May 19 2005
Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. will expand its production capacity of Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) slurry by approximately 30% by June 2005, for use in the Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) process that is one of the semiconductor element isolation methods.
CMP is a process for polishing and smoothing uneven surfaces generated in the element isolation and circuit-forming processes for semiconductors. CMP slurry is a type of polishing solution used for this application. STI is one of the element isolation methods that electrically isolate the millions of semiconductor elements on a silicon wafer from one another. Because STI is suitable for making finer patterns, it has become the major method since a design rule of around 180 nanometers has prevailed. However, it requires a planarization process with CMP because it causes gaps in the circuit-forming process. As polishing scratches caused by CMP aggravate process yields, they must be further reduced to secure improved reliability and to allow for development of finer design rules, such as 130 nanometers or 90 nanometers.
Hitachi Chemical commercialized a CMP slurry product adopting cerium oxide (CeO2) particles as material in 1998; since then it has increased its sales primarily for STI applications where gflatness” is the most critical factor, taking advantage of the product features that allow for faster polishing speeds with fewer scratches. In fiscal 2004, the company also commercialized, and has since increased the sales of a high-performance CMP slurry product for STI that is capable of achieving a two-thirds reduction in polishing scratches and a twofold improvement in flatness over existing levels.
To reinforce its production capacity, the company will invest approximately 500 million yen to add another production line in its Yamazaki Works (Katsuta) (in Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki) by June 2005. This investment will increase the current production capacity of the CMP slurry products, including the high-performance CMP slurry for STI, by 30% to approximately 2600 tons per year.
http://www.hitachi-chem.co.jp/