Effects of corrosion environments on the surface finishing of copper chemical mechanical polishing

Copper chemical mechanical polishing (Cu-CMP) was investigated using slurries containing alumina abrasive and various types and concentrations of oxidizer, as well as benezotriazole (BTA) additive. We found that the corrosion rate of copper film decreases with increasing BTA concentration in 3 vol.% HNO3 solution, but the passivation effect of BTA saturates as the concentration reaches about 0.01 M. On the other hand, a small amount of H2O2 in H2O2/XJFW8099 slurry enhances the corrosion rate dramatically, while abundance of H2O2 in the slurry suppresses the corrosion reaction effectively. The polishing rate and its non-uniformity decrease with increasing volume ratio of H2O2 in H2O2/XJEW8099 slurry. A very smooth surface with a removal rate of 363.0 nm/min was obtained using the slurry of 1/1 ratio. Depletion of H2O2 in the slurry can result in more abrasive residuals as well as a rougher surface; the surface roughness increases from 0.3 to 9.9 nm as the H2O2/XJFW8099 ratio decreases from 1/1 to 1/4. Our results indicate that the corrosion rate, polishing rate and surface roughness of copper films are sensitively dependent on the type and concentration of oxidizer as well as the BTA additive. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.