Effects of Large Particles and Filter Size in Central Chemical Supplying(CCS) System for STI-CMP on Light Point Defects (LPDs)

STI-CMP용 세리아 슬러리 공급시스템에서 거대입자와 필터 크기가 Light Point Defects (LPDs)에 미치는 영향

We examined large particles and filter size effects of Central Chemical Supplying (CCS) system for STI-CMP on Light Point Defects (LPDs) after polishing. As manufacturing process recently gets thinner below 0.1 um line width, it is very important to keep down post-CMP micro-scratch and LPDs in case of STI-CMP. Therefore, we must control the size distribution of large particles in a slurry. With optimization of final filter size, CCS system is one of the solutions for this issue. The oxide and nitride CMP tests were accomplished using nano-ceria slurries made by ourselves. The number of large particles in a slurry and the number of LPDs on the wafer surface after CMP were reduced with decrease of the final filter size. Oxide removal rates slightly changed according to the final filter size, showing the good performance of self-made nano ceria slurries.