Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process

[Vijay]

What is Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) process? What it used in IC fabrication process.?

[Pardeep Kumar]

As the number of metal levels and the wafer size increase, the need of global planarity across the wafer becomes more crucial.
Chemical Mechanical Planarization/Polishing (CMP) is a process of smoothing surfaces with the combination of chemical and mechanical processes.
During the CMP process, a wafer surface is polished for planarization using a slurry and a polishing pad. The abrasive particles in the slurry grind against the sample surface, that results in loosening material. The chemicals in the slurry then etch and dissolve the material.
CMP is widely used for inter-layer dielectrics (ILD) and metal layer planarization.

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