Nanoparticle reduction in Cu CMP for 20nm node and beyond

A high yield copper damascene process requires defect-free copper surfaces after Cu CMP. In this paper we present a novel technique to improve cleaning efficiency, especially the removal of particles in the range of 20 to 80nm. This innovative Chemical Mechanical Cleaning (CMC) approach is validated with defect density reduction and a significant reduction of electrical shorts measured on test wafers.