This invention provides a silicon wafer polishing composition used in the presence of an abrasive. The composition comprises a silicon wafer polishing accelerator, an amide group-containing polymer, and water. The amide group-containing polymer has a building unit A in its main chain. The building unit A comprises a main chain carbon atom constituting the main chain of the amide group-containing polymer and a secondary amide group or a tertiary amide group. The carbonyl carbon atom constituting the secondary amide group or tertiary amide group is directly coupled to the main chain carbon atom.

A chemical-mechanical planarization device and a method for using a chemical-mechanical planarization device in conjunction with a semiconductor substrate is provided. In accordance with some embodiments, the device includes: a pad disposed over a rotatable platen; a carrier head disposed over the pad and configured to retain a semiconductor substrate between the pad and the carrier head; a tank configured to retain a liquid containing composition; at least one tube fluidly coupled with the tank, the at least one tube comprising a photocatalyst therein; a nozzle fluidly coupled with the tank through the at least one tube and configured to supply the liquid containing composition onto the pad; and a light source configured to provide light to irradiate the photocatalyst, and the liquid containing composition passing through the at least one tube.

A chemical-mechanical planarization device and a method for using a chemical-mechanical planarization device in conjunction with a semiconductor substrate is provided. In accordance with some embodiments, the device includes: a pad disposed over a rotatable platen; a carrier head disposed over the pad and configured to retain a semiconductor substrate between the pad and the carrier head; a tank configured to retain a liquid containing composition; at least one tube fluidly coupled with the tank, the at least one tube comprising a photocatalyst therein; a nozzle fluidly coupled with the tank through the at least one tube and configured to supply the liquid containing composition onto the pad; and a light source configured to provide light to irradiate the photocatalyst, and the liquid containing composition passing through the at least one tube.

A method for conditioning a polishing pad, which is configured to polish a wafer and attached to a rotatable discoid turntable, by using a conditioning head, the method being characterized by: moving the conditioning head in a radial direction of the turntable to perform the conditioning while rotating the polishing pad attached to the turntable by rotation of the turntable; and controlling a rotational speed of the turntable and a moving speed of the conditioning head in the radial direction of the turntable in correspondence with a distance of the conditioning head from a center of the turntable. Consequently, the method for conditioning a polishing pad which enables appropriately conditioning an entire polishing surface of the polishing pad can be provided.

A method for conditioning a polishing pad, which is configured to polish a wafer and attached to a rotatable discoid turntable, by using a conditioning head, the method being characterized by: moving the conditioning head in a radial direction of the turntable to perform the conditioning while rotating the polishing pad attached to the turntable by rotation of the turntable; and controlling a rotational speed of the turntable and a moving speed of the conditioning head in the radial direction of the turntable in correspondence with a distance of the conditioning head from a center of the turntable. Consequently, the method for conditioning a polishing pad which enables appropriately conditioning an entire polishing surface of the polishing pad can be provided.

A method for producing a dispersion liquid of silica particles, by simultaneously adding a liquid A containing silane alkoxide and a liquid B containing an alkali catalyst and water to a liquid I containing silica seed particles to cause the particles to grow, so as to produce silica particles; wherein the variation rate of the mole ratio of the alkali catalyst to silica components in the reaction system during a period from the start to the end of the addition relative to the initial mole ratio is 0.90 to 1.10; and the variation rate of the mole ratio of water to the silica components in the reaction system during a period from the start to the end of the addition relative to the initial mole ratio is 0.90 to 1.10.

A polishing pad includes: a polishing layer having a polyurethane sheet containing substantially spherical cells, wherein E(90%)/E(30%) falls within a range of 0.4 to 0.7, where E(90%) represents a storage modulus of the polyurethane sheet that has been exposed to an environment with a temperature of 23 C. and a relative humidity of 90%, as measured in a tension mode at 40 C. with an initial load of 148 g, a strain range of 0.1%, and a measurement frequency of 1.6 Hz, and E(30%) represents a storage modulus of the polyurethane sheet that has been exposed to an environment with a temperature of 23 C. and a relative humidity of 30%, as measured in a tension mode at 40 C. with an initial load of 148 g, a strain range of 0.1%, and a measurement frequency of 1.6 Hz. Also provided is a method for manufacturing the polishing pad.

A cerium-based abrasive that achieves a high polishing rate and suppresses the occurrence of surface defects such as scratches and pits and the deposition of the abrasive particles on the polished surface in surface polishing of glass substrates or the like, at low cost with a high production efficiency. The cerium-based abrasive includes a cubic composite rare earth oxide and a composite rare earth oxyfluoride, containing 95.0 to 99.5 mass % of total rare earth elements in terms of oxides, containing 54.5 to 95.0 mass % of cerium in terms of oxide, 4.5 to 45.0 mass % of lanthanum in terms of oxide, and 0.5 to 2.0 mass % of neodymium in terms of oxide relative to the total rare earth elements in terms of oxides, containing 0.5 to 4.0 mass % of fluorine atoms, and containing 0.001 to 0.50 mass % of sodium atoms relative to the total rare earth elements in terms of oxides.

A cerium-based abrasive that achieves a high polishing rate and suppresses the occurrence of surface defects such as scratches and pits and the deposition of the abrasive particles on the polished surface in surface polishing of glass substrates or the like, at low cost with a high production efficiency. The cerium-based abrasive includes a cubic composite rare earth oxide and a composite rare earth oxyfluoride, containing 95.0 to 99.5 mass % of total rare earth elements in terms of oxides, containing 54.5 to 95.0 mass % of cerium in terms of oxide, 4.5 to 45.0 mass % of lanthanum in terms of oxide, and 0.5 to 2.0 mass % of neodymium in terms of oxide relative to the total rare earth elements in terms of oxides, containing 0.5 to 4.0 mass % of fluorine atoms, and containing 0.001 to 0.50 mass % of sodium atoms relative to the total rare earth elements in terms of oxides.

Letting a particle diameter be Dx (m) when a cumulative particle volume cumulated from the small particle diameter side reaches x(%) of the total particle volume in a particle size distribution obtained regarding cerium oxide included in a polishing liquid using a laser diffraction/scattering method, D5 is 1 m or less, and a difference between D95 and D5 is 3 m or more.