Polishing processes for shallow trench isolation substrates

A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

• providing a substrate comprising a material layer, an oxide layer disposed over the material layer, a patterned dielectric material disposed on the oxide layer with feature definitions extending through the three layers, and a bulk dielectric material disposed on the patterned dielectric material in a sufficient amount to fill the feature definitions;
• polishing the substrate with a first polishing composition and an abrasive-free polishing article until the bulk dielectric material is substantially removed;
• and
• polishing the substrate with a second polishing composition and a fixed-abrasive polishing article to remove residual bulk dielectric material to expose the patterned dielectric material between the feature definitions.

A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

• providing a substrate comprising a material layer, an oxide layer disposed over the material layer, a patterned dielectric material disposed on the oxide layer with feature definitions extending through the three layers, and a bulk dielectric material disposed on the patterned dielectric material in a sufficient amount to fill the feature definitions;
• polishing the substrate with a first polishing composition and an abrasive-free polishing article until the bulk dielectric material is substantially removed;
• and
• polishing the substrate with a second polishing composition and a fixed-abrasive polishing article to remove residual bulk dielectric material to expose the patterned dielectric material between the feature definitions, wherein the bulk dielectric material comprises silicon oxide and the patterned dielectric material comprises silicon nitride.