Advanced front end of the line clean for post CMP processes

As devices continue to shrink below 100 nm, wafer surface preparation has become more critical to high yield devices [1]. Numerous techniques have established a post CMP cleaning procedure that focused mainly on reducing the defects (particles) on the wafer surface. Most of the process of record (POR) methods typically use brush scrubbers and are based on an RCA type process [2]. These procedures have proven to be costly and do not necessarily produce the desired Wafer surface characteristics. In this paper, we propose an advanced front end of line (AFEOL) clean as an alternative to high cost scrubbing wafer-cleaning systems. The results show that the AFEOL process is a viable clean that meets the tight manufacturing low particle requirements.