Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Shen-Nan Lee

Teng-Chun Tsai

Chen-Hao Wu

Kuo-Yin Lin

Chun-Hung Liao

Chung-Wei Hsu

Tsung-Ling Tsai

An-Hsuan Lee

Huang-Lin Chao

Chang-Sheng Lin

Wen-Kuei Liu

Yu-Wei Chou

Kuo-Cheng Lien

Yung-Cheng Lu

Mrunal Abhijith Khaderbad

Te-Chien Hou

Ming-Shiuan She

Chih-Chang Hung

Chu-An Lee

Syun-Ming Jang Jang

Huan-Just Lin

Yasutoshi Okuno

Sung-Li Wang

Pang-Yen Tsai

Ying-Ho Chen

Hsin-Hsien Lu

Ching-Hong Jiang

Tzu-Jen Chou

Yu-Jen Cheng

Yu-Chung Su

Keung Hui

Pin-Chuan Su

Ying-Mei Lin

Yee-Chia Yeo

Shih-Chang Chen

Tsu Shih

Lain-Jong Li

Shwang-Ming Jeng

Chia-Chiung Lo

Syun Ming Jang

Jin-Yiing Song

A method includes measuring a first thickness at a first location of the polishing pad and a second thickness at a second location of the polishing pad; obtaining a first reference thickness at the first location of the polishing pad, wherein the first reference thickness is an average thickness of multiple thicknesses at the first location; obtaining a second reference thickness at the second location of the polishing pad, wherein the second reference thickness is an average thickness of multiple thicknesses at the second location; calculating a first thickness difference; calculating a second thickness difference; modifying a conditioning parameter value at the first location of the polishing pad; and sweeping a conditioner across a surface of the polishing pad; and applying a downforce or a sweeping speed to the conditioner that urges the conditioner against the first location of the polishing pad according to the modified conditioning parameter value.

Method for conditioning polishing pad

A CMP slurry composition and a method of polishing a metal layer are provided. In some embodiments, the CMP slurry composition includes about 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of a metal oxide, and about 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of a chelator. The chelator includes a thiol compound or a thiolether compound.

Chemical mechanical polishing slurry composition and method of polishing metal layer

A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are provided. A method includes forming a gate over a semiconductor structure. An epitaxial source/drain region is formed adjacent the gate. A dielectric layer is formed over the epitaxial source/drain region. An opening extending through the dielectric layer and exposing the epitaxial source/drain region is formed. A conductive material is non-conformally deposited in the opening. The conductive material fills the opening in a bottom-up manner.

Contact plugs for semiconductor device and method of forming same

Partial barrier-free vias and methods for forming such are disclosed herein. An exemplary interconnect structure of a multilayer interconnect feature includes a dielectric layer. A cobalt-comprising interconnect feature and a partial barrier-free via are disposed in the dielectric layer. The partial barrier-free via includes a first via plug portion disposed on and physically contacting the cobalt-comprising interconnect feature and the dielectric layer, a second via plug portion disposed over the first via plug portion, and a via barrier layer disposed between the second via plug portion and the first via plug portion. The via barrier layer is further disposed between the second via plug portion and the dielectric layer. The cobalt-comprising interconnect feature can be a device-level contact or a conductive line of the multilayer interconnect feature. The first via plug portion and the second via plug portion can include tungsten, cobalt, and/or ruthenium.

Partial barrier free vias for cobalt-based interconnects and methods of fabrication thereof

A method disclosed herein includes forming a polishing pad configured for a chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) process and polishing a workpiece using the polishing pad and a CMP slurry. Forming the polishing pad includes forming an interpenetrating polymer network having a first phase and a second phase embedded in the first phase, removing the second phase from the interpenetrating polymer network, thereby forming a porous top pad that includes a network of pores embedded in the first phase, and adhering the porous top pad to a sub pad, thereby forming the polishing pad. The second phase is different from the first phase in composition, and the interpenetrating polymer network has a substantially periodic pattern. Surface roughness of the porous top pad is consistent during the polishing of the workpiece.

Fabrication of a polishing pad for chemical mechanical polishing

The method includes receiving a semiconductor device having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is a top surface including a conductive material exposed thereon; and the second surface is an embedded surface including the conductive material and a dielectric material. The method also includes selecting a first polishing slurry to achieve a first polishing rate of the conductive material in the first polishing slurry and a second polishing rate of the dielectric material in the first polishing slurry. The method further includes selecting a second polishing slurry to achieve a third polishing rate of the conductive material in the second polishing slurry and a fourth polishing rate of the dielectric material in the second polishing slurry. The method additionally includes polishing the first surface with the first polishing slurry until the second surface is exposed; and polishing the second surface with the second polishing slurry.

Slurry compositions for chemical mechanical planarization

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor. The method includes: forming a metal oxide layer over a gate structure over a substrate; forming a dielectric layer over the metal oxide layer; forming a metal layer over the metal oxide layer; and performing a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) operation to remove a portion of the dielectric layer and a portion of the metal layer, the CMP operation stopping at the metal oxide layer, wherein a slurry used in the CMP operation includes a ceria compound. The present disclosure also provides a method for planarizing a metal-dielectric surface.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor using slurry

An apparatus for performing chemical mechanical polish on a wafer includes a polishing head that includes a retaining ring. The polishing head is configured to hold the wafer in the retaining ring. The retaining ring includes a first ring having a first hardness, and a second ring encircled by the first ring, wherein the second ring has a second hardness smaller than the first hardness.

CMP polishing head design for improving removal rate uniformity

Contact plugs for semiconductor device

A semiconductor structure is provided, including a conductive layer, a dielectric layer over the conductive layer, a ruthenium material in the dielectric layer and in contact with a portion of the conductive layer, and a ruthenium oxide material in the dielectric layer laterally between the ruthenium material and the dielectric layer.

Semiconductor structure with oxidized ruthenium

A method of forming a CMP pad includes providing a solution of a block copolymer (BCP), where the BCP includes a first segment and a second segment connected to the first segment, the second segment being different from the first segment in composition. The method further includes processing the BCP to form a polymer network having a first phase and a second phase embedded in the first phase, where the first phase includes the first segment and the second phase includes the second segment, and subsequently removing the second phase from the polymer network, thereby forming a polymer film that includes a network of pores embedded in the first phase. Thereafter, the method proceeds to combining the CMP top pad and a CMP sub-pad to form a CMP pad, where the CMP top pad is configured to engage with a workpiece during a CMP process.

The present disclosure provides a slurry. The slurry includes an abrasive including a ceria compound; a removal rate regulator to adjust removal rates of the slurry to metal and to dielectric material; and a buffering agent to adjust a pH value of the slurry, wherein the slurry comprises a dielectric material removal rate higher than a metal oxide removal rate.

Slurry

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Hsinchu County, Taiwan

Shen-Nan Lee