Effect of pad surface temperature and dry/ wet conditions on pad surface properties

This study investigates the effect of the surface temperature and the dry/ wet conditions of the polishing pad on the contact interface between the substrate and the pad during a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). In this paper, the polishing pad surface textures under the dry and wet conditions were measured by the laser microscopy. Furthermore, the relationship between the pad surface temperature and the pad surface asperity, can be measured by the contact image analysis method, was evaluated. As a result, the following points were observed. (1) When making the wet condition surface by introducing the pure water on the polishing pad, the polishing pad surface texture expands compared with the dry conditions. (2) The number of contact points increases with the increase of the pad temperature under the wet conditions.