Advances in chemical-mechanical planarization

The primary aim of this issue of MRS Bulletin is to present an overview of the materials issues in chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), also known as chemical-mechanial polishing, a process that is used in the semiconductor industry to isolate and connect individual transistors on a chip. The CMP process has been the fastest-growing semiconductor operation in the last decade, and its future growth is being fueled by the introduction of copper-based interconnects in advanced microprocessors and other devices. Articles in this issue range from providing a fundamental understanding of the CMP process to the latest advancements in the field. Topics covered in these articles include an overview of CMP, fundamental principles of slurry design, understanding wafer-pad-slurry interactions, process integration issues, the formulation of abrasive-free slurries for copper polishing, understanding surface topography issues in shallow trench isolation, and emerging applications.