CMP Slurry Polymer for Surface Clouding Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor substrate polishing technologies face challenges in achieving a suitable removal rate while improving surface clouding (haze) and maintaining light point defects in a favorable state, which affects the yield and quality of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
A slurry composition for chemical mechanical polishing containing water, abrasive grit, and a polymer with a solubility parameter of 9 to 10, featuring a tertiary amine structure, is used to improve surface clouding and maintain a favorable removal rate, incorporating polymers such as alkylene polyalkylene oxide amines and other water-soluble polymers to enhance process compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional CMP slurry compositions are used, then removal rate can be maintained, but surface clouding (haze) increases and surface quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the slurry composition by introducing a specific polymer with solubility parameter of 9-10 containing tertiary amine groups. This parameter change modifies the interaction between slurry components and the silicon wafer surface, reducing surface clouding while maintaining removal rate. The polymer's specific solubility parameter and amine groups create optimal chemical mechanical polishing conditions that prevent haze formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite slurry composition combining abrasive particles, water, and a specific polymer compound with tertiary amine groups. This composite material approach integrates multiple functional components: abrasives for material removal, water as carrier, and the polymer for surface quality control. The synergistic interaction between these components resolves the contradiction between removal rate and surface quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If polishing conditions are optimized for improved surface quality, then haze is reduced, but removal rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the polishing system by adding a polymer with specific solubility parameter (9-10) and tertiary amine content (0.1-10 mmol/g). This parameter modification enables simultaneous optimization of both surface quality and removal rate, as the polymer enhances the chemical reactivity at the interface without compromising mechanical abrasion efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer compound acts as an intermediary substance between the abrasive particles and the silicon wafer surface. It mediates the interaction by providing chemical reactivity that enhances material removal while simultaneously controlling surface quality. The tertiary amine groups in the polymer facilitate this mediating role by interacting with both the abrasives and the substrate.
3Manufacturing precision
If alkylene diamine compositions are added to improve haze, then surface clouding is reduced, but process compatibility and removal rate are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies precise parameter ranges for the polymer: solubility parameter of 9-10, tertiary amine content of 0.1-10 mmol/g, and weight average molecular weight of 5,000-100,000. These controlled parameter changes ensure that the polymer improves surface quality while maintaining compatibility with existing CMP processes and achieving suitable removal rates, avoiding the drawbacks of conventional alkylene diamine compositions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively improves surface clouding and maintains a suitable removal rate, while keeping light point defects low, thereby enhancing the yield and quality of semiconductor substrates by providing a wide-ranging process compatibility.
Implementation Method 1
a polymer having a solubility parameter within the range of 9 to 10 and containing at least two repeating structural units containing a tertiary amine
Implementation Method 2
abrasive grit
Implementation Method 3
polishing by pressing and rotating the silicon wafer while supplying an aqueous composition dispersed with colloidal particles
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a slurry composition to be used in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), and a method for polishing a substrate. This slurry composition contains water, abrasive grains, and an alkylene polyalkylene oxide amine polymer having a solubility parameter in a range of 9-10. A preferred alkylene polyalkylene oxide amine polymer is given by general formula (1). (In general formula (1), m and n are positive integers, and A and R are alkylene oxide groups.)