糙度Ra为6.3 nm,而将缓蚀剂BTA加入到抛光液后,在同样的抛光条件下得到的锇表面粗糙度更低,表面粗糙度Ra达到2.1 nm.     

Influence of a Retaining Ring on Strain and Stress in the Chemical Mechanical Polishing Process

In this article, a two-dimensional axisymmetric quasi-static finite element wafer scale model for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process involved in the wafer carrier, the carrier film, the wafer, the pad, and the retaining ring was developed to investigate the effect of a retaining ring surrounding the wafer carrier to the strain, stress, and nonuniformity of the wafer surface for the purpose of improving edge exclusion of wafer and preventing the wafer sliding from the carrier while grinding. Considering the same revolutions of the wafer and the pad and the axisymmetric distributed force forms of the wafer carrier and the retaining ring, and applying the principle of minimum potential energy, a two-dimensional axisymmetric quasi-static finite element model for CMP process was established. Following the developed model, the effects of the retaining ring on the strain components, the stress components, the von Mises stress, and the wafer's nonuniformity were investigated. The findings indicated that a retaining ring installed in the conventional CMP mechanism could reduce the variation of the von Mises stress distribution to reach the lower wafer's nonuniformity effectively, improve the over-grinding phenomenon and prevent the wafer sliding from the carrier while grinding.     

Quality improvement of chemical-mechanical wafer planarization process in semiconductor manufacturing using a combined generalized linear modelling - non-linear programming approach

This paper is aimed at how to develop and utilize a specialized response surface method, combined with state-of-the-art mathematical programming techniques, for quality improvements of the chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process in semiconductor manufacturing. CMP is one of the fastest growing technologies that enables to polish the topography of interlayer dielectrics (ILDs) and to obtain a high degree of global planarity due to increasingly stringent requirements of photolithography between process steps. A wafer held on a carrier is rotated against a polishing pad in the presence of a silica-based alkaline slurry while applying a down-force onto it. Two major challenging works posed by CMP involve maintaining stable removal rate with polishing time and achieving acceptable within-wafer non-uniformity (WIWNU) over an entire die. In this research, to robustly characterize and therefore optimize such a still unclear and fully complex process, the response surface methodology (RSM) as an external modelling technique and non-linear programming (NLP) approaches as an optimum-seeking procedure are proposed to the bicriteria situation. An example with real CMP data is rigorously investigated, revealing that not only does the proposed method flexibly and appropriately portray CMP, but also helps locate the optimal parameter settings that attain better polishing quality.     

Simulations of a stress and contact model in a chemical mechanical polishing process

A two-dimensional axisymmetric quasi-static contact finite element model for the chemical mechanical polishing process (CMP) was established. The von Mises stress on the wafer surface was investigated. The findings indicate that the profile of the von Mises stress correlated with that of the removal rate. The larger the elastic modulus of the pad or the smaller the elastic modulus of the carrier film, the larger is the maximum von Mises stress. The thicker the pad or the thinner the film, the smaller is the maximum von Mises stress. The larger the load exerted on the carrier, the greater is the maximum von Mises stress.     

精细雾化抛光氮化硅陶瓷的抛光液配制参数优化

采用超声精细雾化施液抛光对氮化硅陶瓷基体进行抛光,研究了不同的pH值、磨料浓度以及氧化剂含量对氮化硅陶瓷基体抛光的材料去除率的影响,优化了pH值、磨料浓度及氧化剂含量,并与传统的化学机械抛光进行了对比。结果表明:当二氧化硅磨粒质量分数为5wt%,氧化剂含量为1wt%,pH值为8时,材料去除率MRR为108.24nm/min且表面粗糙度Ra为3.39nm。在相同的抛光参数下,传统化学机械抛光的材料去除率MRR为125nm/min,表面粗糙度Ra为2.13nm;精细雾化抛光的材料去除率及表面粗糙度与传统抛光接近,但精细雾化抛光所用抛光液用量仅为传统抛光所用抛光液用量的1/9。     

Mathematical modeling of polish-rate decay in chemical-mechanical polishing

A model is presented for polish-rate decay in chemical-mechanical polishing based on the Greenwood-Williamson theory of contact between a smooth surface (a wafer) and a rough surface (the polishing pad). The model assumes that polishing causes pad asperities to wear, with high asperities wearing faster than low asperities. Model predictions of the time dependence of polish-rate decay compare favorably with experiments.     

Surface qualities after chemical–mechanical polishing on thin films

Demands for substrate and film surface planarizations significantly increase as the feature sizes of Integrated Circuit (IC) components continue to shrink. Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP), incorporating chemical and mechanical interactions to planarize chemically modified surface layers, has been one of the major manufacturing processes to provide global and local surface planarizations in IC fabrications. Not only is the material removal rate a concern, the qualities of the CMP produced surface are critical as well, such as surface finish, defects and surface stresses. This paper is to examine the CMP produced surface roughness on tungsten or W thin films based on the CMP process conditions. The W thin films with thickness below 1000 nm on silicon wafer were chemical–mechanical polished at different down pressures and platen speeds to produce different surface roughness. The surface roughness measurements were performed by an atomic force microscope (DI D3100). Results show that the quality of surface finish (R_a value) is determined by the combined effects of down pressures and platen speeds. An optimal polishing condition is, then, possible for selecting the down pressures and platen speeds.     

用于超光滑表面加工的常压低温等离子体抛光系统设计

介绍了一种新型超光滑表面加工方法及其系统的设计．该方法主要基于低温等离子体化学作用,通过活性反应原子与工件表面原子间的化学反应实现原子级的材料去除,避免了表层和亚表层损伤．该常压低温等离子体抛光系统首次引入了电容耦合式射频等离子体炬,并根据装置的实际特性进行了良好的阻抗匹配．原子发射光谱分析结果表明,该系统实现了稳定的大气压等离子体放电,并有效地激发出高密度的活性反应原子．针对单晶硅片的加工试验结果,也证明了该系统可高效稳定地工作,并实现了约1．46mm^3/min的材料去除速率和0．6nm（Ra）的表面粗糙度．