On the Relationship of CMP Wafer Nanotopography to Groove-Scale Slurry Transport

Abstract

AbstractMaterial removal in CMP occurs during intervals of pad-wafer contact separated by intervals of non-contact. One predictable sequence of non-contact intervals for a fixed point on the wafer is the traverse of the pad grooves, during which the wafer surface is renewed with fresh chemistry and heat is conveyed away. It is well understood that good uniformity requires machine kinematics that expose all points on the wafer to the same total contact time, mean slurry concentration, and temperature. Less widely known is that coherent structures tens to hundreds of nanometers high and matching the pitch of the pad groove pattern may be formed on an otherwise planar wafer despite multiple rotary motions. This unexpected phenomena is of interest not only because it manifests the impact of grooves and transport at scales not easily studied, but also because shrinking device architectures will ultimately disqualify even nanoscale departures from planarity. Wafer polish experiments are conducted alternately using circular, Cartesian grid, and spiral groove patterns using specialized pad conditioning and CMP recipes to amplify groove-induced nanotopography. Polish results illustrate sharp patterns in finished wafers (visible to the naked eye) that should not survive dual-axis tool kinematics. Computational 3-D model results are then presented for transient slurry mixing in the pad-wafer gap of a 200-mm polisher using the same groove patterns. A direct correspondence is found between observed wafer nanotopography and predicted groove-scale slurry mixing dynamics. In particular, the surface structures are underpolished areas traceable to intervals of non-contact protracted by depleted polish chemistry that prevails in groove segments when oriented relative to the local pad and wafer motion in a way that suspends transverse mixing in the groove crosssection. The study conclusively defines the features required in a groove pattern and polish recipe to form coherent structures matching the groove pitch. As validation of the theory, a groove pattern expected to form no surface topography is defined, experimentally tested, and shown to perform as predicted. Findings are discussed in the context of next-generation pad grooving and texturing as required for progressively more demanding applications of CMP.