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| >STATE-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS | |
Fourteen research projects were supported by the Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) Program of New York State’s Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) in the 2005- 2006 fiscal year. Project titles and principal investigators are listed below for each research area. |
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Particle Synthesis and Properties Development of Ultrafine and Nanosize Metallic Powders and Flakes -D. Goia Thin Films and Coatings Preparation of Doped Diamond-Like Carbon Thin Films -S.V. Babu Novel Energy Saving Methods of Coating Carbon Fibers -I. Sokolov Feasibility of Energy Efficient Manufacture of Continuous Submicron Carbon Fibers -I. Sokolov Colloidal Dispersions and Processing Formation of Supported Lipid Bilayers (SLB) on Physically Textured Silica Substrates -S. Minko Photo Polymerization Using a Narrow Channel Reactor -R. Jachuck Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP) Novel Abrasives for Tungsten CMP-Y. Li Nanosystems Nanostructured Metal Electrodes for Highly–Efficient Electron Field Emitters and Gas Ionizers -S. Minko Supporting Technologies Advanced Measurement Tools for Sand Compaction in Lost Foam Casting -K. Janoyan Fundamentals of Drop-Substrate Interactions -J. McLaughlin Impedance Testing of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells -I. Suni Hydrodynamic and Mass Transfer Characteristics of a Narrow Channel Reactor -R. Jachuck Electrolytes for Tilt Sensors -D. Roy Formulate an Electrolyte and Electrode Combination for a Low Cost Electrolyte Sensor -I. Suni
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It has long been established that the heat generated during polishing at the tips of porous pads can translate to a significant local temperature increase. The heat must be properly dissipated. Otherwise, the local hot spot itself could be prone to corrosion, pitting, and other related defects. To illustrate the difference between a commercially available reference pad and the Mipox pad in terms of thermal management during CMP, the temperature profile was examined for the polishing of 200 mm and 300 mm wafers using silica based oxide slurry. In all cases, the temperature increase on the NCP (non-cell type pad) was found to be lower than that of the commercially available porous type pads .
Figure1. The Clarkson-Mipox team found that the defect count on wafers polished using Mipox pads is either similar or lower than that of commercial reference pads.
The Impact of a Novel Slurry Conditioner on Copper and STI CMP Performance
In collaboration with a team of scientists and engineers at Imation including Mark Serafin, Neal Nelson, Fang Hu, and Richard Olmsted, CAMP Professor Yuzhuo Li and CMP facility manager Craig Burkhard recently studied a unique design which allows ultra-high pressure to continuously impinge fluid streams upon one another at speeds exceeding 300 m/sec. A special consideration in the design of the device ensures that the impingement speed is constant on a continuous basis. The device can be programmed to process slurry in a single batch or by a continuous feed. Proprietary technologies are also used to control the temperature of the processed dispersion both in the high-pressure and impingement zones. Although this investigation represents the first series of experiments for applying this novel device to CMP slurries, the technology itself is a well-developed one at Imation. The device has been used in day-to-day, large-scale, manufacturing operations for the preparation of high quality dispersions of hard particles in a variety of carrier fluids. It has been well documented that this device can produce consistent uniform dispersions in a challenging 24/7 manufacturing environment. For many years, the process has demonstrated more than 99% up-time in its continuous manufacturing environment. It is not only robust in operation, but also relatively simple to maintain. Furthermore, the technology is very cost effective for the generation of dispersions that are used to manufacture products for extremely cost - conscientious buyers.
Figure 2. Normalized defectivity counts for STI wafers polished with slurry treated with Imation Slurry Conditioner in comparison to untreated slurry. The data shown was normalized 100 for the untreated slurry based on the averages of an 80-wafer polishing data set.
To illustrate the effectiveness of Imation CMP Slurry Conditioner (Conditioner), CMP slurry to be used in the polishing was measured in regards to its particle size, size distribution, and oversized particle count before and after treatment. The results showed a representative oversized particle reduction after treatment with the Conditioner. In addition, particle size and size distribution were practically untouched by the Conditioner. This is especially important for CMP, because changes in these conditions could affect the slurry performance in areas such as removal rate.
Figure 2 shows normalized defectivity counts for STI wafers polished with and without slurry treated with Imation Slurry Conditioner.