Shear thickening and shear-induced agglomeration of chemical mechanical polishing slurries using electrolytes

Chemical mechanical polishing is a fundamental technology used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry to polish and planarize a wide range of materials for the fabrication of microelectronic devices. During the high-shear (～1,000,000 s^?1) polishing process, it is hypothesized that individual slurry particles are driven together to form large agglomerates (≥0.5 µm). These agglomerates are believed to trigger a shear-induced thickening effect and cause defects during polishing. We examined how the addition of various monovalent salts (CsCl, KCl, LiCl, and NaCl) and electrostatic stabilizing bases (KOH, NaOH, or CsOH) influenced the slurry’s thickening behavior. Overall, as the added salt concentration was increased from 0.02 to 0.15 M, the shear rate at which the slurry thickened (i.e., the critical shear rate) decreased. Slurries with added CsCl, NaCl, and LiCl thickened at comparable shear rates (～20,000–70,000 s^?1) and, in general, followed ion hydration theory (poorly hydrated ions caused the slurry to thicken at lower shear rates). However, slurries with added KCl portrayed thickening behavior at higher critical shear rates (～35,000–100,000 s^?1) than other chloride salts. Also, slurries stabilized with CsOH thickened at higher shear rates (～90,000–140,000 s^?1), regardless of the added salt cation or concentration, than the slurries with KOH or NaOH. The NaOH-stabilized slurries displayed thickening at the lowest shear rates (～20,000 s^?1). The thickening dependence on slurry base cation indicates the existence of additional close-range structure forces that are not predicted by the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek colloidal stability theory.     

Deformation change in light iridium nuclei from laser spectroscopy

Laser spectroscopy measurements have been performed on neutron-deficient and stable Ir isotopes using the COMPLIS experimental setup installed at ISOLDE-CERN. The radioactive Ir atoms were obtained from successive decays of a mass-separated Hg beam deposited onto a carbon substrate after deceleration to 1kV and subsequently laser desorbed. A three-color, two-step resonant scheme was used to selectively ionize the desorbed Ir atoms. The hyperfine structure (HFS) and isotope shift (IS) of the first transition of the ionization path 5d ⁷6s ²⁴ F _9/2 → 5d ⁷6s6p ⁶ F _11/2 at 351.5nm were measured for ^182-189Ir, ¹⁸⁶Ir ^m and the stable ^{191, 193}Ir. The nuclear magnetic moments μ_I and the spectroscopic quadrupole moments Q_s were obtained from the HFS spectra and the change of the mean square charge radii from the IS measurements. The sign of μ_I was experimentally determined for the first time for the masses 182≤A≤189 and the isomeric state ¹⁸⁶Ir ^m . The spectroscopic quadrupole moments of ¹⁸²Ir and ¹⁸³Ir were measured also for the first time. A large mean square charge radius change between ¹⁸⁷Ir and ¹⁸⁶Ir ^g and between ¹⁸⁶Ir ^m and ¹⁸⁶Ir ^g was observed corresponding to a sudden increase in deformation: from β₂ ≃ + 0.16 for the heavier group A = 193, 191, 189, 187 and 186m to β₂≥ + 0.2 for the lighter group A = 186g, 185, 184, 183 and 182. These results were analyzed in the framework of a microscopic treatment of an axial rotor plus one or two quasiparticle(s). This sudden deformation change is associated with a change in the proton state that describes the odd-nuclei ground state or that participates in the coupling with the neutron in the odd-odd nuclei. This state is identified with the π3/2⁺[402] orbital for the heavier group and with the π1/2^-[541] orbital stemming from the 1h _9/2 spherical subshell for the lighter group. That last state seems to affect strongly the observed values of the nuclear moments.     

Femtosecond laser-based fabrication of a new model material to study fracture

The ductile fracture process consists of the nucleation, growth and coalescence of voids in a material. Predictive models of ductility require a complete understanding of the coalescence event. However, coalescence occurs over very small strains and is therefore difficult to observe experimentally. We have addressed this by developing a new class of model material. It consists of femtosecond laser drilled holes and diffusion bonded metallic sheets, which can be mechanically tested in situ either by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or by X-raycomputed tomography (XRCT). The fabrication steps are presented and the model material is characterized by optical and electron microscopy, nanoindentation and tomography. The heat affected zone around the laser holes is found to be harder than the unaffected material and consists of nano-scale grains. Finally we show that the coalescence event is well captured using both SEM and XRCT. The fabrication method is adaptable to a wide range of materials and enables one to produce 2D and 3D arrays of holes or cracks with controlled size, volume fraction and distribution. PACS  62.20.Mk; 62.25.+g; 79.20.Ds