Pad conditioning for copper-based semiconductor wafers
AssigneeSpeedFam-IPEC Corporation
InventorsThomas Laursen, Malcolm K. Grief, Krishna P. Murella, Sanjay Basak
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Abstract
A method of conditioning pads used in the polishing of semiconductor wafers containing copper circuitry. The method includes applying a treatment solution that contains a reactant for particulate copper-containing debris on the pad resulting from the copper circuitry. Preferably, the reactant is a carboxylic acid present in a concentration of from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent in a solution. The pH of the solution may be adjusted to the range from about 1 to about 6 with a compatible base.
Claims5
A method of removing copper debris from a polishing surface of a polishing pad used in the polishing of semiconductor wafers comprising copper circuitry, the method comprising:
- (a) selecting the pad after the pad has been used to polish semiconductor wafers comprising copper circuitry and a polishing surface of said pad includes copper debris from the copper circuitry;
- (b) treating the polishing surface of the pad with a treatment composition consisting essentially of a reactant selected from oxalic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, malonic acid and citric acid;
- (c) reacting the copper debris with the reactant;
- and
- (d) after the treating, rinsing the surface of the pad to remove substantially all of the reactant.
A method of removing copper debris from a polishing surface of a polishing pad used in the polishing of semiconductor wafers comprising copper circuitry, the method comprising:
- (a) selecting the pad after the pad has been used to polish semiconductor wafers comprising copper circuitry and a polishing surface of said pad includes copper debris from the copper circuitry;
- (b) reacting the copper debris on the polishing surface of the pad with a treatment solution consisting essentially of a reactant selected from oxalic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, lactic acid and malonic acid, the solution having a pH in the range about 4 to about 5;
- and
- (c) rinsing the surface of the pad to remove substantially all of the treatment solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.