Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for enhanced CMP using metals having reductive properties

US6537144B1 · kind B1 · utility

64Cited by
46References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 17, 2000
Grant dateMar 25, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 17, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/3212
  • WIPO fieldMachine tools
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

Dishing in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is reduced by introducing a material that balances electrochemical forces. In a first embodiment of the invention, a polishing pad having copper material in grooves on the polishing pad surface is used in the polishing process to reduce dishing. In a second embodiment of the invention, the polishing pad has perforations with copper fillings. In a third embodiment of the invention, a copper retaining ring on the polishing head introduces copper material to the CMP process to reduce dishing. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, a conditioning plate of copper is used in the polishing apparatus. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, additional copper features are placed on the substrate to be polished. The polishing of the additional features introduces copper steadily through the polishing process. In a sixth embodiment of the invention, copper compounds are added to the polish slurry.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.