No abstract

Oxide planarization using a specially fabricated “grindstone” was investigated. Using the grindstone, better planarity compared with the conventional CMP technique was demonstrated. Interestingly, it was also found that the oxide removal rate became very slow after the oxide surface became planar. This self-stop was thought to be influenced by the isolated abrasives from the grindstone. The dependence on the tool structure and the conditioning was investigated to prove the model. Also the defect issue is presented in this paper.