IBM and Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials are to collaborate on CMP process development for copper and low-k dielectrics integration at the 32nm and 22nm nodes. Under a signed joint development agreement (JDA) the companies will create a complete CMP consumables solution to enable volume manufacturing. The news comes on the back of an announcement that the two companies would also collaborate on photoresist and implant steps at the same technology nodes. 

“As the complexity of the technology increases, innovations in pad and slurry technologies are essential for successful manufacturing,” said Dr. Jeffrey Hedrick, Senior Manager Semiconductor Process Technology at IBM Research.  “Combining Rohm and Haas's world renowned consumables expertise with IBM's extensive knowledge of CMP process technology will help address future CMP technology challenges.”
 
“The development of CMP consumables for advanced technology nodes is becoming extremely complicated,” explained Cathie Markham, Chief Technology Officer for Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials. “Successful CMP process development for the 32nm and 22nm nodes requires a complete understanding of the interaction between pad, slurry and conditioner under various process conditions.

The research will be undertaken at IBM's Research facility in Yorktown Heights, NY, as well as the UAlbany NanoCollege’s Albany NanoTech Complex and Rohm and Haas’s Technology Centers in Newark, DE and Phoenix, AZ.