Chemical/mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus and polish method

An apparatus for planarizing semiconductor wafers comprising:

• a rotatable platen and polishing pad for chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP) a surface of a semiconductor wafer;
• a reservoir for a polishing slurry and means to dispense the slurry onto the polishing pad;
• an electrode embedded in said rotatable platen;
• a rotatable wafer carrier and means for holding the surface of the semiconductor wafer in juxtaposition relative to said rotating polishing pad with an applied pressure between the wafer carrier and the polishing pad;
• at least two electrodes embedded in said rotatable wafer carrier;
• and
• a means to apply bidirectional electric fields between said electrode embedded in said rotatable platen and said electrodes embedded in said rotatable wafer carrier.

A method for fabricating a planarized layer of dielectric material on a semiconductor substrate containing a structure, comprising the steps of:

• providing said structure on said semiconductor substrate;
• depositing a layer of dielectric material onto said semiconductor substrate containing said structure;
• planarizing said layer of dielectric material by holding said semiconductor substrate on a wafer carrier into which is embedded at least one electrode, and rotating the wafer carrier, in the presence of a polishing slurry, against a polishing pad attached to a rotating platen into which is embedded an electrode;
• applying pressure between the rotating wafer carrier and rotating platen;
• and
• applying an electric field between said electrode embedded in said rotatable platen and said electrode embedded in said rotatable wafer carrier.