SBIR Phase I: Acoustic Slurry Monitor

SBIR第一期项目是开发一种声学CMP（化学机械抛光）浆液监测仪。这是一种完全在线的、实时的、使用点的仪器，可以检测和分散集成电路制造中使用的纳米浆料中的任何和所有大团块。如果不加以控制，这些错误的浆液颗粒/团块可以“杀死”（深深划伤）半导体晶圆，因为它正在经历化学机械刨平或抛光。在集成电路制造的各个阶段，CMP已成为恢复晶圆表面真实度的首选方法。这种声波泥浆监测仪采用了一种新技术。声诱导微空化（ACIM）是一种有效控制声微空化的方法。它是通过在致密的纳米细浆中优先促进大颗粒的可控气泡成核来实现的。因此，本研究旨在探讨一种新的气泡成核原理。在操作中，浆料监测器将在浆料被送入抛光垫之前，在最终分配点检查100毫升浆料。在1分钟内完成对全密CMP浆料中大颗粒的检测。这种泥浆监测器可以安装在现有的CMP工具上。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过使CMP加工无刮伤来提高半导体制造的产量。目前还没有一种方法可以在使用点实现cmp安全的浆液。在制造的最后阶段刮伤的先进设备晶圆将直接损失25万美元或更多。使用声波泥浆监测仪可以保护晶圆片，节省的第一块晶圆片超过10万美元的投资回报。泥浆监测是一种产量保护工具，可靠地提高了CMP的性能。最终，建设性控制微空化的原理，即ACIM粒子检测，依赖于控制相变的最基本过程，即控制成核？在固相附近将液体转化为气体的能力。对这种声介导成核控制的研究可以形成一个活跃的研究和教育领域。ACIM将广泛应用于各种液体化学处理，例如化学和核反应堆沸腾过程的控制、声化学合成和生物技术。这家小公司是一家少数族裔和女性拥有的公司，依赖于多样性。种族、性别和年龄？为表现稳健，致力于培养年轻的研究人员。

This SBIR Phase-I project is to develop an acoustic CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) slurry monitor?a fully in-line, real-time, point of use instrument that will detect and disperse any and all large agglomerates in the nanofine slurries used in IC manufacture. Left unchecked, these errant slurry particles/ agglomerates can "kill" (deeply scratch) a semiconductor wafer as it undergoes chemical mechanical planarizing or polishing. CMP has become the method of choice for restoring the surface trueness of wafers at all stages of IC manufacture. This acoustic slurry monitor makes use of a novel technology?Acoustic Coaxing Induced Microcavitation (ACIM), a means of constructively controlling acoustic microcavitation. It does so by facilitating controlled bubble nucleation preferentially on the large particle, in the midst of dense nano-fine slurry. This research is thus aimed at investigating a new principle of bubble nucleation. In operation the slurry monitor will inspect a 100ml of the slurry charge at final dispense point just before the slurry is fed to the polishing pad. It will complete the detection for large particles in fully dense CMP slurry in one minute. This slurry monitor can be mounted on the existing CMP tools. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project are to enable improved yields in semiconductor manufacturing by making CMP processing scratch free. No method currently exists that can implement a CMP-safe slurry at the point of use. An advanced device wafer scratched at the final stages of manufacture is a direct loss of $250k or more. Use of the Acoustic Slurry Monitor protects wafers and more than returns the $100k investment with the very first wafer it saves. The Slurry Monitor is a yield protecting tool reliably improving CMP performance. Ultimately, the principle of constructively controlled microcavitation, ACIM particle detection, relies on controlling the very fundamental process of phase change, the control of nucleation?the ability to convert a liquid into a gas in the vicinity of a solid phase. The study of this acoustically mediated nucleation control could form an active field/area of research and education. ACIM will be widely applicable in a variety of liquid-chemical processing, e.g. control of boiling processes in chemical and nuclear reactors, sonochemical synthesis, and bio-technology. This small business is a minority and woman-owned company that relies on diversity?ethnic, gender and age?for robust performance that is dedicated to training young researchers.