Evaluation of Inhibitors for ECMP of Copper Using Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance (EQCM) Technique

Abstract

AbstractChemical formulations for the electrochemical mechanical planarization (ECMP) of copper must contain constituents that are stable at anodic potentials. A key component of the formulation is a corrosion inhibitor, which is required to protect low lying areas while higher areas are selectively removed. Organic compounds, which adsorb on copper at low overpotentials and form a film by oxidation at higher overpotentials, may be particularly useful for ECMP. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of two inhibitors on copper dissolution in oxalic acid based systems using an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique. By recording current as well as mass changes during the application of potential to electrodeposited copper films, the extent and mechanism of inhibition of sulfhydryl based acid (SBA) inhibitor has been explored.