Method of minimizing repetitive chemical-mechanical polishing scratch marks, method of processing a semiconductor wafer outer surface, method of minimizing undesired node-to-node shorts of a length less than or equal to 0.3 micron, and semiconductor processing method

Abstract

A method of minimizing repetitive chemical-mechanical polishing scratch marks from occurring on a polished semiconductor wafer surface resulting from breaking away of surface peaks having an elevation of at least 400 nanometers above an outer surface immediately adjacent said peaks comprises improving adherence of said peaks to the wafer by filling at least a portion of the volume between adjacent peaks with a material and chemical-mechanical polishing the peaks and the material at the same time. A method of minimizing undesired node-to-node shorts of a length less than or equal to 0.3 micron formed laterally along an insulating dielectric layer in a monolithic integrated circuit chip comprises depositing a sacrificial layer of material over the dielectric layer and chemical-mechanical polishing completely through the sacrificial layer and into the dielectric layer prior to depositing any metal over the insulating dielectric layer. A semiconductor processing method comprises observing repetitive scratch marks on a chemical-mechanical polished surface of a first material on a first semiconductor wafer in process. On a plurality of semiconductor wafers processed subsequently to the first, a second material is formed over the first material and chemical-mechanical polishing the first and the second materials at the same time and reducing occurrence of said scratch marks at least partially thereby, the second material being different from the first.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.