低压力Cu布线CMP速率的研究

采用低介电常数材料(低k介质)作为Cu布线中的介质层,已经成为集成电路技术发展的必然趋势.由于低k介质的低耐压性,加工的机械强度必须降低,这对传统化学机械抛光(CMP)工艺提出了挑战.通过对CMP过程的机理分析,提出了影响低机械强度下Cu布线CMP速率的主要因素,详细分析了CMP过程中磨料体积分数、氧化剂体积分数、FA/O螯合剂体积分数等参数对去除速率的影响.在4.33 kPa的低压下通过实验得出,在磨料体积分数为20%,氧化剂体积分数为3%,FA/O螯合剂体积分数为1.5%时可以获得最佳的去除速率及良好的速率一致性.     

Pad Deflection-Based Model of Chemical–Mechanical Polishing for Use in CAD IC Layout

The use of chemical–mechanical polishing (CMP) during the integrated circuit (IC) fabrication process has allowed for the aggressive interconnect patterning that is necessary for modern microprocessor technology. However, as IC technology has moved into the deep submicron realm, nonidealities during polishing have begun to play a significant role in device yield and circuit performance. In order to accurately predict circuit performance, designers must consider the effects of CMP prior to fabrication. A physics-based model to predict feature-scale wear of devices during polishing is presented and integrated into a CAD framework to test the model on various IC layouts. The model is benchmarked against experimental data and shown to be qualitatively accurate in predicting surface topography evolution.      

Embedded benzocyclobutene in silicon: An integrated fabrication process for electrical and thermal isolation in MEMS

This paper reports a novel fabrication process to develop planarized isolated islands of benzocyclobutene (BCB) polymer embedded in a silicon substrate. Embedded BCB in silicon (EBiS) can be used as an alternative to silicon dioxide in fabrication of electrostatic micromotors, microgenerators, and other microelectromechanical devices. EBiS takes advantage of the low dielectric constant and thermal conductivity of BCB polymers to develop electrical and thermal isolation integrated in silicon. The process involves conventional microfabrication techniques such as photolithography, deep reactive ion etching, and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). We have characterized CMP of BCB polymers in detail since CMP is a key step in EBiS process. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and elipsometry of blanket BCB films before and after CMP show that higher polishing down force pressure and speed lead to higher removal rate at the expense of higher surface roughness, non-uniformity, and scratch density. This is expected since BCB is a softer material compared to inorganic films such as silicon dioxide. We have observed that as the cure temperature of BCB increases beyond 200 °C, the CMP removal rate decreases drastically. The results from optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry show excellent planarized surfaces on the EBiS islands. An average step height reduction of more than 95% was achieved after two BCB deposition and three CMP steps.     

Optimization of tribological properties of silicon dioxide during the chemical mechanical planarization process

Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) has been proved to achieve excellent global and local planarity, and, as feature sizes shrink, the use of CMP will be critical for planarizing multilevel structures. Understanding the tribological properties of a dielectric layer in the CMP process is critical for successful evaluation and implementation of the materials. In this paper, we present the tribological properties of silicon dioxide during the CMP process. A CMP tester was used to study the fundamental aspects of the CMP process. the accessories of the CMP tester were first optimized for the reproducibility of the results. The coefficient of friction (COF) was measured during the process and was found to decrease with both down pressure and platen rotation. An acoustic sensor attached to this tester is used to detect endpoint, delamination, and uniformity. The effects of machine parameters on the polishing performance and the correlation of physical phenomena with the process have been discussed.     

减少缺陷及提高铜层化学机械抛光平面度的探讨

半导体器件上铜层化学机械抛光(CMP)的第一道工序一般需要使用一块硬抛光垫,在磨去阻挡层的工序中要用到软垫。在磨去阻挡层和电介质材料时,要把各家供应商的各种抛光液与这些抛光垫配合在一起使用。用于把铜大量地磨掉的硬垫,抛光后的平面度很好,而在磨掉阻挡层工序中使用的软垫,它所产生的缺陷很少,这是由于它本身的结构而且由于它很软的缘故。随着半导体器件变得越来越小、线条宽度缩小,半导体技术更不允许金属出现损失,也更不允许化学机械抛光出现缺陷。这些参数最终会影响器件的性能和成品率。因此市场需要一种化学机械抛光垫,它能够提高铜阻挡层的平面度,具备软垫进行抛光时缺陷少的优点。介绍一种新的化学机械抛光垫技术,它使用了专门设计的聚合物材料,从而满足产业界的要求。     

Impact of the CMP process on the electrical properties of ultra low k porous SiOCH

The impact of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) on SiOCH films (thickness = 300 nm) for the 32-45 nm node Cu-interconnect process is investigated by low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy and thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC). After CMP process, the dielectric permittivity is degraded of about 25% in the whole range of the investigated frequency (10⁻¹ Hz-100 kHz). In a same way, the dielectric losses tan δ increase at the lowest frequencies. An annealing (300 °C during 20 min) carried out after CMP induces a reduction of the dielectric permittivity without however reaching the value of initial as-deposited material. In agreement with other published papers focusing on the damage caused by the CMP, OH bonding and water adsorption due to surfactants explain the degradation of these dielectric properties. The identification of OH bonds and an increase in the intensity of CH_x in the 2800-3050 cm⁻¹ range after CMP seems to confirm this point. The moderate temperature of annealing, used to restore layers and to avoid the degradation of copper lines, suppresses the physisorbed water but not the chemisorbed water. TSDC measurements confirm that dipolar relaxation, due to water in the material, result in a peak of relaxation at a temperature around 175 °C.     

低磨料浓度的碱性铜抛光液平坦化性能的研究

A novel alkaline copper slurry that possesses a relatively high planarization performance is investigated under a low abrasive concentration.Based on the action mechanism of CMP,the feasibility of using one type of slurry in copper bulk elimination process and residual copper elimination process,with different process parameters,was analyzed.In addition,we investigated the regular change of abrasive concentration effect on copper and tantalum removal rate and within wafer non-uniformity(WIWNU) in CMP process.When the abrasive concentration is 3 wt%,in bulk elimination process,the copper removal rate achieves 6125 °/min,while WIWNU is 3.5%,simultaneously.In residual copper elimination process,the copper removal rate is approximately 2700°/min,while WIWNU is 2.8%.Nevertheless,the tantalum removal rate is 0 °/min,which indicates that barrier layer isn’t eliminated in residual copper elimination process.The planarization experimental results show that an excellent planarization performance is obtained with a relatively high copper removal rate in bulk elimination process.Meanwhile,after residual copper elimination process,the dishing value increased inconspicuously,in a controllable range,and the wafer surface roughness is only 0.326 nm(sq < 1 nm) after polishing.By comparison,the planarization performance and surface quality of alkaline slurry show almost no major differences with two kinds of commercial acid slurries after polishing.All experimental results are conducive to research and improvement of alkaline slurry in the future.     

Effect of polishing pad with holes in electro-chemical mechanical planarization

Electro-chemical mechanical planarization (ECMP) process dissolves copper ions electrochemically by applying an anodic potential on the copper surface in an aqueous electrolyte, and then removes a copper (Cu) complex layer by the mechanical abrasion of a polishing pad or abrasives in the electrolyte. The ECMP process is a low pressure polishing method for metals such as copper, aluminium (Al) and tungsten (W) on dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide, low-k (LK) and ultra low-k (ULK) dielectrics, comparing to the amount of defects by the traditional Cu chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). The polishing pad used in the ECMP process is a conventional closed cell type pad (IC 1400 K-groove pad) with holes. It supplies the aqueous electrolyte to the copper surface and removes the copper complex layer. The material removal rate (MRR) and MRR profile were simulated and tested according to the changes of the wafer overhang distance (WOD) from the platen and the electric contact area (ECA). In order to derive the design rule of the system, the experimental results are compared with the simulation results. After the ECMP process, it was verified that the within wafer non-uniformity (WIWNU) was lower than 2% using the relatively uniform ECA pad (C-type) under the smallest WOD condition. The experimental results well matched the simulated results.     

Chemical mechanical polishing of polymeric materials for MEMS applications

Polymeric materials such as polycarbonate (PC) and poly-methyl methacryate (PMMA) are replacing silicon as the major substrate in microfluidic system fabrication due to their outstanding features such as low cost and good chemical resistance. In this study, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of PC and PMMA substrates was investigated. Four types of slurry were tested on CMP of the polymers under the same process conditions. The slurry suitable for polishing PC and PMMA was then chosen, and further CMP experiments were carried out under different process conditions. Experimental results showed that increasing table speed or head load increased the material removal rates of the polymers. The polymeric surface quality after CMP was acceptable to most MEMS applications. Analysis of variance was also carried out, and it was found that the interaction of head load and table speed had a significant (95% confidence) effect on surface finish of polished PMMA. On the other hand, table speed had a highly significant (99% confidence) effect on surface finish of polished PC.     

Dielectric Charge Screening of Dislocations and Ionized Impurities in PbSe and MCT

Recent advancements in IV–VI growth techniques have led to a renewed interest in using Pb_1−x Sn _x Se for mid infrared (mid-IR) detector fabrication. There is now a greater need for an in-depth theoretical understanding of the potential competitiveness of these material systems with Hg_1−x Cd _x Te (MCT) especially in regards to material defects and device performance. Herein, we calculate the shielding effects of the dielectric constant by considering the scattering of electrons due to ionized impurities and small charged dislocations. The higher dielectric constant in IV–VI materials, nearly ten times greater than that of MCT, is shown to more effectively screen out the influence of impurities.     

Investigation on the controllable growth of monodisperse silica colloid abrasives for the chemical mechanical polishing application

With the rapid development of chemical mechanical polishing technique as well as its increasing application in IC foundry, the abrasives of slurry are required to have different specifications in terms of size and size’s distribution, which play a vital role in the material removal and defect control. In this study, we monitor in detail the growth process of colloidal silica abrasives changing from the tiny nuclei to large nanoparticles by means of the electron microscopy images. Using the procedure we develop, we are capable of producing monodisperse colloidal silica nanoparticles ranging from 60 to 130 nm in diameter, which are mostly often applied as abrasives in chemical mechanical planarization/polishing (CMP) process of integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing. The physicochemical properties of the silica synthesized by our procedure are also characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and thermal analysis. The polishing test adopting the colloidal silica as abrasives is performed on silicon wafer to evaluate the CMP properties.     

一种含有盐酸胍的新型TSV抛光液

本文中,对一种新型的含有盐酸胍的TSV抛光液在CMP(化学机械平坦化)中的性能进行了研究,该TSV抛光液是一种碱性抛光液,并且不含任何抑制剂。在抛光过程中,盐酸胍作为一种有效的表面复合单元,相对于铜和介质的去除速率,钛的去除速率是可以通过调节选择性来控制的。在TSV生产过程中对于表面蝶形坑的修正及得到好的表面平整度是有利的。本文主要研究了抛光液成分的作用机理以及盐酸胍在TSV抛光液中的巧妙应用。     

300mm铜膜低压CMP速率及一致性

随着铜互连结构中低k介质的应用,要求CMP抛光过程中必须将压力减小到6.89 kPa以下,传统的化学机械抛光已不符合当前的工艺要求,如何兼顾超低压力下抛光速率和速率一致性成为关键问题.对300 mm Blanket铜膜进行了低压化学机械抛光实验,分析研究了碱性抛光液组分及抛光工艺参数对铜膜去除速率及其一致性的影响.通过...     

SiLK dielectric planarization by chemical mechanical polishing

As the feature size of integrated circuits is driven to smaller dimensions the importance of the inter- and intralayer isolator capacitance in future metallization schemes becomes more pronounced. Organic polymers with low dielectric constants are one class of material choice for the replacement of SiO₂. However, their successful integration into functional circuits requires new fabrication procedures. The embedded dielectric scheme offers an evolutionary path for their successful integration into a subtractive etched, aluminum-based integrated circuit. This scheme can effectively lower the total capacitance while minimally changing the rest of the metallization fabrication process. However, the non-conformal deposition of spin-on polymers requires an effective planarization process. Therefore, this paper focuses on the planarization capability of a chemical mechanical polishing process (CMP) using SiLK resin as the interlayer dielectric material. The experimental results demonstrate the high planarization capability of the CMP process using a commercially available slurry. The post-CMP degree of planarization is greater than 95% for all feature dimensions and this planarity can be achieved rapidly. SiLK dielectric coatings are therefore considered as a promising candidate to replace SiO₂ in existing Al/W-based technologies.     

Rapid characterization and modeling of pattern-dependent variationin chemical-mechanical polishing

Pattern-dependent effects are a key concern in chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. In oxide CMP, variation in the interlevel dielectric (ILD) thickness across each die and across the wafer can impact circuit performance and reduce yield. In this work, we present new test mask designs and associated measurement and analysis methods to efficiently characterize and model polishing behavior as a function of layout pattern factors-specifically area, pattern density, pitch, and perimeter/area effects. An important goal of this approach is rapid learning which requires rapid data collection. While the masks are applicable to a variety of CMP applications including back-end, shallow-trench, or damascene processes, in this study we focus on a typical interconnect oxide planarization process, and compare the pattern-dependent variation models for two different polishing pads. For the process and pads considered, we find that pattern density is a strongly dominant factor, while structure area, pitch, and perimeter/area (aspect ratio) play only a minor role     

In Situ Endpoint Detection by Acoustic Emissions in Chemical–Mechanical Polishing of Metal Overlay

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) has been recognized indispensable to achieve the global planarity in removal of metal overlay across the wafer, when the number of interconnecting metal layers and the size of wafer increase and the line rule reduces to nano scale. CMP has to stop at the endpoint when the overlay metal has been removed, or dishing will occur which affects the subsequent lithography in IC manufacturing. An effective in situ endpoint monitoring method essentially improves the yield rate and throughput of CMP. One notices the coefficient of friction between the pad and dielectric layer is distinguishably lower than the one between the pad and the copper overlay, based on that an endpoint monitoring method using acoustic emissions during the chemical mechanical polishing is feasible. The proposed method is tested in the experiment, and the comparison with the previous thermal monitoring technique shows consistent results.     

A new weakly alkaline slurry for copper planarization at a reduced down pressure

This study reports a new weakly alkaline slurry for copper chemical mechanical planarization （CMP）, it can achieve a high planarization efficiency at a reduced down pressure of 1.0 psi. The slurry is studied through the polish rate, planarization, copper surface roughness and stability. The copper polishing experiment result shows that the polish rate can reach 10032 A/rain. From the multi-layers copper CMP test, a good result is obtained, that is a big step height （10870 A） that can be eliminated in just 35 s, and the copper root mean square surface roughness （sq） is very low （〈 1 rim）. Apart from this, compared with the alkaline slurry researched before, it has a good progress on stability of copper polishing rate, stable for 12 h at least. All the results presented here are relevant for further developments in the area of copper CMP.     

Nano-indentation studies of xerogel and SiLK low-K dielectric materials

Low-K dielectric films have reduced hardness and modulus relative to traditional dielectric materials. There are many potential challenges associated with these materials to integrate with integrated circuit (IC) technologies. It is important to evaluate the mechanical properties of low-K materials along with their electrical characterization to implement them in sub—0.25μm devices. In this investigation, we have discussed the mechanical properties of low-K dielectric materials and evaluated the mechanical behavior of SiLK and Xerogel samples using nano-indentation studies. Surface behavior after indentation is also investigated with high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Nano-indentation using the continuous stiffness measurement technique is shown to be reliable for evaluating the mechanical properties of thin and low modulus films.     

不同压力下螯合剂浓度在碱性Cu CMP中的影响

We propose the action mechanism of Cu chemical mechanical planarization(CMP) in an alkaline solution.Meanwhile,the effect of abrasive mass fraction on the copper removal rate and within wafer non-uniformity(WIWNU) have been researched.In addition,we have also investigated the synergistic effect between the applied pressure and the FA/O chelating agent on the copper removal rate and WIWNU in the CMP process.Based on the experimental results,we chose several concentrations of the FA/O chelating agent,which added in the slurry can obtain a relatively high removal rate and a low WIWNU after polishing,to investigate the planarization performance of the copper slurry under different applied pressure conditions.The results demonstrate that the copper removal rate can reach 6125 °/min when the abrasive concentration is 3 wt.%.From the planarization experimental results,we can see that the residual step height is 562 ° after excessive copper of the wafer surface is eliminated.It denotes that a good polishing result is acquired when the FA/O chelating agent concentration and applied pressure are fixed at 3 vol% and 1 psi,respectively.All the results set forth here are very valuable for the research and development of alkaline slurry.     

Chemical-Mechanical polishing of parylene- n films: evaluation by X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy

The surface quality of parylene-N(PA-N) films, as determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), after chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), is influenced mostly by two factors: quality of the as-deposited film and the slurry composition. The higher the quality of the as-deposited film (more specifically, less oxygen content), the higher the quality of the polished film. The XPS and AFM results show that PA-N film polished in 1% A1₂O₃ abrasive (0.3 Μm particles), NH₄OH (2% by volume), and water, has better quality compared to the other slurries investigated. With high quality PA-N films, the film surface quality affected by CMP is relatively independent of polishing time, indicating that changes in surface chemistry occur in the initial seconds of polishing.