Other

Infineon Technologies Ag

International Business Machines Corporation

Sumit Pandey

Ravikumar Ramachandran

Fen Fen Jamin

Chenting Lin

Robert Van Den Berg

Laertis Economikos

Jeremy K Stephens

Ronald J Schutz

Haruki Nojo

Improved CMP uniformity is achieved by providing improved control of the slurry distribution. Improved slurry distribution is achieved by, for example, the use of a slurry dispenser that dispenses slurry from a plurality of dispensing points. Providing a squeeze bar between the slurry dispenser and wafer to redistribute the slurry also improves the slurry distribution.

CMP uniformity

An aqueous based ceria slurry system and method for chemical mechanical polishing of semiconductor wafers, the slurry comprising less than 5 wt % abrasive cerium oxide particles and up to about the critical micelle concentration of a cationic surfactant, absent other abrasives, in a neutral to alkaline pH solution is disclosed. Also disclosed is slurry comprising a blend of surfactants including a pre-existing amount of anionic surfactant and an added amount of cationic and/or non-ionic surfactant.

Ceria slurry solution for improved defect control of silicon dioxide chemical-mechanical polishing

The invention provides slurry-less chemical-mechanical polishing processes which are effective in planarizing oxide materials, especially siliceous oxides, even where the starting oxide layer has significant topographical variation. The processes of the invention are characterized by the use of a fixed abrasive polishing element and by use of an aqueous liquid medium containing a cationic surfactant for at least a portion of the polishing process involving reduction in the amount of topographic variation (height differential) across the oxide material on the substrate. The method reduces or eliminates the transfer of topographic variations to levels below the desired planarization level.

Slurry-less chemical-mechanical polishing of oxide materials

A system is provided for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of a semiconductor wafer by periodically relatively moving a polishing pad on a rotating platen, and the wafer, retained in the aperture of a rotating and oscillating ring having a wear surface surrounding the aperture and wafer, with respect to each other while the wafer and wear surface frictionally contact the pad. A CMP slurry is dispensed to the wafer periphery in the vicinity of the pad at a plurality of perimetrically spaced apart channels in the wear surface maintained in fixed relation to the wafer during the relative movement. The ring is fixed to the underside of a carrier in turn fixed at its upper portion to the bottom end of a spindle which is rotatably mounted at its top end on an oscillating support beam, such that the wafer, ring, carrier and spindle rotate and oscillate in common. The carrier has a heat exchanger to heat or cool the slurry. Passages in the spindle flow connected with conduits in the carrier correspondingly supply the slurry to the ring channels, temperature adjusting fluid to and from the heat exchanger, and pressure fluid, e.g., air, to the inner side of the wafer in the ring aperture, respectively, during common rotation and oscillation of the wafer, ring, carrier and spindle.

System for dispensing polishing liquid during chemical mechanical polishing of a semiconductor wafer

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Wappingers Falls, NY, United States of America

Sumit Pandey