Rohm and Haas Announces Partnership to Develop Advanced CMP Technology with IBM

March 17 2008—After entered into a joint development agreement with IBM to create patterning materials and processes to enable implant at and below the 32 nm node, Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies, a leader and innovator in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) technology for the global semiconductor industry, today announced that it has signed another joint development agreement (JDA) with IBM. The joint collaboration will focus on CMP process development for the integration of copper and low-k dielectrics at the 32 nm and 22 nm nodes.

Under terms of the agreement, the companies will create a complete CMP consumables solution to enable high volume manufacturing of 32 nm and 22 nm devices.

Current Rohm and Haas development efforts are focused on low-stress polishing that can operate at extreme conditions to achieve high volume, reproducible processes. Rohm and Haas offers an extensive portfolio of application-specific CMP consumables and breakthrough technologies to address next generation process nodes while maintaining the low cost of ownership demanded by device manufacturers.

“As the complexity of the technology increases, innovations in pad and slurry technologies are essential for successful manufacturing,” said Dr. Jeffrey Hedrick, senior manager Semiconductor Process Technology at IBM Research. “Combining Rohm and Haas's world renowned consumables expertise with IBM's extensive knowledge of CMP process technology will help address future CMP technology challenges.”

“IBM has been a valued customer and collaboration partner for over 30 years, and in fact was the first company to introduce CMP into the semiconductor manufacturing process,” said Sam Shoemaker, president Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies. “Since then, our partnership has yielded several industry-standard platforms for CMP polishing pads. 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.”

“The development of CMP consumables for advanced technology nodes is becoming extremely complicated,” explained Cathie Markham, chief technology officer for Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials. “Successful CMP process development for the 32 nm and 22 nm nodes requires a complete understanding of the interaction between pad, slurry and conditioner under various process conditions. With its expertise in pads, polymers, slurries and the CMP process, Rohm and Haas is uniquely positioned to develop all aspects of future-generation CMP technologies.”

The research for this joint development program will take place at IBM's Research facility in Yorktown Heights, NY, as well as the UAlbany NanoCollege’s Albany NanoTech Complex and Rohm and Haas’s Technology Centers in Newark, DE and Phoenix, AZ.

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