The removal selectivity of titanium and aluminum in chemical mechanical planarization

Abstract

The removal selectivity control of aluminum and titanium metal barrier during aluminum chemical mechanical polishing in the Damascene process is known to be critical for surface planarity without metal dishing and dielectric erosion. Unfortunately, the electrochemical behaviors of aluminum and titanium are dissimilar, as one may expect. In this study, in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was carried out to investigate the influences of H(2)O(2) concentration, slurry pH, and metal oxide formation through the passivation on aluminum and titanium. As H(2)O(2) concentration increases, the measured impedance of aluminum and titanium decreases, or the oxidation rates of these two metals are enhanced upon increasing the oxidizer concentration. As the slurry pH increases, the removal rate of polished titanium increases, but it decreases for polished aluminum. The removal rate of titanium was limited to its oxidation rate and aluminum was limited to its oxide dissolution rate. (C) 2002 The Electrochemical Society.