Effect of Particle Size and pH Value of Slurry on Chemical Mechanical Polishing of SiO ₂ Film

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of particle size and pH of SiO 2 -based slurry on chemical mechanical polishing for SiO 2 film. It was found that the removal rates and surface roughness of the material was highly dependent on the particle size and pH. As the particle size varied, the main polishing mechanism reasoned to provide activation energy to mechanical erasure. In addition, pH affected the particle size and Zeta potential, which had an important effect on the strength of the mechanical and chemical action of the chemical mechanical polishing. The change in mechanical action greatly influenced the removal rate. According to the experimental results, the best polishing of SiO 2 film was achieved with 40 nm particle size SiO 2 abrasives when the pH was 4.