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US 5,626,715 AGranted
Methods of polishing semiconductor substrates
AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation
InventorMichael D. Rostoker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of polishing, particularly chem-mech polishing a semiconductor substrate to planarize a layer, to remove excess material from atop a layer, and to strip back a defective layer are disclosed. Aluminum oxide particles having a small, well controlled size, and substantially in the alpha phase provide beneficial results when polishing.
Claims19
A method of removing excess material from an in-process semiconductor layer, comprising the steps of:
- providing an in-process semiconductor device having a layer with excess material;
- providing a polishing medium, the medium comprising a plurality of aluminum oxide particles having a size "X", a size distribution "Y", and an alpha phase percentage "Z", wherein "X" is 10-100 nm, "Y" is "P" percent of "X", where "P" is at most 50%, and "Z" is at least 50%;
- providing a polishing pad;
- positioning the polishing pad proximate to the layer with excess material, the polishing medium therebetween;
- and
- polishing the layer with the polishing pad and the polishing medium until the excess material has been substantially removed and the layer substantially planarized.
3 more elements
A method of stripping at least one layer from a substantially completed semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:
- providing a substantially completed semiconductor device having a face with at least one layer thereon;
- functionally testing the substantially completed semiconductor device;
- identifying at least one defective layer in the substantially completed semiconductor device;
- providing a polishing medium, the medium comprising a plurality of aluminum oxide particles having a size "X", a size distribution "Y", and an alpha phase percentage "Z", wherein "X" is 10-100 nm, "Y" is "P" percent of "X", where "P" is at most 50%, and "Z" is at least 50%;
- providing a polishing pad;
- positioning the polishing pad proximate to the face with at least one layer thereon;
- and
- stripping the at least one layer from the face of the substantially completed semiconductor device until the at least one defective layer is substantially exposed and planarized.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.