Amcol International Corporation

American Colloid Company

Don D Eisenhour

Mingming Fang

Michael R Ianiro

Gary W Beall

Semeon J Tsipursky

Mark William Clarey

James Edwards

Marek R Mosiewicz

Compositions and methods for planarizing or polishing a surface, particularly a semiconductor wafer surface. The polishing compositions described herein comprise (a) a liquid carrier; (b) purified clay; and optional additives, such as (c) a chemical accelerator; and (d) a complexing or coupling agent capable of chemically or ionically complexing with, or coupling to, the metal and/or insulating material removed during the polishing process. The complexing or coupling agent carries away the removed metal and/or silicon dioxide insulator particles, during polishing, to prevent the separated particles from returning to the surface from which they were removed. Also disclosed are methods of planarizing or polishing a surface comprising contacting the surface with the compositions.

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry and method of planarizing computer memory disk surfaces

Compositions and methods for planarizing or polishing a corundum, GaAs, GaP or GaAs/GaP alloy surface, particularly a semiconductor wafer surface. The polishing compositions described herein comprise (a) a liquid carrier; (b) a smectite clay, preferably a sodium smectite clay; and optional additives, such as (c) CeO, SiOand/or AlOabrasive particles, (d) a chemical accelerator; and (e) a complexing or coupling agent capable of chemically or ionically complexing with, or coupling to, the material removed during the polishing process. The optional complexing or coupling agent carries away the removed particles, during polishing, to prevent the separated particles from returning to the surface from which they were removed. Also disclosed are methods of planarizing or polishing corundum, GaAs, GaP and GaAs/GaP alloy surfaces comprising contacting the surface with the compositions.

Method chemical-mechanical polishing and planarizing corundum, GaAs, GaP and GaAs/GaP alloy surfaces

A composition for planarizing or polishing a surface comprising (a) a liquid carrier, and (b) solids comprising about 0.1 to about 10% by weight clay abrasive particles, and about 0.1% to about 50% by weight CeOparticles, based on the total weight of solids in the composition, said clay and CeOabrasive particles having a particle size such that at least 90% of the particles (by number), when slurried in water, have a particle size in the range of about 10 nm to about 10 &#x3bc;m.

[object Object]

A chemical-mechanical abrasive composition for use in semiconductor processing uses abrasive particles having a non-spherical morphology.

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry and method of planarizing surfaces

A foundry sand binder formed by reacting a smectite clay containing exchangeable calcium ions with an acid to enhance the ability of the clay to bind sand in forming a metal casting sand mold. The acid-treated clay is an excellent sand binder for metal casting molds and produces cast metal parts having improved surface finish with the elimination or substantial reduction in carbonaceous, e.g., coal, foundry sand additive, while reducing VOC emissions from the foundry.

Acid activated clay for use in foundry sand

Method of determining the composition of clay deposit

A hydrothermal reaction which dissolves the amorphous silica and the crystalline silica impurities contained in a recovered, naturally occurring montmorillonite clay, and subsequently converts the dissolved silicas into a dioctahedral and/or trioctahedil smectite clay. The dissolution of silica is accomplished by adjusting the pH of an aqueous slurry of the recovered clay to a value of about 8.5 to about 10.0, preferably about 9.0 to about 9.5, at a temperature of at least about 150.degree. C., preferably about 180.degree. C. to about 250.degree. C., more preferably about 190.degree. C. to about 235.degree. C. Dissolved silica reacts with stoichiometric amounts of aluminum and/or magnesium and/or sodium added to the slurry, while at a temperature of at least about 150.degree. C., preferably about 185.degree. C. to about 250.degree. C., and at a pressure of at least about 200 bars, to synthesize a dioctahedral smectite clay from the dissolved silica; or the dissolved silica reacts with stoichiometric amounts of lithium and/or magnesium and/or sodium added to the slurry, at the same conditions, to form a trioctahedral smectite clay.

Process for purifying clay by the hydrothermal conversion of silica

A clay purification process, for removing impurities recovered with the clay, particularly a montmorillonite clay, includes the steps of separating the clay from rocks and other large non-clay impurities; dispersing the clay and smaller impurities in water, preferably at a concentration of at least about 4% by weight clay, based on the total weight of clay and water, more preferably about 6-10% by weight clay in water, to provide a clay slurry; passing the clay slurry through a series of hydrocyclones to remove the larger particles (impurities) while retaining clay particles having a size of about 100 microns or less, particularly about 80 microns or less; ion exchanging the clay to remove at least about 95% of the interlayer, multivalent (e.g., divalent and trivalent) cations in an ion exchange column, wherein the multivalent ions are replaced by monovalent cations, such as sodium, lithium and/or hydrogen; and then centrifuging the clay to remove a majority of the particles having a size in the range of about 0.5 .mu.m to about 100 .mu.m.

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Grayslake, IL, United States of America

Don D Eisenhour