Chemical mechanical planarization technology

The acceptance of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) as a manufacturable process for state-of-the-art interconnect technology has made it possible to rely on CMP technology for numerous semiconductor manufacturing process applications. These applications include shallow trench isolation (STI), deep trench capacitors, local tungsten interconnects, inter-level-dielectric (ILD) planarization, and copper damascene. In this chapter. 

Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) plays an important role in today s microelectronics industry. With its ability to achieve global planarization, its universality (material insensitivity), its applicability to multimaterial surfaces, and its relative cost-effectiveness, CMP is the ideal planarizing medium for the interlayered dielectrics and metal films used in silicon integrated circuit fabrication. But although the past decade has seen unprecedented research and development into CMP, there has been no single-source reference to this rapidly emerging technology - until now. 

The only comprehensive reference to one of the fastest growing integrated circuit manufacturing technologies, Chemical Mechanical Planarization of Microelectronic Materials is an important resource for research scientists and engineers working in the microelectronics industry. 

Snatch-free CMP of Electronic Materials at Rensselaer - a Science-to-Engineering Approach," S. P. Murarka, presentation at the Solid State Technology Chemical Mechanical Planarization Seminar, March 31,1997, San Jose, CA. 

In the microelectronics community, the acronym CMP has been interpreted as either chemical-mechanical polishing or chemical-mechanical planarization. Polishing means the removal of materials, whereas planarization means flattening. It is the authors preference to interpret CMP as chemical-mechanical planarization. Because technology and integrated circuit (IC) shrinking advance rapidly, planarization has come to be at the heart of the CMP function. 

Johnson, J., et al., 2011. Slurry particle agglomeration model for chemical mechanical planar-iation (CMP). In Seoul, International Conference on Planarization Technology (ICPT). 

Xie, X., 2007. Physical Understanding and Modehng of Chemical Mechanical Planarization in Dielectric Materials (Ph.D. Thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (Massachusetts). 

J. Comely, C. Rogers, V.P. Manno, A. Philipossian, In situ temperature measurement during oxide chemical mechanical planarization, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 767 (2003). From Densitrak website at http //www.densitrak.com/index.php/products/anal)dical-flow-technologies-llc-densitrakandreg-d625-a0-00-01/ (last accessed November 2014). From Anton Parr website at http //www.anton-paar.com/us-en/products/details/density-and-sound-velocity-meter-dsa-5000-m/density-meter/ (last accessed November 2014). 

With the decrease of device dimensions, planarization of both front and back end layers by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) now seems an absolute must for technologies smaller than 0.5 m. Unfortunately, CMP... 

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a final major manufacturing step extensively used in semiconductor fabrication for flattening semiconductor wafers to obtain a mirror surface finish. In 2011, the CMP pad market yielded 626 million while the slurry market totaled 1.0 billion, and is forecasted to grow 7.0% in 2012 and exceed 1.3 billion by 2016 [1]. CMP is still considered the leading planarization technology for current and future manufacturing [2]. 

---