An overview of corrosion–wear interaction for planarizing metallic thin films

Corrosion–wear interactions play a very crucial role in developing many technological processes. One of them is chemical–mechanical planarization (CMP) of metallic thin films for manufacturing semiconductor devices such as computer chips. In this paper, we present research approaches undertaken in developing CMP for different metallic thin films, such as tungsten and copper in aqueous media. Mechanisms of material removal during CMP are presented. The role of corrosion, wear, and their synergistic effect are explained. The importance of constructing corrosion–wear maps for these complicated tribo-corrosion–metallic thin film systems is addressed. The application of corrosion–wear maps in developing reliable CMP slurries and processes is discussed.