Analysis of Scratches Formed on Oxide Surface during Chemical Mechanical Planarization

Scratch formation on patterned oxide wafers during the chemical mechanical planarization process was investigated. Silica andceria slurries were used for polishing the experiments to observe the effect of abrasives on the scratch formation. Interleveldielectric patterned wafers were used to study the scratch dimensions, and shallow trench isolation patterned wafers were used tostudy the effect of polishing parameters, such as pressure and rotational speed head/platen . Similar shapes of scratches chattertype were observed with both types of slurries. The length of the scratch formed might be related to the period of contact betweenthe wafer and the pad. Large particles would play a significant role in increasing the number of scratches. The probability ofscratch generation is more at higher pressures due to higher friction force and removal rate. The optimization of the head to platenvelocity could decrease the number of scratches.© 2009 The Electrochemical Society. DOI: 10.1149/1.3265474 All rights reserved.Manuscript submitted August 10, 2009; revised manuscript received October 26, 2009. Published December 15, 2009.

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