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Table of Contents
More About the Solution: SMPS + Atomizer
Foundational SMPS-for-CMP Studies
1. Kim, H., Yang, J. C., and Kim, T. (2010). "Measurement of CMP Slurry Abrasive Size Distribution by Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer." In Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, 13(4), H137–H140.This is one of the earliest peer-reviewed publications proposing SMPS as a characterization method for CMP slurry abrasives, establishing the foundational case for aerosol-based sizing as an alternative to DLS. The study applies SMPS to measure abrasive particle size distributions for both SiO₂ and CeO₂ slurries, demonstrating that the electrical mobility classification approach delivers more precise and repeatable results than laser light scattering, particularly for polydisperse abrasive systems where DLS's bulk measurement approach obscures the true distribution. The work directly laid the groundwork for subsequent studies — including several referenced in this bibliography — that further refined the methodology and validated its application across a broader range of slurry types and measurement conditions.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.3309717
2. Jang, S., Kulkarni, A., Qin, H., and Kim, T. (2016). "Note: Evaluation of slurry particle size analyzers for chemical mechanical planarization process." Review of Scientific Instruments, 87(4), 046101. AIP Publishing.
A direct comparison of SMPS and DLS for PSD measurement of CMP slurries, with TEM used as the reference standard. SMPS resolved bimodal particle sizes at 30 nm and 80 nm closely matching TEM results, while DLS showed only a single mode in the 90–100 nm range and could not detect smaller particles. Concludes that SMPS is the superior choice for CMP slurry particle size and concentration measurement.
https://pubs.aip.org/aip/rsi/article-abstract/87/4/046101/361165/Note-Evaluation-of-slurry-particle-size-analyzers
Also available via PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27131717/
SMPS Methodology: Electrospray, Extended Range, and Inline Systems
3. Kwak, D., Kim, J., Oh, S., Bae, C., and Kim, T. (2020). "Application of electrospray-scanning mobility particle sizer for the measurement of sub-10 nm chemical mechanical planarization slurry abrasive size distribution." Review of Scientific Instruments, 91(7), 075117. AIP Publishing.An SMPS was used for measuring the size of sub-10 nm CMP slurry abrasives, with both an atomizer and electrospray used for aerosolization. The electrospray-SMPS (ES-SMPS) measurement matched TEM analysis without the agglomeration artifact introduced by the atomizer's larger droplet size. Demonstrates SMPS suitability for the finest abrasive fractions relevant to advanced node CMP.
https://pubs.aip.org/aip/rsi/article-abstract/91/7/075117/967937/Application-of-electrospray-scanning-mobility
4. Kwak, D., Kim, J., and Kim, T. (2023). "Evaluation of chemical mechanical planarization slurry dispersion using a combined scanning mobility particle sizer-optical particle sizer system." In Aerosol Science and Technology, 57(9), 833–841.
This study extends the aerosol-based characterization approach by combining the SMPS with an Optical Particle Sizer (OPS) into a single integrated measurement system, significantly expanding the measurable size range beyond what the SMPS alone covers. While the SMPS excels at resolving sub-micron abrasive populations with high number-based resolution, the OPS extends coverage into the micron range where agglomerates and oversized particles — the primary drivers of scratch defects — reside. The combined SMPS-OPS system is applied to evaluate CMP slurry dispersion state across the full particle size continuum in a single measurement pass, providing a more comprehensive picture of slurry quality than either instrument delivers independently. Directly relevant to the TSI SMPS application context: the SMPS 3938 can be paired with TSI's Optical Particle Sizer to achieve exactly this extended measurement range, making this paper a direct validation of the combined-instrument approach TSI offers for CMP slurry characterization.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2023.2218437
5. Seongmin Cho et al. (2026). "Liquid particle monitoring system utilizing aerosol metrology and data processing algorithm: chemical mechanical polishing slurry application." Measurement, ScienceDirect/Elsevier (2025).
Most recent peer-reviewed work integrating an atomizer-SMPS (A-SMPS) framework with a multi-stage inversion algorithm for inline CMP slurry monitoring. Aerosol detection techniques such as the SMPS have emerged as pivotal tools for characterizing nanoparticles in a variety of applications, including CMP slurry analysis. Establishes a practical measurement framework that overcomes limitations of DLS, at-line DLS, and single-particle optical sensing (SPOS) for continuous process monitoring.
View Paper
Measurement Method Comparisons and Benchmarking
6. Shin, C., Choi, J., Kwak, D., Kim, J., Yang, J., Chae, S.-K., and Kim, T. (2019). "Evaluation of Size Distribution Measurement Methods for Sub-100 nm Colloidal Silica Nanoparticles and Its Application to CMP Slurry." In ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, 8(5), P3195–P3200.This paper addresses a precise and practically important challenge: how to accurately measure the size distribution of colloidal silica particles below 100 nm — the primary abrasive size range for advanced-node CMP — where conventional DLS measurements become least reliable. The study benchmarks multiple size distribution measurement methods against sub-100 nm colloidal silica samples and evaluates their performance and limitations in the context of real CMP slurry characterization. Its inclusion in the sub-10 nm technologies focus issue underscores the direct connection between measurement methodology and process capability at leading-edge device nodes, where abrasive particle size control at the sub-100 nm level is a determinant of planarization performance and defect density. The paper provides direct supporting context for the TSI SMPS approach, which — as a number-based, optical-property-independent technique extending to 1 nm — is well suited to the sub-100 nm measurement challenge this work identifies.
https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0341905jss
7. Lee, J., He, S., Song, G., and Hogan, C. J. Jr. (2022). "Size distribution monitoring for chemical mechanical polishing slurries: An intercomparison of electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and differential mobility analysis." Powder Technology, 396, 395–406. ScienceDirect/Elsevier.
Evaluates aerosol-based differential mobility analysis (via liquid nanoparticle sizer) against EM and DLS for eight distinct CMP slurry types — silica, alumina, TiO₂, ZrO₂, and ceria. LNS measurements were more repeatable than DLS measurements, and for four silica slurries, LNS distributions were in better agreement with SEM measurements than DLS. The LNS was also found to quantify multimodal size distributions.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003259102100927X
8. Rahman, M. et al. (2024). "Electrospray-Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (ES-SMPS) Technique: Superior Sizing and Multimodal Characterization of Colloidal Nanoparticles Compared to NTA and DLS." Analytical Chemistry, 96(48), 18946–18956. ACS Publications. Particle Technology Laboratory, University of Minnesota.
Benchmarks ES-SMPS against nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and DLS for multimodal colloidal samples including CMP-relevant nanoparticles. The ES-SMPS approach identified particle peaks in multimodal (bimodal, trimodal, and tetramodal) samples and showed the accurate position of mode diameter, while DLS and NTA have weaknesses in characterizing multimodal samples. NTA cannot measure silica particles smaller than 30–40 nm, whereas ES-SMPS is independent of optical properties.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c02891
Also available via ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386016398
Mixed Abrasive Slurries and Formulation
9. Kwak, D., Kim, J., Oh, S., Bae, C., and Kim, T. (2023). "Size distribution measurement of mixed abrasive slurry for chemical mechanical planarization using an electrospray scanning mobility particle sizer." Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. ScienceDirect/Elsevier.Extends ES-SMPS methodology to mixed abrasive slurries (MAS), demonstrating number concentration and mixing ratio analysis. The effectiveness of DLS is limited when measuring a bimodal slurry, and it cannot be used to measure the total number of slurry abrasives in solution. Demonstrates that number concentration-based MAS analysis via ES-SMPS improves copper CMP removal rate prediction.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927775723008828
10. Jang, S., Song, J., Amalnerkar, D., Qin, H., and Kim, T. (2016). "Effect of secondary inhibitors on material removal rate and nano-roughness of Cu chemical mechanical planarization." Materials Express, 6(5), 383–393.
This study investigates the CMP performance of nanoscale colloidal silica-based copper slurries with a focus on the interdependent effects of key slurry ingredients — including inhibitors, oxidants, chelating agents, dispersants, and stabilizers — on material removal rate (MRR) and wafer surface uniformity. The use of heterocyclic organic compounds and non-ionic surfactants as secondary inhibitors is evaluated, with the commercial surfactant Triton X-100 identified as a key additive enabling MRR above 6,000 Å/min alongside low nanoscale surface roughness. Nanoscale roughness was characterized by high-resolution atomic force microscopy, with the enhancement mechanism proposed via XPS and contact angle measurements. Directly relevant to TSI's SMPS application context: this work demonstrates how slurry chemical composition governs planarization outcomes, reinforcing the importance of precise abrasive particle size distribution characterization — as delivered by the TSI SMPS system — as a foundational input to slurry formulation and process optimization for copper CMP.
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/asp/me/2016/00000006/00000005/art00001
11. Yun, J., Kwak, D., Kim, J., and Kim, T. (2021). "Study on the effect of residual ceria slurry on chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)." In Microelectronic Engineering, 111620.
This study investigates the effect of residual ceria slurry remaining on the polishing pad between sequential process steps, examining a combined process consisting of an initial polishing step with fresh slurry followed by continued polishing and deionized water cleaning using the slurry retained in the pad grooves. The work addresses a practical efficiency challenge in CMP: understanding how residual abrasives behave after the primary slurry injection ends, and what effect they have on removal rate and cleaning performance. Relevant to the TSI SMPS context in two ways: first, accurately tracking how abrasive particle populations change between the fresh-slurry and residual-slurry phases requires precisely the number-based, size-resolved measurement the SMPS provides; and second, the study reinforces that abrasive particle behavior — including concentration, size distribution, and agglomeration state as slurry ages on the pad — has direct, measurable consequences for both process performance and post-CMP cleanliness.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2021.111620
Filtration and Process Control
12. Sunjae Jang, Atul Kulkarni, Hyeong-U Kim, and Taesung Kim, 2016. "Development of point-of-use filter evaluation method using chemical mechanical planarization slurry." In Particle and Aerosol Research, 12(4), 145–150.This study addresses a critical gap in CMP process engineering: the absence of a standardized, particle-size-resolved method for evaluating point-of-use (POU) filters — installed immediately upstream of the CMP pad to intercept oversized particles before they contact the wafer surface. The authors demonstrate that conventional total filtration efficiency (TFE) metrics are insufficient, because small and large particles can have substantially different filtration efficiencies while the aggregate TFE value remains similar, masking the true effect of filtration on the abrasive PSD delivered to the polish step. By measuring filtration efficiency as a function of particle size across varying flow rates and filter retention sizes, the method reveals how filter selection shapes the slurry PSD and correlates directly to CMP performance outcomes. This work underscores the role of full, number-based PSD characterization — as provided by the TSI SMPS system — not only in incoming slurry qualification but in POU filter validation and ongoing process control.
http://dx.doi.org/10.11629/jpaar.2016.12.31.145
Full text via KoreaScience: https://koreascience.kr/journal/KKOSBF/v12n4.page
Post-CMP Cleaning
14. Lee, J., Park, S. H., Hong, S., Seo, H., Liu, P., Kim, E., and Kim, T. (2021). "Communication — A Novel Method to Improve Cleaning Performance by Removing Small Particles in CMP Slurry." In ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, 10(2), 024001.This communication presents a tangential flow filtration (TFF) system as a method for selectively reducing the number of small ceria particles in CMP slurry prior to the polishing step. The TFF system achieved a 30.7% reduction in small ceria particle count while preserving key slurry properties — mean particle diameter, pH, zeta potential, and solids concentration — and without significantly affecting the material removal rate. Critically, the removal of small particles improved post-CMP cleaning efficiency by 34.7%, establishing a direct link between upstream slurry particle size management and downstream cleaning performance. Relevant to the TSI SMPS context in two ways: first, accurately quantifying the small particle fraction that TFF targets requires precisely the number-based, size-resolved measurement that the SMPS provides; and second, the results reinforce that controlling the full PSD — including the fine fraction, not just the large-particle tail — has measurable consequences for both CMP process performance and wafer cleanliness.
https://doi.org/10.1149/2162-8777/abe1d6
15. Chen, Y., Mikhaylichenko, K., Brown, B., and Redeker, F. (2018). "Chapter 5: Post-CMP Cleaning." In K. A. Reinhardt and R. F. Reidy (Eds.), Handbook of Silicon Wafer Cleaning Technology (3rd ed., pp. 253–301).
A comprehensive treatment of post-CMP cleaning requirements and techniques from one of the field's leading equipment manufacturers. Covers the removal of slurry particles, polishing byproducts, organic residues, and metallic contaminants adhered to wafer surfaces following the polishing step — contaminants whose character, size, and adhesion forces are directly determined by the abrasive particle size distribution of the slurry used. Provides essential context for understanding why accurate slurry PSD characterization upstream, as enabled by the TSI SMPS system, directly reduces the contamination burden that post-CMP cleaning processes must address downstream. Relevant to brush scrubbing, megasonic cleaning, and chemical cleaning strategies across dielectric, metal, and barrier film applications.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323510844000058
More About the Solution: SMPS + Atomizer
Supplementary Reference
OSTI.GOV (U.S. Department of Energy). Note: Evaluation of slurry particle size analyzers for chemical mechanical planarization process — Record. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information.Government science database record for the Jang et al. (2016) Review of Scientific Instruments article (item 5 above), providing an independent archival record and abstract.
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22597147
Note: Where journal articles are behind a paywall, links are provided as open-access alternatives where available. Full-text access may require institutional subscriptions.