A NEW METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICLES IN CMP SLURRIES

The particle size distribution (PSD) of the “working” particles in CMP slurries strongly influences the efficacy of the planarization process. The techniques presently used to determine the PSD typically only measure relative particle concentrations and often presume the shape of the distribution. A new approach uniquely combining proven techniques used for counting and sizing aerosol PSDs has been developed to measure both particle size and number concentration in highly concentrated liquid suspensions. This paper provides a brief description of the new measurement method along with particle data from a number of production slurries using this method.