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New Product: CMP pad from Cabot offers improved pad life and performance repeatability
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Product Briefing Outline: Cabot Microelectronics
Corporation has launched its new CMP polishing pad, the Epic D100,
which is the result of extensive research intended to deliver a step
change improvement in CMP pad life and pad-to-pad consistency.
Customers are successfully qualifying and using the Epic D100 for
dielectric, shallow trench isolation, tungsten and copper processes.
The new pad is already being used in production and is being evaluated
by multiple customers, according to the company.
Problem: The continued increase in the number of CMP
steps in IC fabrication with each technology node migration coupled
with the need to reduce fabrication costs while maintaining high and
repeatable yields is driving development of CMP pads that have extended
life-cycles and pad-to-pad consistency.
Solution:
The Epic D100 pad is based on proprietary technology and a
state-of-the-art manufacturing process designed to improve pad
performance and significantly lower cost-of-ownership. The Epic D100
has demonstrated up to a 30% longer pad life than the conventional pad
due to its material characteristics, according to the company. The
design features a single polymer material and is produced via a
continuous single-sheet manufacturing process. This is designed to
eliminate batch-to-batch and pad-to-pad inconsistencies found in
conventional pads.
Applications: Dielectric, shallow trench isolation, tungsten and copper processes.
Platform:
The materials and technology behind the Epic D100 pad are protected by
an international portfolio of patents. Cabot Microelectronics
Corporation is establishing manufacturing capability for the production
of 400,000 intermediate CMP pads annually. The Epic D100 can also be
customized to match customer grooving requirements (current capacity of
120,000 pads annually) in facilities located in the United States and
Asia. The Epic D100 pad is available for 200mm and 300mm wafer
polishing, with or without a window to detect the polishing end point.
Availability: January 2007 onwards.