Texas Instruments Corporation

Chad J Kaneshige

Brian Keith Kirkpatrick

Mona M Eissa

Vincent C Korthuis

Joe G Tran

Basab Chatterjee

Barry Lanier

Satyavolu Papa Rao

A method for removing material from the surface of a semiconductor wafer with a chemical mechanical polishing process is described. The method uses a polishing pad on which a line-pattern of grooves is formed. The pattern comprises orderly spaced grooved-area and area without grooves. The method combines information of the surface topography of the wafer, the nature of the material to be removed, and the available groove pattern on the surface of the polishing pad to generate a process recipe in which the resident time of portions of the semiconductor wafer spends at the grooved and un-grooved areas of the polishing pad during the chemical mechanical polishing process is pre-determined.

Chemical mechanical polishing method and apparatus

A process for polishing a semiconductor wafer includes the steps of providing a plurality of wafers, forming a first layer, such as a barrier layer, over at least a portion of each wafer, and forming at least one layer including copper over at least a portion of each first layer. The process also includes the steps of providing a first polishing pad, providing a buffing pad, providing a plurality of operatively connected wafer carriers, and disposing a wafer within each of the wafer carriers. The process further includes the steps of disposing a first slurry composition on the first polishing pad and polishing a first wafer with the first polishing pad for a first length of time, in which the first polishing pad substantially removes the copper layer of the first wafer. The process also includes the steps of simultaneously buffing a second wafer with the buffing pad for a second length of time, in which the first length of time is greater than the second length of time, and rinsing the buffing pad and the buffed wafer with a moisture maintenance compound for at least a portion of the time between the completion of the second length of time and the first length of time. Moreover, the moisture maintenance compound substantially prevents drying of the buffed wafer between the completion of the second length of time and the first length of time.

Processes for chemical-mechanical polishing of a semiconductor wafer

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McKinney, TX, United States of America

Chad J Kaneshige