The application is to be on December 16th, 2005 applying date, and application number is 200510134775.9, and denomination of invention is divided an application for " abrasive grain, polishing slurries and manufacture method thereof " patent application.
Embodiment
Hereinafter the preparation method of polishing slurries among the present invention and the analysis that the performance of this polishing slurries is carried out will be elaborated respectively.Specifically, when the dimensional change of starting material cakings and when the introducing multistep is calcined processing procedure suddenly, will analyze the variation of polishing slurries characteristic respectively.In addition, the present invention also will set forth the method that the employing cerium dioxide is made the preparation method of the polishing slurries of polishing particle, made dispersion agent with deionized water and anionic polymer.And, will provide the CMP result of depending on the procedure for producing condition, for example oxide film polishing velocity and selectivity.Any those skilled in the art can utilize the structure of following announcement and technology contents to make a little change or be modified to the equivalent embodiment of equivalent variations, and category of the present invention is not limited to following description.
[manufacture method of ceria sizing agent]
Ceria sizing agent of the present invention comprises cerium oxide powder, deionized water, anionic polymeric dispersing agent and a kind of additive, as weak acid or weak base.The preparation method of polishing slurries may further comprise the steps (see figure 1).At first, presoma such as cerous carbonate are carried out pre-treatment, with composite solid state cerium oxide powder (S1).Perhaps, can before solid-state synthesizing, carry out multistep and calcine processing procedure suddenly, comprise drying, calcining, pulverizing (pulverizing) and/or pulverize (crushing) step.Afterwards, cerium oxide powder is mixed (S2) with deionized water in container, the mixture that obtains is in grinding machine for grinding, so that reduce particle diameter and meet the requirements of size distribution (S3).In the slurry that aforesaid method obtains, add anionic polymeric dispersing agent to increase the dispersion stabilization (S4) of polishing particle.Add additive in high-speed mixer, as weak acid, weak base, with the control pH value of slurry, by grinding stable dispersion (S5), to determine solid weight percent (wt%) in the slurry, promptly solid content (S6) reaches needed value again.Remove by filter macroparticle to stop the generation (S7) of precipitation and polishing processing procedure cut.Afterwards, by wearing out stable slurry (S8).The preparation method of cerium dioxide polishing slurries among the present invention is described in detail in detail below.
1. the manufacturing of cerium oxide powder
In the present invention, the first step of preparation ceria sizing agent is: adopt solid generation method to prepare cerium oxide powder by presoma.Presoma such as cerous carbonate produce cerium oxide powder by calcining, but before calcining, should adopt at first separately drying process remove wherein moisture so that its thermal conduction and manufacturability be guaranteed.Depend on for example characteristic of persursor material such as cerous carbonate, ceria sizing agent may change according to particular characteristics, and these particular characteristics comprise specific surface area, porousness, degree of crystallinity, particle size distribution etc., hereinafter will carry out sets forth in detail to it.
The performance of cerium oxide powder depends on the calcining effect of cerous carbonate and the performance of calciner.Cerous carbonate has water-absorbent, and is crystallizable with water, and the valency of its crystal water can be 4,5 or 6.Therefore the calcining effect of cerous carbonate is relevant with its water regain with the valency of the crystal water in its crystal.After the calcining, the moisture in the cerous carbonate is removed.But along with the rising of temperature and gathering of heat, the decarbonate reaction takes place, and carbonate has become carbonic acid gas.Cerium oxide powder also begins to generate.Secondly, carry out extra thermal treatment, produce the cerium oxide powder that particle constituted thus by various size to cause recrystallize.It is preferable 500-1000 ℃ of execution down wherein to calcine processing procedure.Herein, calcining temperature can be determined degree of crystallinity and particle size.The size of each particle or xln increases along with the rising of calcining temperature.
In addition, can a plurality of stages but not the single stage carry out calcining, introduce therebetween and pulverize or pulverize step.This multistep is calcined the characteristic that processing procedure can be determined ceria sizing agent suddenly, and for example specific surface area, porousness, crystal structure degree, particle size etc., and oxide removal rate and selectivity hereinafter also are described in greater detail.
2. mix and grinding
The cerium oxide powder that calcining process is generated above adopting in the mixing tank of high speed rotating with deionized water mixing humidification after, the mixture of gained is admitted to the superpower grinding machine for grinding to reduce its particle size and to make the particle good dispersion, so that generate nano level cerium dioxide polishing slurries.After water mixes, can adopt superpower shredder control polishing size of particles and disperse its caked particle.Shredder adopts wet type, dry type all can.But have the metallics corrosive possibility that is produced by itself wearing and tearing back in the processing procedure because of the dry grinding machine grinds, pottery system wet grinding machine is adopted in suggestion.But the wet grinding machine settling that particle coacervation forms may occur in grinding processing procedure, thereby generates large-scale macrobead particle, and the phenomenon that mill efficiency descends finally takes place.Therefore, be necessary concentration, pH value of slurry and the conductivity of polishing particle are controlled, and adopt dispersion agent to improve polishing particle dispersive stability.
3. the interpolation of dispersion stabilization and additive
Need in the polishing slurries to add a kind of anionic polymeric dispersing agent and other additive, as weak acid or weak base, thus the effect of playing control polishing slurries pH value, stablizing polishing slurries.After this, can use high-energy mills to grind the mixture that comprises dispersion agent and additive, to reduce size of particles and dispersed particle.Secondly, use during pump is conveyed into powdery and dispersive slurry independently jar, use suitable diverting device that it is disperseed once more subsequently, lump once more and precipitate to guarantee its dispersion stabilization and to prevent.
Can be any material that is selected from the group that following each thing forms as the anionic polymer batch mixing of dispersion agent: polymethyl acrylic acid (polymethacrylic acid), polyacrylic acid (polyacrylicacid), ammonium polymethacrylate (ammonium polyethacrylate), poly carboxylic acid ammonium (ammoniumpolycarboxylate), carboxyl-propenyl polymer (carboxyl-acryl polymer) and combination thereof.Its former because slurry of the present invention is based on water, and above-mentioned polymer composition water soluble at normal temperatures.In addition, calculate with the amount of polishing particles, the content of the anionic polymer batch mixing that is added is suitably for 0.0001-10.0wt%.The viscosity performance of the ceria sizing agent after stable is preferably newton's performance.
4. the control of solid load (wt%) and larger particles removes
As mentioned above, behind the stably dispersing processing procedure, the solid content of ceria sizing agent is controlled in certain scope, adopts filtration method to remove and deenergize to cause precipitation and the macroparticle that lumps and can cause cut in the CMP processing procedure.When the particle of large volume existed, the gravity of particle was greater than by the caused repulsive force of repulsive interaction between particle, and the surface-area of macroparticle is less than the surface-area of small-particle, so the dispersiveness of macroparticle is less than the dispersiveness of small-particle.When the macroparticle number of unit volume increases with the increase of solid content, the situation aggravation that can cause precipitating and condensing caking.Based on two above-mentioned reasons, make to precipitate and condense to lump to be easy to take place, cause the slurry instability, therefore be necessary to remove macroparticle, wherein the degree of macroparticle removal increases with filtering number of times.
5. slurry is aging
In container, can further increase stability of slurry by 24 hours stirrings are aging.This step also can prepare fully at slurry to be implemented after finishing, and can also omit as required.
[depending on the variation of the ceria sizing agent characteristic of persursor material characteristic]
As mentioned below, making under the situation of ceria sizing agent by above-mentioned manufacturing processed, analyze of the influence of the characteristic of persursor material cerous carbonate to the ceria sizing agent characteristic.Specific, the size that will become the piece secondary granule according to cerous carbonate is described in detail the variation of ceria sizing agent characteristic.
As indicated above, prepare abrasive grain by persursor material being carried out predrying and calcining, and before grinding, mix subsequently with DI water.After calcining, assembling widely of presoma cerous carbonate causes wider particle size distribution.That is, when calcining, can make meticulous cerium oxide particles and larger particles.
But if contain the larger particles of size greater than 1 μ m, polishing slurries can cause producing little cut, yet in the manufacturing processed of 0.13 μ m or littler superelevation integrated semiconductor, this will produce fatal influence to semiconductor device.Therefore, it is very important for the manufacturing of ceria sizing agent to get rid of larger particles as much as possible.For this reason, must control the particle size and the gathering of persursor material cerous carbonate.
Can prepare cerous carbonate according to program shown in Figure 2, with persursor material as ceria sizing agent.At first, with the raw ore mixing (S10) of rare earth metal, and be dissolved in the hydrochloric acid to obtain rare-earth chloride solution (S20).Carry out a plurality of extractions with isolation cycle so that Cerium II Chloride separates (S30) with other rare earth metal.Cerium II Chloride is mixed with volatile salt to form cerous carbonate throw out (S40), subsequently it is washed and drying (S50) so that desired high purity persursor material (S60) to be provided.
When using this coprecipitation method to prepare the persursor material cerous carbonate, the precipitin reaction condition for example all can be determined sedimentary characteristic for pH value, temperature, time etc.Specifically, presoma has crucial influence for the particle size of sedimentary trend and gained presoma to the characteristic of finished product ceria sizing agent.
Referring to Fig. 3, it is a synoptic diagram, and the definition of D1, D50 and D99 is described, that is, according to size particle is classified.
As shown in Figure 3, D50 is corresponding to a particle size, wherein this particle size is less than 50% population distribution particulate size, and D1 is corresponding to a particle size, wherein this particle size is bigger 1% population distribution particulate size, and D99 is corresponding to a particle size, and wherein this particle size is less 1% population distribution particulate size.Therefore, the shared secondary granule size of D1 greater than other both, and assemble widely and worse dispersion stabilization will produce higher D1 value.
For the characteristic that more can understand ceria sizing agent is to depend on the persursor material characteristic, hereinafter enumerated the example of many particle size distribution.
Table 1
|
D1 (size is bigger) |
D50 (size is medium) |
D99 (size is less) |
Persursor material 1 |
365.3μm |
120.5μm |
2.4μm |
Persursor material |
2 |
107.7μm |
34.9μm |
2.5μm |
Persursor material |
3 |
51.9μm |
6.483μm |
1.5μm |
Fig. 4 has drawn the particle size distribution figure of persursor material cerous carbonate given in the table 1.As shown in Figure 4, compare with persursor material 2 or persursor material 3, because higher aggregation extent, persursor material 1 contains larger sized particle.At high temperature after the calcining, find that the cerous carbonate particle of persursor material 1 to 3 has particle size shown in Figure 5, it is as using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) measured.In order to reproduce data among Fig. 5, from various persursor materials, select two particles at random, and measure its size.As shown in Figure 5, along with the carrying out of calcining processing procedure and the increase of persursor material particle size, these particulate sizes will increase.
In the calcining processing procedure, can produce cerium carbonate powder, remove carbonic acid functional group (carbonate functional group) with form of carbon dioxide thereby decarburizating takes place simultaneously.Under higher calcining temperature, cerium carbonate powder meeting recrystallize is to generate larger sized particle.In addition, because the increase of the particle size that the high trend of cerous carbonate accumulative is caused will be made bigger particle size, its reason is as follows.
In highly dense caked nano-sized powders, many primary granules contact with each other.Necking point place between contiguous primary granule is easy to take place the motion of mass diffusion and lattice, thereby even also can forms larger particles by thermal destruction (thermal degradation) at low temperatures.That is, shown in Fig. 6 a, when particle scatter each other, itself in addition the calcining after also keep separated from one another.On the contrary, shown in Fig. 6 b, when particle contacted with each other, it was that the center forms larger particles with the necking point that calcining can make it.Thereby, even under uniform temp, calcine the identical time, also can generate particles of different sizes.
As shown in Figure 5, form in gathering under the situation of persursor material 1, can form larger particle, and cause the abnormal grain of cerium dioxide abrasive grain with relatively large particle size owing to cerous carbonate.
Referring to Fig. 7 a to 7c, it is respectively shows persursor material 1 to 3 photo 800 ℃ of following results for calcination.Shown in photo, the particle size of the quantity of larger particles and persursor material cerous carbonate increases pro rata in the abrasive grain.
Simultaneously, when particle became piece, persursor material was rendered as larger particles, and this moment is owing to not exclusively calcine so can form nano sized particles in big grumeleuse.Become the piece persursor material that mass transfer is had more on the whole drag, thereby make the mass transfer of reactant gases oxygen and by product carbonic acid gas and diffusion postpone, cause incomplete calcining.To be described in detail this phenomenon with lower section " depend on multistep calcine the variation of the ceria sizing agent characteristic of processing procedure suddenly ".Owing to this reason, along with the persursor material particle is assembled more widely, and be rendered as larger particle, wherein persursor material has fine granular, thereby broad particle size distribution is provided.
In order to control the particle size of cerous carbonate, as described above, the powders in the precipitation processing procedure of persursor material manufacture method is minimized.Gathering is to depend on the reaction conditions of powdered preparation and take place.Along with the generation of more precipitation from homogeneous solutions, the more difficult gathering of cerous carbonate precipitation.Can be by regulating CeCl
3The concentration of solution, mixing rate, temperature of reaction and/or obtain uniform precipitation by suitable dispersion agent.
[depend on multistep calcine the variation of the ceria sizing agent characteristic of processing procedure suddenly]
Herein, stating processing procedure in the use and make under the situation of ceria sizing agent, calcine the influence of processing procedure to the ceria sizing agent characteristic suddenly with describing multistep in detail, specifically, also is to be described with regard to CMP speed and little cut quantity.
As shown in Figure 8, the calcining processing procedure comprises five steps.At first, airborne oxygen and cerous carbonate produce reaction.Subsequently, oxygen diffuses into cerous carbonate and is adsorbed on reactive site by hole (pores).Secondly, oxygen reacts so that cerous carbonate is calcined.After this, discharge products such as carbonic acid gas from reactive site, and carbonic acid gas diffuses out cerous carbonate and enters air by the hole.Can represent this calcining processing procedure from following reaction equation 1.
[reaction equation 1]
Can understand, in the calcining processing procedure, oxygen and carbon dioxide depends on the form of cerous carbonate by the rate of diffusion in hole, thereby determines overall reaction rate.Therefore, even carry out calcining at uniform temp with the identical time limit, the gained particle also can be showed different particle growths or degree of crystallinity.
Specifically, the outside and the degree of crystallinity between the inside of luming at the cerous carbonate that is of a size of hundreds of μ m have very big difference, make particle show broad particle size distribution.
With reference to Fig. 9 a and 9b, it is respectively and disperses and the SEM photo that becomes the piece persursor material.In Figure 10, when calcining disperses persursor material and becomes the piece persursor material, to disperseing persursor material and the relation curve that becomes the drafting of piece persursor material with respect to the density and the specific surface area of particle size, wherein become piece persursor material acquisition sample A and B among the dispersion persursor material from Fig. 9 a and Fig. 9 b respectively.Can be easy to draw from graphic representation,, compare, become the piece cerous carbonate to have bigger specific surface area and lower density with disperseing cerous carbonate although have identical particle size.Its former because: under the situation of the one-tenth piece cerous carbonate shown in Fig. 9 b, its outside well-crystallized is rendered as larger particles thus, and its inner because not exclusively calcining and do not allow crystal growth, thereby shows low-crystallinity.
Referring to Figure 11 a and 11b, disperse cerous carbonate and the slurry that becomes the piece cerous carbonate to prepare with the TEM photo display by calcining respectively.As shown in the figure, show uneven particle size distribution, wherein have many fine granulars from becoming the prepared slurry of piece cerous carbonate.This is owing to the imperfect crystal in the persursor material.That is, become the particle size distribution of piece persursor material to increase, because have bigger size difference between inside and external particle, for example, external particle is big and internal particle is less.
In addition, larger particles inner generate than small-particle because it is easy to condense than bigger serface, and cause outside larger particles to have little cut.In addition, owing to its low internal crystallization degree has bad oxide cmp speed, strengthened the polishing velocity selectivity of oxide skin than small-particle thus to nitride layer.
Because in the manufacturing processed of 0.13 μ m or littler superelevation integrated semiconductor, little cut has fatal influence to semiconductor device, therefore must avoid little cut.Consider the aggregation extent of persursor material cerous carbonate, must regulate particle size.
For this reason, using the multistep of one embodiment of the invention to calcine processing procedure suddenly evenly calcines becoming the piece cerous carbonate.Can overcome into degree of crystallinity difference between piece cerous carbonate outside and the inside by the rapid calcining of multistep of the present invention, thereby make the uniform abrasive grain of particle size with controllable manner.
At first, the elementary persursor material to cerous carbonate carries out drying and carries out elementary calcining.Secondly, obtain less secondary persursor material, expose inside with low-crystallinity by pulverizing or pulverizing.Powdery or broken secondary persursor material are carried out secondary calcining step so that abrasive grain to be provided.
Can identical or different temperature carry out the primary and secondary calcining step.For pulverizing or pulverizing processing procedure, can utilize various dry types to pulverize or crushing device, for example sizer (classifier), crusher, airbrasive machine etc.
Use three steps calcining processing procedure can obtain further improvement.In this, before calcining step subsequently, carry out the step of pulverizing or pulverizing persursor material just.Specifically, after initial dry and calcining, persursor material is pulverized or pulverized, expose the inside that it has low-crystallinity to obtain less secondary persursor material.After secondary drying of experience and calcining, secondary persursor material is further pulverized or pulverized littler third stage persursor material, expose the inside that it has low-crystallinity.At last, third stage persursor material is carried out the dry and calcining step of the third stage so that abrasive grain to be provided.
Compare with known single stage calcining processing procedure, this multistep is calcined outside and the inside that processing procedure can make into the piece persursor material suddenly and is had similar degree of crystallinity, thereby makes particle size keep even in narrower particle size distribution.Therefore, the larger particles that causes little cut that forms in one-tenth piece persursor material outside can be pulverized suddenly or pulverize step and split into littler particle by multistep.In addition, because the degree of crystallinity of whole persursor material becomes evenly, has abrasive grain than narrow size distribution thereby calcine with manufacturing.
Table 2 has hereinafter provided calcine processing procedure and the degree of crystallinity measuring result that become piece cerous carbonate prepared abrasive grain of single stage calcining processing procedure from Fig. 9 b suddenly by multistep.In table 2, slurry 1 is by carrying out as multistep is calcined elementary calcining in the processing procedure suddenly, pulverizes or pulverizes and secondary calcining obtains, and slurry 2 is to calcine processing procedure by single stage to obtain.Use the particle size after the XRD measurement has just been calcined and measure then incinerating wet grinding processing procedure particle size afterwards.
Table 2
From table 2 and Figure 12 as can be known, calcine the prepared slurry of processing procedure 1 no change almost after calcining just and after grinding suddenly, after grinding, showed sharply reducing of particle size and calcine the prepared slurry 2 of processing procedure by single stage by multistep.
In X-ray diffraction, the degree of depth that X ray infiltrates sample only is 10 μ m or littler.But, shown in Fig. 9 b,, become the piece cerous carbonate to reach the diameter of hundreds of μ m, even and after the single stage calcining, still keep this form as in slurry 2.Therefore, when XRD is applied to the grumeleuse cerous carbonate, can measure that it is outside and can not analyze its inside.That is, XRD can be applicable to have the external particle of high-crystallinity, but can not be applied to have the internal particle of low-crystallinity.After carrying out the wet grinding processing procedure, XRD can analyze less internal particle, therefore makes average particle size particle size reduce 7nm.
On the contrary, as in slurry 1 since multistep calcine processing procedure suddenly can fully calcined inside, so the particulate size is even, even and after grinding, its mean sizes only reduces 1nm.
In addition, particle size distribution has influence to the dispersion stabilization of gained slurry.As measuring the effective standard of slurry accumulative, can use dD15 or dD50.In other words, the LA910 that uses Japanese Horiba company to produce measures particle size, and the result is used for it is calculated.It is defined as follows.
That dD1=D1 sound splits (sonication) is preceding-after D1 sound splits
Before dD15=D15 sound splits-after D15 sound splits
Before dD50=D50 sound splits-after D50 sound splits
Wherein, be defined as follows separately:
Before D1 sound splits: be exposed to the preceding measured D1 particle size of ultrasonic wave;
D1 sound splits the back: be exposed to measured D1 particle size after the ultrasonic wave;
Before D15 sound splits: be exposed to the preceding measured D15 particle size of ultrasonic wave;
D15 sound splits the back: be exposed to measured D15 particle size after the ultrasonic wave;
Before D50 sound splits: be exposed to the preceding measured D50 particle size of ultrasonic wave;
D50 sound splits the back: be exposed to measured D50 particle size after the ultrasonic wave.
Measure in the LA910 model of using Horiba company to produce under the situation of particle size,, then become the piece slurry to be reallocated, thereby can measure the particle size under the dispersion state if carry out measurement by ultrasonic wave.On the other hand, if do not carry out measurement, then become the piece slurry not reallocated, thereby measure into the particle size of piece slurry by ultrasonic wave.Therefore, particle size deviation dD1, dD15 or dD50 increase and increase along with the persursor material accumulative, or increase along with reducing of slurry dispersion stabilization.
Showed among the table 9b hereinafter that multistep is calcined processing procedure and single stage calcining processing procedure suddenly to be applied to become the comparison between the dispersion stabilization of gained respectively of piece cerous carbonate among Fig. 9 b.
Table 3
|
dD1(nm) |
dD15(nm) |
dD50(nm) |
Slurry 1 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
Slurry 2 |
234 |
110 |
43 |
Based on these data, can measure the degree of scatter of slurry 1 and 2, the result is showed in respectively among Figure 13 a and the 13b.In Figure 13 a,, calcine the prepared slurry of processing procedure 1 no change in secondary slurries particulate particle size distribution suddenly by multistep no matter whether force to disperse by ultrasonic wave.On the contrary, shown in Figure 13 b, forcing to disperse front and back, in secondary slurries particulate particle size distribution, having than big-difference by the prepared slurry 2 of single stage calcining processing procedure.In slurry 2 because the degree of crystallinity difference between persursor material outside and the inside, have than bigger serface than small-particle and larger particles coexistence with less specific surface area, make slurry have bad dispersion stabilization and extensive caking.Therefore, existing pressure to disperse and not existing between the pressure dispersive slurry, have than big-difference in the particle size distribution.
[variation of CMP characteristic]
Hereinafter, make cerium dioxide abrasive grain and slurry with separately predetermined condition from cerium oxide powder by aforesaid method, and analyzed pulp property such as the particle size of each ceria sizing agent for example and dispersion stabilization and for example removed CMP characteristics such as speed, little cut.
At first, the analytical instrument of characteristic is as follows:
1) particle size: the RINT/DMAX-2500 that uses Japanese Rigaku company to make is measured;
2) particle size distribution: the LA-910 that uses Japanese Horiba company to make is measured;
3) TEM: the JEM-2010 that uses Japanese JEOL company limited to make is measured.
Use ceria sizing agent that object is polished as above-mentioned manufacturing, and to assessing about removing speed, little cut quantity and removing selectivity.The 6EC that uses U.S. Strasbaugh company to make carries out the test of CMP polishing performance.Will be on it apply PE-TEOS (plasma fortified chemical vapour deposition TEOS oxide compound) on its whole surface, to form 8 of oxide film " wafer with and go up and apply Si
3N
4With on its whole surface, form nitride film another 8 " wafer is used for the test of CMP polishing performance.Employed test condition and material are as follows:
1) liner: IC1000/SUBAIV (available from U.S. Rodel company);
2) film thickness measuring apparatus: Nano-Spec 180 (available from U.S. Nano-metrics company);
3) table speed: 70rpm
4) speed of mainshaft: 70rpm
5) overdraft: 4psi
6) back pressure: 0psi
7) slurry supply: 100ml/min
8) measurement of residual particles and cut: the SurfscanSP1 that uses U.S. KLA-Tencor company to make measures.
Use ceria sizing agent to being formed with oxide film (PE-TEOS) or nitride film (Si on the whole surface
3N
4) polishing wafer 1 minute, determine to remove speed according to the variation in thickness of polishing rear film subsequently, and use Surfscan SP1 to measure little cut.Test the polishing performance of each slurry in this way, thereby measure the polishing feature in the back more than three times or three times double product wafer polishing.
[ceria sizing agent 1 to 3: depend on the comparison of the characteristic of persursor material particle size]
(1) preparation of cerium dioxide abrasive grain 1 to 3
In high purity cerium oxide powder 1 to 3 (corresponding respectively to persursor material 1 to 3) each container of packing into, the amount of cerium oxide powder is 800g separately, and calcines 4 hours down in 800 ℃ in continuous tunnel furnace (tunnel kiln).Cerium oxide powder 1 to 3 has the characteristic identical with the given persursor material of table 11 to 3 respectively.All cerium oxide powder 1 is made by cerous carbonate to 3, and presents more and more littler particle size distribution.Carry out calcining with 5 ℃/minute temperature increase rates.Reach after the top temperature, make the cerium oxide powder cooling.Make gas with 20m
3/ hour speed on the direction opposite, flow with saggar (saggar) direction of motion, thereby remove CO effectively
2By product.When analyzing, find that through incinerating cerium oxide powder 1 to 3 like this be high purity cerium dioxide (cerium oxide) abrasive grain 1 to 3 by X-ray diffractometer.
(2) preparation of ceria sizing agent 1 to 3
In super mixer (mixer), to mix 1 hour from cerium oxide powder 1 to 3 synthesis of high purity cerium dioxide abrasive grain, 1 to 3 each 10kg and with the deionized water of 90kg respectively subject to the foregoing or the longer time, thereby realize fully moistening, after this use channel-type to grind processing procedure and each slurry of 10% of acquisition like this ground, its be intended to particle size be controlled at want in the scope and the one-tenth piece particle of dispersed paste.Subsequently, in the weight of cerium oxide powder, add the ammonium polymethacrylate of 1wt%, it serves as anionic dispersing agents.Owing to consider absorption,, then filter to prepare ceria sizing agent 1 to 3 so make lasting 2 hours of mixing or longer time to disperse this slurry.
(3) comparison of ceria sizing agent 1 to 3
To analyzing from high purity cerium dioxide abrasive grain 1 to 3 prepared ceria sizing agent 1 to 3 respectively, the result shows the persursor material cerous carbonate, it is cerium oxide powder, extensively caking, and bigger particle size causes forming in the cerium dioxide abrasive grain particle of more unusual expansion.
(4) CMP test result
The CMP polishing performance of the ceria sizing agent 1 to 3 of test as above-mentioned preparation.
Table 4
Use carry out the CMP test under identical CMP condition, and the result provides in table 4 above from the prepared ceria sizing agent 1 to 3 of cerium oxide powder 1 to 3 (the persursor material cerous carbonate that promptly has varying particle size).
From the data of table 4 as can be known, show greater than the ceria sizing agent 1 of the persursor material preparation of 350 μ m from D1 to remove speed more greatly, but produce significantly more residual oxide membrane granule, therefore compare and produce more cut with ceria sizing agent 2 or 3.Its former because: along with the increase of cerous carbonate particle size, particle size also increases, and this causes being formed on the larger particles that causes little cut in the polishing processing procedure.On the other hand, the less D1 of persursor material can reduce the quantity of oxide film residual particles and little cut, removes speed, the polishing performance of having degenerated but reduced.
The D50 that surpasses 100 μ m has the higher speed that removes, but produces a large amount of oxide film residual particles and by cut that these particles caused.Mean the particle that has more than 50% greater than 100 μ m because surpass the D50 of 100 μ m, therefore form a large amount of larger particles, cause proportional little cut with it.On the other hand, if the D50 of persursor material is less, then removing speed can reduce, and causes bad polishing performance.
As described above, the quantity that removes speed and oxide film residual particles and cut is very important factor in the superelevation integrated semiconductor manufacturing processed, and it depends on the particle size of persursor material.
Compare with Comparative Example, show the excellent speed that removes from the prepared ceria sizing agent 2 or 3 of persursor material cerous carbonate that particle size is suitably controlled, simultaneous oxidation thing film residual particles and little cut remain in remarkable lower level.
Therefore, by providing D1 between 10 and 350 μ m and the persursor material of D50 between 4 and 100 μ m, can obtain the excellent rate that removes, polishing selectivity or remove speed and the least possible cut.The D1 of persursor material is better between 20 and 200 μ m, and D50 is better between 5 and 40 μ m.
[ceria sizing agent 4 and 5: depend on the comparison of the characteristic of calcination condition]
(1) cerium dioxide abrasive grain 4 and 5 preparation
With high purity carbonic acid cerium powder 4 and 5 (all corresponding to Fig. 9 b become the piece persursor material) each container of packing into, wherein the amount of cerium oxide powder is 800g separately.At first, cerium carbonate powder 4 is calcined twice in continuous tunnel furnace, calcined 4 hours down at 750 ℃ at first, secondly under 650 ℃, calcined again 4 hours, carry out therebetween and pulverize.On the other hand, cerium carbonate powder 5 is calcined 4 hours once at 780 ℃.Under these two kinds of situations, advance the speed with 5 ℃/minute temperature and to carry out calcining.After reaching top temperature, make the cerium carbonate powder cooling.Make gas with 20m
3/ hour speed on the direction opposite, flow with saggar direction of motion, thereby remove CO effectively
2By product.Find that through incinerating cerium oxide powder like this be high purity cerium dioxide (cerium oxide) abrasive grain 4 and 5 that average particle size particle size is respectively 29.8nm and 29.6nm, as analyzing by X-ray diffractometer.
(2) ceria sizing agent 4 and 5 preparation
Use super mixer, will be subject to the foregoing respectively will from cerium oxide powder 4 and 5 synthetic high purity cerium dioxide abrasive grains 4 and 5 each 10kg mix 1 hour with deionized water with 90kg or the longer time, thereby realize fully moistening, after this use channel-type to grind processing procedure each slurry of 10% of acquisition like this is ground, and be controlled at particle size in the desired scope and the one-tenth piece particle of dispersed paste.Subsequently, in the weight of cerium oxide powder, add the ammonium polymethacrylate of 1wt%, it can be used as anionic dispersing agents.Consider its absorption, make lasting 2 hours of mixing or longer time, then filter with preparation ceria sizing agent 4 and 5 to disperse this slurry.
(3) ceria sizing agent 4 and 5 comparison
As being easy to understand from table 2 and Figure 12, to respectively from prepared ceria sizing agent 4 of high purity cerium dioxide abrasive grain 4 and 5 and 5 analysis revealed, ceria sizing agent 4 no change almost in the particle size before and after grinding, and ceria sizing agent 5 particle size after grinding sharply reduces.Its reason is: because the presoma cerous carbonate extensively lumps, so the presoma cerous carbonate inside of ceria sizing agent 5 and the particle size distribution between the outside have than big-difference, thereby form outside larger particles, and inside incinerating situation fully.
In addition, use light scattering method to analyze the dispersion stabilization of ceria sizing agent 4 and 5 by grain size analysis instrument (LA-910 that Horiba makes).Shown in Figure 13 a, no matter whether carry out to force to disperse, the experience multistep is calcined ceria sizing agent 4 no change in secondary slurries particulate particle size distribution of processing procedure suddenly.On the contrary, shown in Figure 13 b, forcing to disperse front and back in secondary slurries particulate particle size distribution, to have than big-difference by the ceria sizing agent 5 of single stage calcining processing procedure preparation.In ceria sizing agent 4, less internal particle and big external particle coexistence make slurry have bad dispersion stabilization and extensive caking.
(4) CMP test result
Test as above-mentioned prepared ceria sizing agent 4 and 5 CMP polishing performance.
Table 5
The data of table 5 and Figure 14 show: calcine the prepared slurry of processing procedure 4 suddenly by multistep and have full and uniform degree of crystallinity, thereby can two-forty remove oxide film, and owing to becoming the incomplete calcining in the piece cerous carbonate to make slurry 5 have bad degree of crystallinity and bad oxide removal rate.In addition, for the electrical nitride film of the tensio-active agent of absorption q.s on it, it removes speed between slurry 4 and slurry 5 and indifference, thereby use slurry 4 can obtain the preferable selectivity that removes.
The degree of agglomeration of slurry 4 is obviously less, and in other words, the dispersive degree is bigger, thereby compares with slurry 5, and slurry 4 can be realized better Flatness when polishing wafer; And since the caking of slurry 5 and larger particles all more than slurry 4, so slurry 5 obviously can produce more oxide compound residual particles and little cut.
Therefore, using multistep calcines processing procedure suddenly and can realize the excellent rate that removes, polishing selectivity effectively or remove speed and minimum little cut quantity.In other words, by calcine the persursor material of cerium dioxide abrasive grain in the rapid mode of multistep, can be easy to obtain desired pulp property.
Therefore, the present invention is controlled in the pre-determined range by the particle size with the ceria sizing agent persursor material, makes ceria sizing agent can have good speed and the selectivity of removing, and has and do not cause little cut or make the minimized ability of little cut quantity.Thereby, can be easy to obtain desired pulp property by control the calcining processing procedure in the rapid mode of multistep.
As indicated above, can make polishing slurries according to the present invention with various good characteristics, these characteristics are to be used for the necessary characteristic of STI CMP abrasive material that semi-conductor is made.Specifically, when using polishing slurries of the present invention, what can keep behind CMP that quantity significantly reduces has the cut and the residual particles of fatal influence for semiconductor device.
In addition, the present invention can make a kind of slurry that can keep higher rate of removal to reduce the quantity of the cut that can cause defective simultaneously by carrying out a calcining processing procedure of considering the persursor material characteristic.
And the present invention can make the slurry of the necessary excellent physical characteristic of a kind of STI of having CMP rumbling compound.Thereby, polishing slurries of the present invention can be applicable to various patterns required in the manufacturing processed of superelevation integrated semiconductor, thereby can guarantee excellent to remove speed, remove heterogeneity (WIWNU) in selectivity and the wafer, its expression removes homogeneity and can minimizing little cut.
The above, it only is preferred embodiment of the present invention, be not that the present invention is done any pro forma restriction, though the present invention discloses as above with preferred embodiment, yet be not in order to limit the present invention, any those skilled in the art, in not breaking away from the technical solution of the present invention scope, when the structure that can utilize above-mentioned announcement and technology contents are made a little change or be modified to the equivalent embodiment of equivalent variations, but every content that does not break away from technical solution of the present invention, according to technical spirit of the present invention to any simple modification that above embodiment did, equivalent variations and modification all still belong in the scope of technical solution of the present invention.