Numerical analysis of a slurry flow on a rotating CMP pad using a two-phase flow model

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a very precise planarization technique where a wafer is polished by a slurry-coated pad. A slurry is dropped on the rotating pad surface and is supplied between the wafer and the pad This research aims at reducing the slurry consumption and removing waste particles quickly from the wafer. To study the roles of grooves, slurry flows were simulated using the volume of fluid method (two-phase model for air and slurry) for pads with no grooves, and for pads with circular grooves.