Electrochemical study on metal corrosion in chemical mechanical planarization process

Typical metal corrosions caused by the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process are discussed in this review paper. By categorizing them into seven kinds of corrosion, namely, chemical corrosion, crevice corrosion, crystal-orientation-dependent corrosion, narrow trench corrosion, photocorrosion, galvanic corrosion, and electrostatic-charge induced corrosion, we discuss their mechanisms and how to suppress them on the basis of electrochemical studies. Moreover, we demonstrate the usefulness of three-dimensional pH-potential diagrams for predicting corrosion issues in an actual CMP process.