Highly efficient chemical mechanical polishing method for SiC substrates using enhanced slurry containing bubbles of ozone gas

• Published in: Precision engineering Vol. 64; pp. 91 - 97
• Main Authors: Uneda, Michio, Fujii, Koji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Bubbles; Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP); Enhanced slurry; Hard-to-process materials; Ozone gas; Removal rate; Silicon carbide (SiC); Ozone gas; Bubbles; Hard-to-process materials; Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP); Removal rate; Silicon carbide (SiC); Enhanced slurry
• ISSN: 0141-6359; 1873-2372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.precisioneng.2020.03.015

In this study, a highly efficient method for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon carbide (SiC) substrates using enhanced slurry was proposed and developed. The enhanced slurry contains bubbles of ozone gas generated by ozone gas generator in pure water mixed with a conventional commercially available slurry. Therefore, the enhanced slurry has an oxidizing effect on the Si-face of SiC substrates. To confirm the effectiveness of bubbles enclosing ozone gas, both nano-indentation test and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis were conducted. As a result, the hardness decrease of the Si-face of the SiC substrate was confirmed through the nano-indentation test, and the generation of reaction products was confirmed on Si-face of SiC substrate in the XPS analysis. According to a series of experimental results of our proposed highly efficient CMP method for SiC substrates, the removal rate can be increased when the enhanced slurry was applied, comparing with that for the not only conventional commercially available slurry but also commercially available dedicated slurry. •Developing newly CMP method assisted by bubbles enclosing ozone gas.•High-efficiency polishing in CMP of SiC can be achieved.•Newly CMP method can generate the reaction products on surface of SiC substrate.•It is possible to obtain a high removal rate that exceeds that of a dedicated slurry.