MIXED ABRASIVE POLISHING COMPOSITIONS

• US 20150102012A1
• Filed: 10/10/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CMC Materials LLC (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cabot Microelectronics Corporation (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: REISS, Brian, DYSARD, Jeffrey, NALASKOWSKI, Jakub, LAM, Viet, JIA, Renhe
• Granted Patent: US 9,340,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/89
• CPC Class Codes: C09G 1/02 containing abrasives or grinding agents abrasives as such C09K3/14; polishing of semi-conductors H01L
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 3/1436 Composite particles, e.g. coated particles
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 3/1463 Aqueous liquid suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02013 Grinding, lapping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30625 With simultaneous mechanical treatment, e.g. mechanico-chemical polishing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31053 involving a dielectric removal step

Abstract

The invention provides chemical-mechanical polishing compositions and methods of chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate with the chemical-mechanical polishing compositions. The polishing compositions comprise first abrasive particles, wherein the first abrasive particles are ceria particles, second abrasive particles, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, surface-modified silica particles, or organic particles, a pH-adjusting agent, and an aqueous carrier. The polishing compositions also exhibit multimodal particle size distributions.

Claims

1. A chemical-mechanical polishing composition comprising:

(a) first abrasive particles, wherein the first abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the first abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 30 nm to about 1 μ

m and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(b) second abrasive particles, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, surface-modified silica particles, or organic particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 60 nm and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(c) a functionalized pyridine, benzoic acid, amino acid, or combination thereof,

(d) a pH-adjusting agent, and

(e) an aqueous carrier,

wherein the polishing composition exhibits a multimodal particle size distribution, and

wherein the pH of the polishing composition is about 3.5 to about 9.

2. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the first abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 50 nm to about 70 nm.

3. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 20 nm to about 40 nm.

4. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 3, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 5;

1.

5. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 15 nm.

6. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 5, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 3:

1 to about 6;

1.

7. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the second abrasive particles are surface-modified silica particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 40 nm.

8. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 7, wherein the second abrasive particles are cationic silica particles.

9. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 7, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 15;

1.

10. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the second abrasive particles are organic particles selected from gelatin, latex, cellulose, polystyrene, and polyacrylate, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 40 nm.

11. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 10, wherein the second abrasive particles are gelatin particles.

12. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 10, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 30;

1.

13. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the functionalized pyridine, benzoic acid, or amino acid is picolinic acid.

14. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the pH-adjusting agent is an alkyl amine, an alcohol amine, quaternary amine hydroxide, ammonia, or a combination thereof.

15. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 14, wherein the pH-adjusting agent is triethanolamine.

16. The chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1, wherein the pH of the polishing composition is about 3.5 to about 5.

18. A method of polishing a substrate comprising:

(i) providing a substrate;

(ii) providing a polishing pad;

(iii) providing the chemical-mechanical polishing composition of claim 1;

(iv) contacting the substrate with the polishing pad and the chemical-mechanical polishing composition; and

(v) moving the polishing pad and the chemical-mechanical polishing composition relative to the substrate to abrade at least a portion of the substrate to polish the substrate.

17. A chemical-mechanical polishing composition comprising:

(a) first abrasive particles, wherein the first abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the first abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 30 nm to about 1 μ

m and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(b) second abrasive particles, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, surface-modified silica particles, or organic particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 60 nm and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(c) a polymer additive selected from polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl alcohol, poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), a copolymer of poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), cellulose, a cationic dendrimer, a monomer or homopolymer of methacryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium, or a combination thereof,

(d) a pH-adjusting agent, and

(e) an aqueous carrier,

wherein the polishing composition exhibits a multimodal particle size distribution, and

wherein the pH of the polishing composition is about 6 to about 9.

19. A method of polishing a substrate comprising:

(i) providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a silicon oxide layer;

(ii) providing a polishing pad;

(iii) providing a chemical-mechanical polishing composition comprising;

(a) first abrasive particles, wherein the first abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the first abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 30 nm to about 1 μ

m and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(b) second abrasive particles, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, surface-modified silica particles, or organic particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 60 nm and are present in the polishing composition at a concentration of about 0.005 wt. % to about 2 wt. %,

(c) a functionalized pyridine, benzoic acid, amino acid, or combination thereof,

(d) a pH-adjusting agent, and

(e) an aqueous carrier,

wherein the polishing composition exhibits a multimodal particle size distribution, and

wherein the pH of the polishing composition is about 3.5 to about 9;

(iv) contacting the substrate with the polishing pad and the chemical-mechanical polishing composition; and

(v) moving the polishing pad and the chemical-mechanical polishing composition relative to the substrate to abrade at least a portion of the silicon oxide layer on a surface of the substrate to polish the substrate.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 50 nm to about 70 nm.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 20 nm to about 40 nm.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 5;

1.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 15 nm.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 3:

1 to about 6;

1.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the second abrasive particles are surface-modified silica particles, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 40 nm.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second abrasive particles are cationic silica particles.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 15;

1.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the second abrasive particles are organic particles selected from gelatin, latex, cellulose, polystyrene, and polyacrylate, and wherein the second abrasive particles have an average particle size of about 1 nm to about 40 nm.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the second abrasive particles are gelatin particles.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the ratio of the concentration of the first abrasive particles present in the polishing composition to the concentration of the second abrasive particles present in the polishing composition is about 1:

1 to about 30;

1.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the functionalized pyridine, benzoic acid, or amino acid is picolinic acid.

32. The method of claim 19, wherein the pH-adjusting agent is an alkyl amine, an alcohol amine, quaternary amine hydroxide, ammonia, or a combination thereof.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the pH-adjusting agent is triethanolamine.

34. The method of claim 19, wherein the pH of the polishing composition is about 3.5 to about 5.