CMP

Chemical Mechanical Planarization

CMP removes material and planarizes surfaces through combined chemical reactions and mechanical polishing.

Other learning contexts (4)

Cross-sections before and after CMP, showing excess-metal removal and retained metal in trenches — CMP removes excess film and planarizes the surface while retaining the intended structures. The illustration does not specify actual removal amounts.

In context

Slurry and a pad act on the surface to reduce high regions and excess film. The objective is to establish the height and retained materials for processing the next layer, beyond simply making a wafer shiny.

Example

Damascene requires removing metal outside trenches while preserving metal lines inside them. Insufficient removal connects lines; excessive removal can reduce conductive cross sections.

Key distinction

CMP aims to achieve both sufficient removal and preservation of required structures.

From the same lessons

Unit process Patterning cycle Process integration Epitaxial wafer Resistivity MOSFET Gate stack Source/drain

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