A Matching Game for CMP Pads and Conditioners

The relationship between a pad and a conditioner may be the most critical among all "consumables" in a CMP process. The effect of a pad conditioner on pad can be both short-term (instant) and long-term (stability). This paper compares the instantaneous effect of different conditioners on removal rate of oxide, tungsten, and copper CMP. The impact of conditioners in removal profile in copper polishing and rate stability (long-term) in oxide polishing are also presented. The pad wear rate by conditioners of different aggressiveness on Epic® D100 vs. conventional hard pad is compared and the benefits and risks of adopting a more aggressive conditioning on Epic® D100 pad vs. a less aggressive conditioning on conventional pad is discussed.