Optical endpoint detection for the chemical mechanical polishing process

This thesis covers the design and implementation of a mechanism for detecting the endpoint for the Chemical Mechanical Polishing process of copper wafers. The proposed mechanism will detect the reflectance difference found in semiconductor materials to trigger the stop of the polishing process. This will prevent over polishing of the wafer while ensuring the optimal removal of excess materials. The mechanism is intended to run in-situ, while the polishing occurs. This is accomplished by embedding the reflectance sensor in the polishing platen to allow a clear view of the wafer surface. The reflectance from the surface of the wafer is a function of the material properties, surface structure, angle of incident light, and polarization of light. The experimental results revealed detectable change in the reflectance of the wafer surface, which may be used to determine the endpoint of polishing.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Nam, Jamie (Jamie Hyun), 1975-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ernesto Blanco.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9014

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/9014