Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Chemical mechanical polish (CMP) is a technology that has revolutionized the semiconductor industry.  It was first used to planarize the interlayer dielectric and permit multilayer interconnect structures in integrated circuits. It was then used for shallow trench isolation for devices, and then to polish tungsten plugs to enable vertically stacked vias.  More recently, CMP has enabled the use of copper interconnects.  Copper is not readily patterned by conventional subtractive techniques, and CMP enabled to use of the Damascene approach.   Today, CMP has grown from initial use on one layer, to use on more than fifteen layers.  It is clear that CMP will continue to enable future generations of devices, however significant challenges remain.  In the next 10-15 years, CMP will need dramatic improvements and breakthroughs, as laid out in the 2005 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, in order meeting ever more stringent performance targets and to enable novel materials that may be incorporated into future devices.  The CMP equipment will enable Dr. Cadien's research team at the University of Alberta to explore the invention and discovery of novel slurries and pads that will enable the next generation devices.  His team will also explore the application of CMP to nano electro mechanical devices and to the packaging of these devices.