Flucto-CMP®

The Flucto-CMP® system is our newest patent-pending product. Please see PCT WO2022/177767 and PCT US2022/40147. Introduced in January 2023, several units have already been sold worldwide with many more undergoing beta-tests at several major OEMs, IC makers, and slurry suppliers under rent-with-option-to-buy contracts. So far Flucto-CMP® has performed well in Cu, W, Co, Ta, TaN, Ti, TiN, SiC, hardmask, and STI CMP applications. The principle behind Flucto-CMP® (see below) is to provide on-demand off-the-shelf slurry activation using megasonic waves through a simple add-on device to existing polishers.

Megasonic energy generates excess reactive sono-activated species (RSAS) upstream of the polisher. We have proven that RSAS live for several minutes which is enough for them to be chemically effective. For slurries that contain hydrogen peroxide, APM, or KMnO₄, RSAS are mostly a mixture of OH radicals and superoxide anion radicals.
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In the case of copper, with excess RSAS at hand, the rigidity of the passivation layer that is formed via Flucto-CMP® is reduced as strong coordination bonding between copper and BTA is avoided. This modified film provides sufficient passivation from adverse corrosion processes which can be removed at a higher rate and reduced mechanical load. For other metals, the above proposed mechanism more or less holds as we have shown that passivation layers formed via Flucto-CMP® are also softer thereby allowing material removal at lower than usual pressures.

In the case of STI, RSAS are in the form of ceria nano-particles with a higher ratio of Ce³⁺ to Ce⁴⁺ on their surface. This is due to the fact that sonication increases the amount of Ce³⁺ on the nano-particle surface which increases RR.

Depending on the application and consumable types:

At the same pressure, the removal rate (RR) is boosted (10 to 100%) without any negative impact on RR selectivity or defects. As a result, the slurry flow rate is reduced proportionally.
In some cases, RR selectivity is increased dramatically with no adverse effects.
Pressure is reduced (10 to 40%) with no loss in RR. This allows for “low-stress” polishing which is the way of the future.
Lateral and normal process vibration are reduced by 60X and 5X, respectively (thus far, demonstrated for copper CMP).
Defects as well as dishing-erosion are reduced (10 to 30%).
WIWRRNUs remain unaffected.

Flucto-CMP® can be used in tandem with the SIS® (this is patent-pending as well) for even better overall performance (see below):
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While our primary sales strategy has been D2C, exclusive and a very limited number of non-exclusive (regional and worldwide) distribution, sales and manufacturing licenses are available for sale to interested parties on all polisher platforms.

Please refer to the Flucto-CMP® Brochure for details.

Please contact us for more information on how to schedule a beta test at your site to determine how Flucto-CMP® may be able to reduce your overall COO by saving you slurry while increasing the overall yield of your CMP or polishing module.

We also have advanced ROI simulation models which we can share with after our initial engagement. With OEMs, manufacturers, and distributors, we’ll be happy to discuss licensing terms and conditions.