Abstract: A mesoporous silica powder. The powder comprises an open pore structure, generates a diffractive peak when irradiated by an X-ray with an incident angle of less than about 10 degrees.

Abstract: An acidic polishing slurry for chemical-mechanical polishing, containing 0.1 to 5% by weight of a colloidal silica abrasive and 0.5 to 10% by weight of a fluoride salt, is distinguished by a higher polishing selectivity with regard to the rate at which silica is removed compared to the rate at which silicon nitride is removed compared to a conventional polishing slurry containing pyrogenic silica.

Abstract: A polishing slurry for chemical-mechanical polishing, containing 5 to 50% by weight of a colloidal silica abrasive, and from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of a quaternary ammonium salt which is represented by the formula R4N+X−, where R may be identical or different and is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl and an ester group, and X is hydroxyl or halogen, is distinguished by a high polishing rate.

Abstract: An acidic polishing slurry for chemical-mechanical polishing, containing 0.1 to 5% by weight of a colloidal silica abrasive and 0.5 to 10% by weight of a fluoride salt, is distinguished by a higher polishing selectivity with regard to the rate at which silica is removed compared to the rate at which silicon nitride is removed compared to a conventional polishing slurry containing pyrogenic silica.

Abstract: A process for the chemical-mechanical polishing of isolation layers based on the shallow trench isolation (STI) technology, using a basic polishing slurry which contains from about 5 to about 12.5% by weight of a colloidal silica abrasive, characterized in that the polishing slurry is applied to the wafer surface at a temperature of about 35° C. to about 80° C., increases the polishing selectivity with regard to the rate at which silica is removed compared to the rate at which silicon nitride is removed.