Integrated Product and Process For Copper and Barrier CMP

Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of copper and barrier interconnects are significant value-adding steps in semiconductor manufacturing. There are a number of materials, designs, process, and requirements to achieve a successful system. Variables that impact CMP include the selectin of the polishing tool, pad, slurry, conditioner, ring, cleans and the elements of polishing processes including down-force, flow rate, time, temperature, friction, conditioning, and cross-contamination. Given the multiplicity of semiconductor design, materials, and processes, it is not surprising that CMP varies from fab to fab. We describe in this Paper, Cabot Microelectronics' approach to helping our customers develop an integrated system of slurry, pad, and auxiliary processes to achieve improved CMP process performance, yields, and costs.