Characterization of Octyl Hydroxamic Acid as Inhibitor on Cu Chemical Mechanical Polishing

As an inhibitor for copper (Cu), Octyl hydroxamic acid (OHA) has been extensively studied through a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and experiments. Our findings indicate that using a concentration of 3 mM OHA as an inhibitor can lead to a remarkable removal rate (RR) and surface quality when the pH is at 10. Tafel analysis of potentiodynamic polarization plots was performed to demonstrate that OHA can lower the corrosion current. Further insight into the adsorption behavior of OHA on the Cu surface was obtained through a comprehensive study combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), DFT calculations, and adsorption isotherm model analysis.