Particle adhesion studies relevant to chemical mechanical polishing

This study describes particle adhesion experiments carried out to elucidate interactions between particles in slurries used for polishing of wafers and disks. For this purpose the packed column technique was employed, which simulated chemical mechanical polishing of copper with silica and alumina, as well as of silicic oxide with ceria. The model systems consisted of uniform copper and glass beads as collectors, representing the wafers, and colloidal dispersions of silica, alumia, and silica coated with nanosize ceria, all of well-defined properties that are used as abrasives. It was shown that a strong correlation exists between deposition and detachment results of the adhesion studies and the polish rates measured using actual substrates with the same or similar slurries.