Method and apparatus for chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates with selected planarizing liquids

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging a surface of the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having abrasive elements fixedly dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling a hydrolysis reaction at the surface of the microelectronic substrate by providing a buffering agent to the planarizing liquid while the microelectronic substrate is engaged with the planarizing liquid.

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging a surface of the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having abrasive elements fixedly dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• maintaining a pH of the planarizing liquid at an approximately constant value between approximately 9 and approximately 13 by buffering the planarizing liquid while the material is removed from the microelectronic substrate.

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging a surface of the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of abrasive elements fixedly dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling a rate at which scratches are formed in the surface of the microelectronic substrate by chemically buffering the planarizing liquid with a buffering agent while the microelectronic substrate is engaged with the planarizing liquid.

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• selecting a planarizing liquid to have a pH of at least approximately 12;
• engaging the microelectronic substrate with the planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• and
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate.

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid having a pH in the range of approximately 9 to approximately 13 and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling an amount of wetted surface area of the polishing pad by selecting the planarizing liquid to include at least one of isopropyl alcohol, ammonium acetate and polyoxy ethylene ether.

A method for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging a surface of the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of abrasive elements fixedly dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove an oxide material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• buffering the planarizing liquid to maintain the planarizing liquid at an approximately constant pH in the range of between approximately 9 and approximately 13.

A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing medium having a planarizing liquid with a surfactant, the planarizing medium further having a fixed abrasive polishing pad with a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the planarizing medium relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling a drag force imparted to the microelectronic substrate by the planarizing medium to be less than another drag force imparted to the microelectronic substrate by another planarizing medium having another planarizing liquid that does not include the surfactant, with the planarizing liquid having a polishing rate that is not more than approximately 5% less than a polishing rate of the other planarizing liquid at approximately identical planarizing conditions.

A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising;

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling a drag force between the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad by selecting the planarizing liquid to include isopropyl alcohol.

A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a first planarizing medium having a planarizing liquid and a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the first planarizing medium relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate until a surface of the microelectronic substrate engaged with the first planarizing medium is approximately flat;
• and
• controlling a first drag force between the microelectronic substrate and the first planarizing medium to be less than a second drag force between the microelectronic substrate and a second planarizing medium that does not include a surfactant by selecting the planarizing liquid to include the surfactant.

A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a carrier, a first surface of the microelectronic substrate facing toward the carrier and an approximately flat second surface of the microelectronic substrate facing opposite the first surface;
• engaging the second surface of the microelectronic substrate with a first planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• controlling a pH of the first planarizing liquid to be from approximately 9 to approximately 13;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from all portions of the second surface of the microelectronic substrate at a generally uniform rate;
• and
• controlling a drag force between the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad by selecting the first planarizing liquid to include an amount of isopropyl alcohol that reduces a first polishing rate of the first planarizing liquid by no more than about 5% compared to a second polishing rate of a second planarizing liquid not having the isopropyl alcohol, when the first and second planarizing liquids remove material under generally identical conditions.

A method for removing material from a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• engaging the microelectronic substrate with a first planarizing liquid and with a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a plurality of fixed abrasive elements dispersed therein;
• moving at least one of the microelectronic substrate and the polishing pad relative to the other to remove material from the microelectronic substrate;
• and
• controlling a removal rate at which material is removed from the microelectronic substrate to be less than a removal rate of a second planarizing liquid that does not include a surfactant by selecting the planarizing liquid to include the surfactant.

A planarizing medium for planarizing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:

• a fixed abrasive polishing pad having a planarizing surface and a plurality of abrasive elements fixedly dispersed in the polishing pad adjacent the planarizing surface for engaging the microelectronic substrate and removing material from the microelectronic substrate;
• a planarizing liquid adjacent to the fixed abrasive polishing pad;
• and
• a chemical buffering agent disposed in the planarizing liquid for maintaining a pH of the planarizing liquid at an approximately constant value between approximately 9 and approximately 13.

A planarizing liquid for use with a fixed abrasive polishing pad, the planarizing liquid comprising:

• water forming from about 78% to about 99% by weight of the planarizing liquid;
• ammonia forming from about 0.5% to about 20.0% by weight of the planarizing liquid;
• and
• isopropyl alcohol forming from about 0.5% to about 2.0% by weight of the planarizing liquid.