Lucent Technologies Inc.

Brian David Crevasse

William Graham Easter

Simon John Molloy

John Albert Maze, Iii

Annette Margaret Crevasse

Nace Layadi

Allen Yen

Steven Alan Lytle

A method for stripping photoresist material (,) from a semiconductor substrate (,) avoids incorporation of sodium and other contaminant ions from a rework solvent. An oxygen and hydrogen plasma mixture strips the photoresist material without significant introduction of oxygen into the titanium nitride layer (,). Any oxidation of the titanium nitride is reversed by exposing the substrate to an oxygen-free, reducing plasma, such as a hydrogen-containing plasma. The titanium nitride layer is thereby much less susceptible to incorporation of contaminant ions in a subsequent cleaning with rework solvent than a layer which has been extensively oxidized during the plasma stripping process.

Process for photoresist rework to avoid sodium incorporation

A polishing process to planarize a layer formed on a substrate and to reduce the variations in the thickness of that layer from substrate to substrate. The polishing process is implemented by polishing a substrate using a stable pad material. A stable pad material is formed from a polishing material that has substantially the same or similar density, hardness, and compressibility as polyurethane but is a material other than or substantially other than polyurethane. In an alternative embodiment, the material for the polishing pad may be selected for its compression, high tensile strength, wear resistance and/or resistance to water, diluted acids, and alkalis. In a further alternative embodiment, the material forming the polishing pad may be selected from the group comprising hydrogenated nitrile compounds, fluoroelastomers, or perfluoroelastomers.

Process of chemical-mechanical polishing and manufacturing an integrated

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Apopaa, FL, United States of America

Brian David Crevasse