Method of planarizing a layer of material
AssigneeWatkins-Johnson Company
InventorsHoward Wallace Fry, Kurt James Lightfoot
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of planarizing a layer of material having a pre-determined thickness above a circuit feature on a semiconductor device is provided. A first layer of material is formed atop the surface of the semiconductor substrate and circuit feature to a pre-determined thickness. A thin, continuous trace layer of doped silicon oxide material is formed atop the first layer, and then a second layer of material is formed atop the trace layer. The second layer is planarized, and planarization is terminated upon reaching the trace layer, thereby providing a semiconductor with a planar layer.
Claims21
A method of forming a planar layer having a predetermined thickness above a circuit feature of a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
- forming a first layer of a first material atop a surface of a semiconductor substrate and circuit feature with said predetermined thickness above said circuit feature;
- forming in one fabrication step, a thin continuous trace layer of a doped silicon oxide material on the entire surface of said first layer;
- forming a second layer of material on said trace layer;
- planarizing said second layer by removing portions of said second layer;
- detecting when the removal of said second layer reaches a portion of said trace layer;
- and
- terminating planarization upon detection of said portion of said trace layer whereby the resulting layer is planar having said pre-determined thickness above said circuit features.
A method of forming a planar layer having a predetermined thickness above a circuit feature of a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a first layer of a first a material atop a surface of a semiconductor substrate and circuit feature with said predetermined thickness above said circuit feature;
- (b) forming in one fabrication step, a thin continuous trace layer of a doped silicon oxide material on the entire surface of said first layer;
- (c) forming a second layer of material on said trace layer;
- (d) planarizing said second layer by removing portions of said second layer;
- (e) detecting when the removal of said second layer reaches a portion of said trace layer;
- (f) terminating planarization upon detection of said portion of said trace layer whereby the resulting layer is planar having said pre-determined thickness above said circuit features;
- and
- (g) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) in sequence N times, where N is an integer and N is greater than, or equal to, 1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.