Micron Technology Incorporated

David B Gonzales

Guy F Hudson

Aaron T Bartlett

The inventive method cleans residual titanium accumulations and other undesirable materials from a planarized surface of a wafer to produce a planarized surface with less than about fifty defects per wafer. After a metallic layer of material has been planarized using a CMP process, loose residual particles of undesirable material are removed from the planarized surface. The residual titanium accumulations remaining on the planarized surface are then detached from the planarized surface, which produces additional, new particles on the surface of the wafer. The additional particles produced by the detaching step are then scrubbed from the planarized surface until the planarized surface has less than approximately 50 defects per wafer.

Method for post chemical-mechanical planarization cleaning of semiconductor wafers

A system for performing chemical mechanical polishing wherein a dopant is added to the slurry during a chemical mechanical planarization so as to enhance end point determination. In one embodiment, the CMP system includes a laser end point detection system that provides a signal indicative of the intensity of light being reflected off of the surface that is being removed by CMP. The slurry that is used in the CMP process is doped with a surfactant such that false peaks in intensity of the reflected signal is reduced so that the end point intensity peak resulting from the laser reflecting off of an underlying surface is more definite.

Endpoint stabilization for polishing process

A system for performing chemical mechanical polishing wherein a dopant is added to the slurry during a chemical mechanical planarization so as to enhance end point determination. In one embodiment the CMP system includes a laser end point detection system that provides a signal indicative of the intensity of light being reflected off of the surface that is being removed by CMP. The slurry that is used in the CMP process is doped with a surfactant such that false peaks in intensity of the reflected signal is reduced so that the end point intensity peak resulting from the laser reflecting off of an underlying surface is more definite.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

David B Gonzales