E. Estragnat, G. Tang, H. Liang, S. Jahanmir, P. Pei, J. M. Martin, “Experimental Investigation of Mechanisms of Silicon Chemical Mechanical Polishing,” J Electronic Materials, 33 (2004) 334-339.
In this research, we conducted a series of experiments to investigate the mechanisms of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon. Experimental approaches include tribological tests of frictional and lubricating behavior, chemical analysis, and surface characterization. Specifically, the effects of pH in slurry, surface roughness of wafers, and nano-particle size on removal rate were studied. A transmission electron microscope (TEM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and x-ray characterization tools were used to study the change of surface structure and chemistry. Experimental results indicate that the removal rate and planarization are dominated by the surface chemistry.