Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) remains central to advanced semiconductor manufacturing, but shrinking geometries and growing material complexity are pushing the process toward its practical limits. Narrower process windows, greater defect sensitivity, and stochastic large particle events are revealing gaps in process understanding and real-time observability.
This whitepaper explains why today’s largely empirical optimisation and passive mitigation approaches are becoming insufficient. It then explores how multiphysics modelling, in-tool metrology, and intelligent particle detection and control can enable more predictive, robust, and yield-resilient CMP at next-generation nodes.
