Texas Instruments Corporation

Franklin L Allen

Vikki S Simpson

Lawrence D Dyer

Eugene C Davis

John Britton Robbins

Jerry B Medders

Mohendra S Bawa

Jerry D Smith

Dennis L Olmstead

Thomas G Debner

Palmer A Miller

Kenneth John L'Anglois

Michael H Grimes

Michael Cunningham

Gary Lee Etheridge

William L Smith

A method for maintaining the buffer capacity of a polishing slurry during chemical-mechanical wafer polishing, the method comprising circulating the polishing slurry in a chemical-mechanical wafer polishing apparatus, monitoring the pH of the polishing slurry, combining an agent into the polishing slurry to adjust the pH of the polishing slurry and maintaining the pH of the polishing slurry within a predetermined range, thereby maintaining the buffer capacity of the polishing slurry.

Method for maintaining the buffer capacity of siliceous

The protection to the backside of the semiconductor wafer is accomplished by applying a layer of silicon oxide or silicon nitride or other deposited material to the back surface of a semiconductor wafer to protect against particles, scratches, and etching by mild caustic solutions. The layer remains in place during all three processes, edge pre-polish, mirror edge polish, and wafer polish.

Method of surface protection of a semiconductor wafer during polishing

The invention is to a polishing pad 14 that has a polishing surface 19 in which portions 17 and 18 of the polishing surface 19 have been removed. The removed areas 17 and 18 are annular rings adjacent an outer 15 and inner 16 edges of the polishing pad 14. The non-polishing surfaces 18 and 19 taper 17a and 18a downward from the polishing surface 19.

Semiconductor polishing pad

Growing community of inventors

Sherman, TX, United States of America

Franklin L Allen