# US 10,500,693 B2 · Run-to-run control for chemical mechanical planarization

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- Number: US 10,500,693 B2
- Document ID: US10500693B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/440,412
- Filed: 2012-04-05
- Published: 2013-10-10
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-05
- Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Applicants: Madhu Sudan Ramavajjala; Prakash Lakshmikanthan; Patrick David Noll
- Inventors: Madhu Sudan Ramavajjala; Prakash Lakshmikanthan; Patrick David Noll
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500693B2

## CPC

- B24B 37/005: Control means for lapping machines or devices
- B24B 37/042: {operating processes therefor}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes}
- B24B: MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING (grinding of gear teeth B23F, of screw-threads B23G1/36; by electro-erosion B23H; abrasive or related blasting B24C; tools for grinding, buffing or sharpening B24D; polishing compositions C09G1/00; abrasives C09K3/14; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F3/00; grinding arrangements for use on assembled railway tracks E01B31/17); DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes providing a partitioned chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) model having a plurality of model parameters that include (i) device specific model parameters and (ii) at least one common parameter. (i) include a pre-CMP thickness of a film including a first material on an in-process device, a post-CMP target thickness for the film on the in-process device, and device group properties that account for device structure for the in-process device. (ii) includes a polish rate from an unpatterned pilot wafer having a second material thereon. The second material need not be the same as the first material. The polish time is automatically determined using the partitioned CMP model. A CMP process is performed on a patterned product wafer having a plurality of the in-process devices using a recipe including the polish time.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating an integrated circuit, comprising:
providing a partitioned chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) model having:
(i) device specific model parameters including:
a pre-CMP thickness of a film covering an in-process device,
a post-CMP target thickness for said film covering said in-process device, and
a device group property of said in-process device including a metal pattern density, and
(ii) a common model parameter including a polish rate from an unpatterned pilot wafer;
determining a polish time by applying said partitioned CMP model to a patterned product wafer, the applying including:
deriving a coefficient based on the metal pattern density; and
multiplying the coefficient with a difference between the pre-CMP thickness and the post-CMP thickness; and
performing a CMP process on a patterned product wafer using a slurry and a CMP recipe based on said polish time.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said common parameter comprises a non-linear decay of said polish rate associated with a consumable life of a CMP tool.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising tuning said partitioned CMP model using post-CMP production data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein said tuning said partitioned CMP model includes determining a single one of said plurality of model parameters to tune for each run.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein said tuning comprises accumulating errors for at least two said plurality of model parameters when the accumulated error exceeds a predetermined threshold.