In this paper, the results of finite element(FE) analysis of chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) process using 2-dimensional elements were discussed. The objective of this study is to find the generation mechanism of microscratches on a wafer surface during the process. Especially, a FE model with a particle inside pad pore was considered to observe how such a contact situation could contribute to microscratch generation. The results of the finite element simulations revealed that during CMP process the pad-particle mixture could be formed and this would be a major factor leading to microscratch generation.

Chemical mechanical planarization is one of the core processes in fabrication of semiconductors, which are increasingly used for information storage devices like solid state drives. For higher data capacity in storage devices, CMP process is required to show ultimate precision and accuracy. In this work, 2-dimensional finite element models were developed to investigate the effects of the slurry particle impact on microscratch generation and the phenomena generated at pad-particle-wafer contact interface. The results revealed that no plastic deformation and corresponding material removal could be generated by simple impact of slurry particles under real CMP conditions. From the results of finite element simulations, it could be concluded that the pad-particle mixture formed in CMP process would be one of major factors leading to microscratch generation.