Quadrature moment simulation of silica nanoparticles aggregation and breakage in chemical mechanical polishing

• Nanoparticle aggregation on a chemical mechanical polishing using method of moments. • Comparison between particle size distribution of experiment and simulation. • Sauter diameter increased over time with varying wt% and RPM. • Applicable for multiscale particles using perikinetic and orthokinetic aggregation. • Material removal rate (MRR) comparison among wt%, RPM, and particle size. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), a wafer surface planarization method, is critical in the semiconductor industry because uniform and scratch-free processing is required for a highly integrated circuit on the wafer surface. Thus, the prediction of aggregated particle size during CMP helps achieve stable and precise processing during experimental circumstances. Herein, silica nanoparticle aggregation simulation during CMP process-based Quadrature Method of Moments (QMOM) was first described using ANSYS Fluent as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool. Experiments were also implemented in a 10,000 class cleanroom using a CMP polisher actually used in the semiconductor industry. Moreover, a comparison of experimental particle size measured through zeta-potential and particle size analyzer and simulated Sauter mean diameter (D32) showed that the experimental data agreed well with the simulation results.