Semiconductor Device Surface Clean

• US 20130061876A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Suen, Shich-Chang, Peng, He Hui, Chen, Liang-Guang
• Application Number:
  US13/232,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061876A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/6
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 37/042 operating processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02074 the processing being a planarization of conductive layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3212 by chemical mechanical polishing [CMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67046 using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67051 using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/7684 Smoothing; Planarisation

Abstract

A system and method for cleaning a surface of a semiconductor device is disclosed. An embodiment comprises buffing the first surface with a cleaning solution comprising a reactant that will remove a portion of the first surface and also change the first surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The first surface may further be cleaned using a brushing process that also utilizes the cleaning solution.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

polishing a material away from a first surface of a dielectric layer; and

buff polishing the first surface of the dielectric layer with a reactant, wherein the buff polishing changes at least a portion of the first surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactant is phosphoric acid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactant is oxalic acid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactant is citric acid.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising brushing the first surface of the dielectric layer with the reactant after the buff polishing the first surface of the dielectric layer.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising pencil scrubbing the first surface of the dielectric layer with the reactant after the brushing the first surface of the dielectric layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the buff polishing the first surface of the dielectric layer further comprises contacting the first surface with a surfactant that will assist the reactant to change the first surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the surfactant is perfluorooctanoic acid.

9. A method of cleaning a surface of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

polishing a first material away from a first surface;

buffing the first surface with a first cleaning solution, the first cleaning solution comprising a first reactant to remove a portion of the first surface and make the first surface more hydrophilic; and

cleaning the first surface with a second cleaning solution, the second cleaning solution comprising a second reactant that will make the first surface more hydrophilic.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the polishing the first material further comprises:

polishing a conductive material away from a sacrificial layer; and

polishing the sacrificial layer away from the first surface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conductive material is tungsten.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first reactant is phosphoric acid.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first cleaning solution further comprises a surfactant that will make the first surface more hydrophilic.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the cleaning the first surface further comprises:

contacting a polyvinyl alcohol roller to the first surface; and

contacting a pencil brush to the first surface after the contacting the polyvinyl alcohol roller.

15. A method of cleaning a first surface of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

polishing a sacrificial layer from the first surface, wherein the first surface is silicon nitride;

buffing the first surface using a first cleaning solution, the first cleaning solution comprising phosphoric acid;

contacting the first surface with a brush roller and a second cleaning solution comprising phosphoric acid; and

contacting the first surface with a pencil brush and the second cleaning solution.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first cleaning solution further comprises a surfactant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the surfactant is perfluorooctanoic acid.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second cleaning solution is the same as the first cleaning solution.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the polishing the sacrificial layer is performed using a first polishing pad and the buffing the first surface is performed using the first polishing pad.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the brush roller is a PVA brush.