Water-in-Oil Dispersion for KH2PO4 (KDP) Crystal CMP

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has become an essential process in the manufacturing of advanced microelectronic devices. More recently, CMP has also been applied to the process of other advanced materials such as optical crystals and thin films. Typically, a CMP slurry is formulated as an aqueous dispersion which may contain abrasive particles, activating agent, passivating agent, surfactant, etc. Due to its sensitivity to water, hygroscopic crystals must not be processed with aqueous based slurry. In this study, a new abrasive-free system based on water-in-oil microemulsion was investigated to address this challenge. More specifically, a dispersion made of dodecanol, Triton X-100, and water was studied for its potential application in KH2PO4(KDP) crystal processing. In this unique polishing system, water molecules are caged into micelles so the reaction between KDP and water is controlled. As a result, the static etch rate of the substrate surface is minimized. During polishing process, the frictional action between crystal surface and pad leads to the release of reactive water molecules. The material removal is, thus, enhanced. In this paper, the techniques used to characterize such abrasive-free system were first introduced. The water-in-oil structures were characterized and confirmed by conductivity, dynamic lighting scattering and dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The performance of this system on the process of KDP crystals was then discussed. The static etch rate and the material removal rate in polishing process were measured under various conditions in order to elucidate the polishing mechanism. Finally, the potential application of such a novel nonaqueous polishing system in CMP beyond KDP crystals is discussed.