Sep 10 2008
Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies, a leader and innovator in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) technology for the global semiconductor industry, today launched its ACuPLANE(TM) Copper (Cu) Barrier CMP Solution for advanced Cu/low-k interconnect applications. The ACuPLANE system combines Rohm and Haas’s EcoVision(TM) 4000 CMP Pad and ACuPLANE 5000 Series slurries to deliver a tunable CMP system that meets the stringent requirements of advanced process nodes.
By optimizing the performance of the pad and slurry combination, the ACuPLANE system can achieve an order of magnitude in defectivity reduction, while giving customers higher levels of control to minimize metal and dielectric loss. Additionally, the ACuPLANE system can significantly minimize post-polish topography across the wafer, and reduce stress on the wafer to avoid dishing, erosion and delamination of porous ultra low-k films.
“The ACuPLANE system offers chemistries tunable to specific customer process requirements,” said Cathie Markham, CTO, Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials. “It also directly addresses customer demands for longer pad lifetimes and consistent, stable performance. Our customers are seeing very promising results for nodes as advanced as 32 nm.”
The EcoVision 4000 pad’s novel design increases the point contact area on the wafer surface which directly reduces stress on the underlying film stack. This results in defect reduction and improved die yields by minimizing scratches, chatter marks, and film delamination across the wafer. The ACuPLANE 5000 Series slurry is designed to give users flexibility and control over removal rates and selectivities to address specific process requirements. The slurry can be implemented in either a non-selective or selective approach to maintain or correct the incoming topography to enable superior topography performance post-barrier CMP process.
In testing, customers are achieving two to three times the average pad life with a clear potential for higher throughput. “These results validate the ACuPLANE system as a solution that will significantly lower their cost of ownership for copper barrier CMP,” concluded Markham.
The ACuPLANE Cu Barrier CMP system (comprised of a pad-slurry-pad conditioner solution) is available now in production volumes. It is currently in high volume manufacturing (HVM), testing and qualification at multiple 300 mm facilities worldwide.