Chemical mechanical polish equipment for nanofabrication research

化学机械抛光（CMP）是一项彻底改变半导体行业的技术。它最初被用于平面化层间电介质，并允许集成电路中的多层互连结构。然后将其用于设备的浅沟槽隔离，然后抛光钨塞以实现垂直堆叠过孔。最近，CMP实现了铜互连的使用。铜是不容易被传统的减法技术图案，和CMP使使用大马士革的方法。今天，CMP已经从最初的一层发展到超过15层。很明显，CMP将继续支持未来几代设备，但仍存在重大挑战。正如2005年国际半导体技术路线图所述，在未来10-15年，CMP将需要大幅改进和突破，以满足更严格的性能目标，并使新材料可能被纳入未来的设备。CMP设备将使阿尔伯塔大学的Cadien博士的研究团队能够探索新浆料和衬垫的发明和发现，这将使下一代设备成为可能。他的团队还将探索CMP在纳米机电设备和这些设备的封装中的应用。

Chemical mechanical polish (CMP) is a technology that has revolutionized the semiconductor industry.  It was first used to planarize the interlayer dielectric and permit multilayer interconnect structures in integrated circuits. It was then used for shallow trench isolation for devices, and then to polish tungsten plugs to enable vertically stacked vias.  More recently, CMP has enabled the use of copper interconnects.  Copper is not readily patterned by conventional subtractive techniques, and CMP enabled to use of the Damascene approach.   Today, CMP has grown from initial use on one layer, to use on more than fifteen layers.  It is clear that CMP will continue to enable future generations of devices, however significant challenges remain.  In the next 10-15 years, CMP will need dramatic improvements and breakthroughs, as laid out in the 2005 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, in order meeting ever more stringent performance targets and to enable novel materials that may be incorporated into future devices.  The CMP equipment will enable Dr. Cadien's research team at the University of Alberta to explore the invention and discovery of novel slurries and pads that will enable the next generation devices.  His team will also explore the application of CMP to nano electro mechanical devices and to the packaging of these devices.