Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing tungsten and titanium is provided comprising: providing the substrate; providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; a chitosan; a dicarboxylic acid, wherein the dicarboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of propanedioic acid and 2-hydroxypropanedioic acid; a source of iron ions; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein some of the tungsten (W) and some of the titanium (Ti) is polished away from the substrate with a removal selectivity for the tungsten (W) relative to the titanium (Ti).

Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing titanium nitride and titanium is provided comprising: providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; a linear polyalkylenimine polymer; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; a carboxylic acid; a source of ferric ions; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; wherein the polishing composition has a pH of 1 to 4; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein at least some of the titanium nitride and at least some of the titanium is polished away with a selectivity between titanium nitride and titanium.

Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing tungsten and titanium is provided comprising: providing the substrate; providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; an allylamine additive; a carboxylic acid; a source of iron ions; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein the tungsten (W) is selectively polished away from the substrate relative to the titanium (Ti).

Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing tungsten and titanium is provided comprising: providing the substrate; providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; a chitosan; a dicarboxylic acid, wherein the dicarboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of propanedioic acid and 2-hydroxypropanedioic acid; a source of iron ions; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein some of the tungsten (W) and some of the titanium (Ti) is polished away from the substrate with a removal selectivity for the tungsten (W) relative to the titanium (Ti).

Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing titanium nitride and titanium is provided comprising: providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; a linear polyalkylenimine polymer; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; a carboxylic acid; a source of ferric ions; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; wherein the polishing composition has a pH of 1 to 4; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein at least some of the titanium nitride and at least some of the titanium is polished away with a selectivity between titanium nitride and titanium.

Abstract: A process for chemical mechanical polishing a substrate containing tungsten and titanium is provided comprising: providing the substrate; providing a polishing composition, containing, as initial components: water; an oxidizing agent; an allylamine additive; a carboxylic acid; a source of iron ions; a colloidal silica abrasive with a positive surface charge; and, optionally pH adjusting agent; providing a chemical mechanical polishing pad, having a polishing surface; creating dynamic contact at an interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; and dispensing the polishing composition onto the polishing surface at or near the interface between the polishing pad and the substrate; wherein the tungsten (W) is selectively polished away from the substrate relative to the titanium (Ti).

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate comprising ruthenium and copper is provided wherein the substrate is contacted with a polishing slurry containing an abrasive, hypochlorite, a copolymer of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, benzotriazole, poly(methyl vinyl ether) and a non-ionic surfactant at a pH of 9 to 11.

Abstract: A method for chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate comprising ruthenium and copper.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus with temperature control. The apparatus controls circular zone temperature of the wafer. The CMP apparatus comprises a platen; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen; a guide ring disposed at the rim of the carrier to mount the wafer on the carrier; and a heater disposed in the guide ring, in the carrier, or used to heat the slurry. The temperature of the heater is set between 20° C. and 60° C. Thus, the polishing rate at the edge is improved, and the polishing difference between the edge and the center of the wafer is reduced.

Abstract: A method for avoiding defects produced in The CMP process has the following steps: sequentially depositing a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the wet-etching rate of the first dielectric layer is greater than the wet-etching rate of the second dielectric layer; forming a plurality of first holes on a plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; wet etching the first dielectric layer in each of the first holes to form a plurality of second holes on the plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; forming a conductive layer to fill each of the second holes; and performing the CMP process to level off the conductive layer and the second dielectric layer.

Abstract: A chemical-mechanical polishing platform that comprises a polishing table, a wafer carrier, a polishing pad, a slurry supplier, a conditioner, and a means for cleaning the polishing pad. With respect to in-situ or ex-situ chemical-mechanical polishing, the wafer carrier, conditioner, and means for cleaning the polishing pad are adequately disposed above the polishing pad. The chemical-mechanical polishing is performed by rotation of the polishing pad; the region of the polishing pad that has polished the wafer then passes sequentially through the conditioner, the means for cleaning that removes diamond particles that may drop on the polishing pad, and through the slurry supplier that provides adequate slurry such that the polishing process can be repeated without scraping damage of the wafer. The means for cleaning of the present invention can have any shapes adapted to remove diamond particles on the polishing pad, such as circular or cylindrical brush sweeper.

Abstract: A method for avoiding defects produced in The CMP process has the following steps: sequentially depositing a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the wet-etching rate of the first dielectric layer is greater than the wet-etching rate of the second dielectric layer; forming a plurality of first holes on a plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; wet etching the first dielectric layer in each of the first holes to form a plurality of second holes on the plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; forming a conductive layer to fill each of the second holes; and performing the CMP process to level off the conductive layer and the second dielectric layer.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus with temperature control. The apparatus controls circular zone temperature of the wafer. The CMP apparatus comprises a platen; a carrier holding a wafer against the platen; a guide ring disposed at the rim of the carrier to mount the wafer on the carrier; and a heater disposed in the guide ring, in the carrier, or used to heat the slurry. The temperature of the heater is set between 20° C. and 60° C. Thus, the polishing rate at the edge is improved, and the polishing difference between the edge and the center of the wafer is reduced.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of removing residual particles from a polished surface. The method comprises the steps of: providing a substrate, forming a dielectric layer on the substrate, brush-cleaning and etching the dielectric layer on the substrate with a liquid when residual particles are lodged therein, whereby the residual particles are loosened and then relocated to the dielectric layer, and finally cleaning the dielectric layer to remove the relocated residual particles.

Abstract: A polishing pad includes a body formed of a polishing pad material and having a top polishing surface and a bottom surface; and an indicator disposed in said body and extending from an upper region of the body near the top polishing surface toward said bottom surface, for indicating wear of the polishing pad body during a life cycle of the polishing pad. An apparatus for polishing semiconductor wafers includes a polishing platen; a motor for rotating the polishing platen; and a polishing pad as described above mounted on the polishing platen. A method of polishing semiconductor wafers includes optically inspecting the indicator means to determine the wear of the body.

Abstract: A fixed abrasive chemical polishing method uses an aqueous solution that has a variable pH. During polishing the pH of the aqueous solution is changed so that the polishing process can be more precisely controlled. The removal rate and removal selectivity between oxide and nitride can be controlled by varying the pH of the aqueous solution.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of removing residual particles from a polished surface. The method comprises the steps of: providing a substrate, forming a dielectric layer on the substrate, brush-cleaning and etching the dielectric layer on the substrate with a liquid when residual particles are trapped therein, whereby the residual particles are loosened and then relocated to the dielectric layer, and finally cleaning the dielectric layer to remove the relocated residual particles.

Abstract: A method for avoiding defects produced in The CMP process has the following steps: sequentially depositing a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate, wherein the wet-etching rate of the first dielectric layer is greater than the wet-etching rate of the second dielectric layer; forming a plurality of first holes on a plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; wet etching the first dielectric layer in each of the first holes to form a plurality of second holes on the plurality of the predetermined contact window areas respectively; forming a conductive layer to fill each of the second holes; and performing the CMP process to level off the conductive layer and the second dielectric layer.

Abstract: A new method is provided for determining the optimum film thickness of a film that is to be deposited over a semiconductor surface. The invention observes the electrical current and the therefrom resulting torque that is supplied to a rotating part of a polishing apparatus, from this the CMP end-point can be determined for a reference film that has been deposited. This technique is known as the “CMP end-point detection” technique. The invention addresses observing CMP end-point curves for films of various thicknesses and compares these CMP end-point curves of one film thickness with each other and calculates a deviation for multiple layers (deposited on different wafers) of that film thickness. The process is repeated for different film thickness. The film thickness that has a deviation of the CMP end-point curve that closest resembles an optimum deviation is the film thickness that is selected as having the optimum thickness for the deposition of that film.

Abstract: A fixed abrasive chemical polishing method uses an aqueous solution that has a variable pH. During polishing the pH of the aqueous solution is changed so that the polishing process can be more precisely controlled. The removal rate and removal selectivity between oxide and nitride can be controlled by varying the pH of the aqueous solution.