Chemical mechanical polishing of BTO thin film for vertical sidewall patterning of high-density memory capacitor

Most high-k materials cannot to be etched easily. Problems such as low etch rate, poor sidewall angle, plasma damage, and process complexity have emerged in high-density DRAM fabrication. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) by the damascene process has been used to pattern high-k materials for high-density capacitor. Barium titanate (BTO) thin film, a typical high-k material, was polished with three types of silica slurry having different pH values. Sufficient removal rate with adequate selectivity to realize the pattern mask of tetra-ethyl ortho-silicate (TEOS) film for the vertical sidewall angle was obtained. The changes of X-ray diffraction pattern and dielectric constant by CMP process were negligible. Planarization was also achieved for the subsequent multilevel processes. Our new CMP approach will provide a guideline for effective patterning of high-k materials by CMP.