Point of Use Quality Control of CMP Slurries

Inhalt:
The CMP slurry quality is often treated as given constant. Experiences of slurry preparation, quality variations, slurry aging, plant parts wear-out in slurry supply systems etc. are very poor. The question stands: What happen in centralised supply systems? Results of in-line measurements with different devices are presented for commonly used Alumina and Ceria slurries. Issues of accuracy, reproducibility and detection of drifts are discussed. Effects of slurry handling, blending, plant parameters were studied. Significant changes of slurry behaviour were found in different applications. Finally experiences using this technique for process monitoring will be discussed.