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Simple first generation Cu post-CMP cleaners, such as oxalic acid solutions, promote corrosion of Cu due to removal of BTA and dissolution of cuperous oxide (Cu2O). The use of simple organic acid solutions imposed a short staging time before processing wafers to the next level due to corrosion of the exposed Cu. In some cases, a maximum holding time of less than one hour was needed to reduce device yield loss and reliability issues resulting from Cu corrsion. A way to significantly increase the post-clean wafer holding time was by incorporating a Cu passivator into the post-CMP cleaner. Four commonly used Cu passivators were evaluated in a commercially available, alkaline, post-CMP cleaner. Several unanticipated properties were observed when using 1,2,4-triazole, which will be discussed.

A mechanistic product development approach will be presented that utilized selected thermodynamic and kinetic data for development of a Cu post-CMP cleaner for use after polishing with either high or low pH slurry. A Pourbaix diagram offers the thermodynamically stable Cu species vs. pH and open circuit potential (OCP) for an aqueous cleaner. Pourbaix diagrams do not provide any information on the kinetics for dissolution of water soluble species. Cu oxide dissolution rates were measured using an electrochemical cell. Deposition and removal rates for benzotriazole (BTA) and 1,2,4-triazole (TAZ) were measured using an electrochemical cell with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Passivator film deposition was investigated to determine the film type and thickness resulting from a typical CMP process. BTA and TAZ films deposited near neutral pH were thicker than those deposited at high pH. TAZ films were significantly thinner (~20≈) than BTA films deposited under similar conditions, approaching a self assembled monolayer (SAM). The BTA removal rate for a citrate solution with a pH of 4 was ~20≈/min., an order of magnitude lower than that for TMAH-containing solutions. The TAZ removal rate for an oxalate solution with a pH of 4 was 240≈/min., which was twice the removal rate for BTA deposited under similar conditions. An appropriate TAZ solution was found to displace BTA on Cu and leave a hydrophilic, thin (~10≈) passivating layer of TAZ. Other Cu passivators were also examined but only TAZ protected all Cu crystallographic orientations observed. BTA, 5-aminotetrazole (5-ATA) and 4-carboxybenzotriazole (CBTA) did not protect some Cu crystal orientations, leading to etching of entire grains and increased surface roughness. BTA and CBTA yielded hydrophobic Cu surfaces, leading to surface wetting issues and the potential for watermarks. A new alkaline Cu post-CMP cleaner was developed to remove residues resulting from slurries, regardless of their pH, which utilized TAZ to displace BTA and protect Cu, reduce organic defects, reduce surface roughness, provide a hydrophilic Cu surface, and significantly extend the staging time allowed between the clean process and subsequent wafer processing without yield loss.Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 991

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