Slurries for the chemical mechanical polishing of Cu contain both an oxidizer and a corrosion inhibitor, in addition to abrasives. To understand the chemistry of the Cu surface exposed to slurries, Cu surfaces in benzotriazole (BTA)–hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) aqueous solutions were studied using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. A microfluidic optical cell was used so that processing solutions could be changed during in situ observations and the initial surface processes could be successfully observed. A thin surface layer was observed to grow on Cu in the solutions. The growth rate of surface layers on Cu was inversely proportional to the thickness of the growing layer, and the growth then stopped in a self-limiting manner. The growth mechanism is discussed in view of Cu out-diffusion.
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