Feb. 27, 2008 – Rohm & Haas Electronic Materials/CMP Technologies and IBM are adding to their collaborative plate, following news of joint work on 32nm and below implant materials/processes with a pact to develop CMP processes for integrating copper and low-k dielectrics, in order to create copper CMP consumables for 32nm and 22nm device manufacturing. Research will take place at IBM’s Research facility in Yorktown Heights, NY, as well as the U. of Albany’s NanoTech complex and Rohm and Haas’s Technology Centers in Newark, DE, and Phoenix, AZ.

Current Rohm and Haas development efforts are focused on low-stress polishing that can operate at extreme conditions to achieve high volume, reproducible processes, the company noted in a statement. IBM, meanwhile, pioneered use of CMP in semiconductor manufacturing. Together the two already have contributed to industry-standard platforms for CMP polishing pads, noted Sam Shoemaker, president of Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies, in a statement.

“We expect this new collaboration with IBM can help solve some critical copper integration challenges that will benefit IBM and its customers, and ultimately result in technology advancements that will benefit the semiconductor industry,” he said.

Developing CMP processes for the 32nm and 22nm nodes “requires a complete understanding of the interaction between pad, slurry and conditioner under various process conditions,” added Cathie Markham, CTO for Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, citing the company’s expertise in pads, polymers, slurries and the CMP process.