This work investigates the static corrosion and removal rates of copper as functions of H202 and FA/OIIconcentration, and uses DC electrochemical measurements such as open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel ana- lysis, ...This work investigates the static corrosion and removal rates of copper as functions of H202 and FA/OIIconcentration, and uses DC electrochemical measurements such as open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel ana- lysis, as well as cyclic voltammetry (CV) to study HaOa and FA/OIIdependent surface reactions of Cu coupon electrode in alkaline slurry without an inhibitor. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique is also used to measure the surface roughness and surface morphology of copper in static corrosion and polishing conditions. It is shown that 0.5 vol.% H202 should be the primary choice to achieve high material removal rate. The electro- chemical results reveal that the addition of FA/O II can dissolve partial oxide film to accelerate the electrochemical anodic reactions and make the oxide layer porous, so that the structurally weak oxide film can be easily removed by mechanical abrasion. The variation of surface roughness and morphology of copper under static conditions is consistent with and provides further support for the reaction mechanisms proposed in the context of DC electro- chemical measurements. In addition, in the presence of H202, 3 vol.% FA/O II may be significantly effective from a surface roughness perspective to obtain a relatively flat copper surface in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process.展开更多
CMP process optimization for bulk copper removal based on alkaline copper slurry was performed on a 300 mm Applied Materials Reflexion LK system. Under the DOE condition, we conclude that as the pressure increases, th...CMP process optimization for bulk copper removal based on alkaline copper slurry was performed on a 300 mm Applied Materials Reflexion LK system. Under the DOE condition, we conclude that as the pressure increases, the removal rate increases and non-uniformity is improved. As the slurry flow rate increases, there is no significant improvement in the material removal rate, but it does slightly reduce the WIWNU and thus improve uniformity. The optimal variables are obtained at a reduced pressure of 1.5 psi and a slurry flow rate of 300 ml/min. Platen/carrier rotary speed is set at a constant value of 97/103 rpm. We obtain optimized CMP characteristics including a removal rate over 6452 A/min and non-uniformity below 4% on blanket wafer and the step height is reduced by nearly 8000 A/min in the center of the wafer on eight layers of copper patterned wafer, the surface roughness is reduced to 0.225 nm.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
: The stability of a novel low-pH alkaline slurry (marked as slurry A, pH = 8.5) for copper chemical mechanical planarization was investigated in this paper. First of all, the stability mechanism of the alkaline sl...: The stability of a novel low-pH alkaline slurry (marked as slurry A, pH = 8.5) for copper chemical mechanical planarization was investigated in this paper. First of all, the stability mechanism of the alkaline slurry was studied. Then many parameters have been tested for researching the stability of the slurry through comparing with a traditional alkaline slurry (marked as slurry B, pH = 9.5), such as the pH value, particle size and zeta potential. Apart from this, the stability of the copper removal rate, dishing, erosion and surface roughness were also studied. All the results show that the stability of the novel low-pH alkaline slurry is better than the traditional alkaline slurry. The working-life of the novel low-pH alkaline slurry reaches 48 h.展开更多
The chemical mechanical polishing/planarization(CMP) performance of an inhibitor-free alkaline copper slurry is investigated.The results of the Cu dissolution rate(DR) and the polish rate(PR) show that the alkal...The chemical mechanical polishing/planarization(CMP) performance of an inhibitor-free alkaline copper slurry is investigated.The results of the Cu dissolution rate(DR) and the polish rate(PR) show that the alkaline slurry without inhibitors has a relatively high copper removal rate and considerable dissolution rate.Although the slurry with inhibitors has a somewhat low DR,the copper removal rate was significantly reduced due to the addition of inhibitors(Benzotriazole,BTA).The results obtained from pattern wafers show that the alkaline slurry without inhibitors has a better planarization efficacy;it can planarize the uneven patterned surface during the excess copper removal.These results indicate that the proposed inhibitor-free copper slurry has a considerable planarization capability for CMP of Cu pattern wafers,it can be applied in the first step of Cu CMP for copper bulk removal.展开更多
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 acid...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.展开更多
The surface roughness seriously affects the performance of devices after barrier CMP. Due to the high surface roughness of copper line, the local resistance of a device will be high when working, then the copper line ...The surface roughness seriously affects the performance of devices after barrier CMP. Due to the high surface roughness of copper line, the local resistance of a device will be high when working, then the copper line will overheat prompting the generation of electro-migration and the circuit will lose efficacy. Reducing the surface roughness of the copper line in barrier CMP is still an important research topic. The main factors influencing the surface roughness of copper line in alkaline barrier slurry are analyzed in the paper. Aimed at influencing the law on the surface roughness of copper line, using a new type of alkaline barrier slurry with a different p H of the chelating agent and changing the content of non-ionic surfactant, we then analyze the influencing law both on the surface roughness of copper line, and the influence mechanism. The experimental results show that with a chelating agent with a low p H value in the barrier slurry, the surface roughness of the copper line is 1.03 nm and it is the lowest in all of the barrier slurries, and with the increase of non-ionic surfactant concentration, the surface roughness of copper line is reduced to 0.43 nm, meeting the demand of further development of integrated circuits.展开更多
Chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) is one of the important machining procedures of multilayered copper interconnection for GLSI, meanwhile polishing slurry is a critical factor for realizing the high polishing perfo...Chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) is one of the important machining procedures of multilayered copper interconnection for GLSI, meanwhile polishing slurry is a critical factor for realizing the high polishing performance such as high planarization efficiency, low surface roughness. The effect of slurry components such as abrasive(colloidal silica), complexing agent(glycine), inhibitor(BTA) and oxidizing agent(H_2O_2) on the stability of the novel weakly alkaline slurry of copper interconnection CMP for GLSI was investigated in this paper. First, the synergistic and competitive relationship of them in a peroxide-based weakly alkaline slurry during the copper CMP process was studied and the stability mechanism was put forward. Then 1 wt% colloidal silica, 2.5 wt% glycine,200 ppm BTA, 20 m L/L H_2O_2 had been selected as the appropriate concentration to prepare copper slurry, and using such slurry the copper blanket wafer was polished. From the variations of copper removal rate, root-mean square roughness(Sq) value with the setting time, it indicates that the working-life of the novel weakly alkaline slurry can reach more than 7 days, which satisfies the requirement of microelectronics further development.展开更多
基金Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province,China(No.E2013202247)the Fund Project of Hebei Province Department of Education,China(No.2011128)
文摘This work investigates the static corrosion and removal rates of copper as functions of H202 and FA/OIIconcentration, and uses DC electrochemical measurements such as open circuit potential (OCP), Tafel ana- lysis, as well as cyclic voltammetry (CV) to study HaOa and FA/OIIdependent surface reactions of Cu coupon electrode in alkaline slurry without an inhibitor. An atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique is also used to measure the surface roughness and surface morphology of copper in static corrosion and polishing conditions. It is shown that 0.5 vol.% H202 should be the primary choice to achieve high material removal rate. The electro- chemical results reveal that the addition of FA/O II can dissolve partial oxide film to accelerate the electrochemical anodic reactions and make the oxide layer porous, so that the structurally weak oxide film can be easily removed by mechanical abrasion. The variation of surface roughness and morphology of copper under static conditions is consistent with and provides further support for the reaction mechanisms proposed in the context of DC electro- chemical measurements. In addition, in the presence of H202, 3 vol.% FA/O II may be significantly effective from a surface roughness perspective to obtain a relatively flat copper surface in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process.
基金Project supported by the Major National Science and Technology Special Projects(No.2009ZX02308)the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation of China(No.10JCZDJC15500)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.10676008)the Fund Project of the Hebei Provincial Department of Education(No.2011128)
文摘CMP process optimization for bulk copper removal based on alkaline copper slurry was performed on a 300 mm Applied Materials Reflexion LK system. Under the DOE condition, we conclude that as the pressure increases, the removal rate increases and non-uniformity is improved. As the slurry flow rate increases, there is no significant improvement in the material removal rate, but it does slightly reduce the WIWNU and thus improve uniformity. The optimal variables are obtained at a reduced pressure of 1.5 psi and a slurry flow rate of 300 ml/min. Platen/carrier rotary speed is set at a constant value of 97/103 rpm. We obtain optimized CMP characteristics including a removal rate over 6452 A/min and non-uniformity below 4% on blanket wafer and the step height is reduced by nearly 8000 A/min in the center of the wafer on eight layers of copper patterned wafer, the surface roughness is reduced to 0.225 nm.
基金Project supported by the Special Project Items No.2 in National Long-Term Technology Development Plan,China(No.2009ZX02308)the Hebei Natural Science Foundation of China(No.F2012202094)
文摘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.
基金Project supported by the Special Project Items NO.2 in National Long-Term Technology Development Plan,China(No.2009ZX02308)the Hebei Natural Science Foundation of China(No.F2012202094)
文摘: The stability of a novel low-pH alkaline slurry (marked as slurry A, pH = 8.5) for copper chemical mechanical planarization was investigated in this paper. First of all, the stability mechanism of the alkaline slurry was studied. Then many parameters have been tested for researching the stability of the slurry through comparing with a traditional alkaline slurry (marked as slurry B, pH = 9.5), such as the pH value, particle size and zeta potential. Apart from this, the stability of the copper removal rate, dishing, erosion and surface roughness were also studied. All the results show that the stability of the novel low-pH alkaline slurry is better than the traditional alkaline slurry. The working-life of the novel low-pH alkaline slurry reaches 48 h.
基金supported by the Major National Science and Technology Special Projects,China(No.2009ZX02308)the Tianjin Natural Science Foundation of China(No.lOJCZDJC 15500)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.10676008)the Fund Project of Hebei Provincial Department of Education,China(No.2011128)
文摘The chemical mechanical polishing/planarization(CMP) performance of an inhibitor-free alkaline copper slurry is investigated.The results of the Cu dissolution rate(DR) and the polish rate(PR) show that the alkaline slurry without inhibitors has a relatively high copper removal rate and considerable dissolution rate.Although the slurry with inhibitors has a somewhat low DR,the copper removal rate was significantly reduced due to the addition of inhibitors(Benzotriazole,BTA).The results obtained from pattern wafers show that the alkaline slurry without inhibitors has a better planarization efficacy;it can planarize the uneven patterned surface during the excess copper removal.These results indicate that the proposed inhibitor-free copper slurry has a considerable planarization capability for CMP of Cu pattern wafers,it can be applied in the first step of Cu CMP for copper bulk removal.
基金supported by the Special Project Items No.2 in National Long-term Technology Development Plan,China(No.2009ZX02308)
文摘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.
文摘The surface roughness seriously affects the performance of devices after barrier CMP. Due to the high surface roughness of copper line, the local resistance of a device will be high when working, then the copper line will overheat prompting the generation of electro-migration and the circuit will lose efficacy. Reducing the surface roughness of the copper line in barrier CMP is still an important research topic. The main factors influencing the surface roughness of copper line in alkaline barrier slurry are analyzed in the paper. Aimed at influencing the law on the surface roughness of copper line, using a new type of alkaline barrier slurry with a different p H of the chelating agent and changing the content of non-ionic surfactant, we then analyze the influencing law both on the surface roughness of copper line, and the influence mechanism. The experimental results show that with a chelating agent with a low p H value in the barrier slurry, the surface roughness of the copper line is 1.03 nm and it is the lowest in all of the barrier slurries, and with the increase of non-ionic surfactant concentration, the surface roughness of copper line is reduced to 0.43 nm, meeting the demand of further development of integrated circuits.
基金supported by the Major National Science and Technology Special Projects(No.2016ZX02301003-004-007)the Professional Degree Teaching Case Foundation of Hebei Province,China(No.KCJSZ2017008)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province,China(No.F2015202267)the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin,China(No.16JCYBJC16100)
文摘Chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) is one of the important machining procedures of multilayered copper interconnection for GLSI, meanwhile polishing slurry is a critical factor for realizing the high polishing performance such as high planarization efficiency, low surface roughness. The effect of slurry components such as abrasive(colloidal silica), complexing agent(glycine), inhibitor(BTA) and oxidizing agent(H_2O_2) on the stability of the novel weakly alkaline slurry of copper interconnection CMP for GLSI was investigated in this paper. First, the synergistic and competitive relationship of them in a peroxide-based weakly alkaline slurry during the copper CMP process was studied and the stability mechanism was put forward. Then 1 wt% colloidal silica, 2.5 wt% glycine,200 ppm BTA, 20 m L/L H_2O_2 had been selected as the appropriate concentration to prepare copper slurry, and using such slurry the copper blanket wafer was polished. From the variations of copper removal rate, root-mean square roughness(Sq) value with the setting time, it indicates that the working-life of the novel weakly alkaline slurry can reach more than 7 days, which satisfies the requirement of microelectronics further development.