A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: providing a substrate, wherein an amorphous silicon layer is formed on the substrate; forming an etching auxiliary layer on the amorphous silicon layer, wherein the upper surface of the etching auxiliary layer is flat, and the etching auxiliary layer is made of a single material; and etching the amorphous silicon layer and the etching auxiliary layer to obtain an amorphous silicon layer with a target thickness, wherein the upper surface of the etched amorphous silicon layer is flat.

A planarization method includes: providing a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a first region and a second region having different degrees of hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, the second region covering an upper surface of the first region; polishing the substrate with a polishing slurry until the upper surface of the first region is exposed; and continuing polishing and performing a surface treatment by the polishing slurry to adjust the degree of hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of at least one of the first region and the second region. The polishing slurry and the upper surface of the second region have a first contact angle, and the polishing slurry and the upper surface of the first region have a second contact angle. The surface treatment keeps a contact angle difference between the first contact angle and the second contact angle being equal to or less than 30 degrees during the polishing.

Embodiments of a three-dimensional (3D) memory device and fabrication methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, the 3D memory device includes a peripheral circuitry formed on a first substrate. The peripheral circuitry includes a plurality of peripheral devices on a first side of the first substrate, a first interconnect layer, and a deep-trench-isolation on a second side of the first substrate, wherein the first and second sides are opposite sides of the first substrate and the deep-trench-isolation is configured to provide electrical isolation between at least two neighboring peripheral devices. The 3D memory device also includes a memory array formed on a second substrate. The memory array includes at least one memory cell and a second interconnect layer, wherein the second interconnect layer of the memory array is bonded with the first interconnect layer of the peripheral circuitry, and the peripheral devices are electrically connected with the memory cells.

Methods of forming a slurry and methods of performing a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process utilized in manufacturing semiconductor devices, as described herein, may be performed on semiconductor devices including integrated contact structures with ruthenium (Ru) plug contacts down to a semiconductor substrate. The slurry may be formed by mixing a first abrasive, a second abrasive, and a reactant with a solvent. The first abrasive may include a first particulate including titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) particles and the second abrasive may include a second particulate that is different from the first particulate. The slurry may be used in a CMP process for removing ruthenium (Ru) materials and dielectric materials from a surface of a workpiece resulting in better WiD loading and planarization of the surface for a flat profile.

An aqueous alkaline chemical mechanical polishing composition includes a quaternary ammonium compound having a phenyl group which enables enhanced reduction of defects on silicon oxide substrates and enables good silicon oxide removal rates during chemical mechanical polishing.

The invention provides a polishing pad suitable for polishing at least one of semiconductor, optical, magnetic or electromechanical substrates. The polishing pad includes a polyurea polishing layer and a polyurea matrix. The polyurea matrix has a soft phase and a hard phase. The soft phase is formed from soft segments and the hard phase is formed from diisocyanate hard segments and a curative agent. The soft segment areva copolymer of aliphatic fluorine-free polymer groups and a fluorocarbon having a length of a least six carbons. The polyurea matrix is cured with the curative agent and includes gas or liquid-filled polymeric microelements. The soft segments form a fluorine rich phase that concentrates adjacent the polymeric microelements and at the polishing layer during polishing. The polishing layer remains hydrophilic during polishing in shear conditions.

Examples are disclosed that relate to planarizing substrates without use of an abrasive. One example provides a method of chemically planarizing a substrate, the method comprising introducing an abrasive-free planarization solution onto a porous pad, contacting the substrate with the porous pad while moving the porous pad and substrate relative to one another such that higher portions of the substrate contact the porous pad and lower portions of the substrate do not contact the porous pad, and removing material from the higher portions of the substrate via contact with the porous pad to reduce a height of the higher portions of the substrate relative to the lower portions of the substrate. In some examples, linear motion may be used for chemically planarizing.

A semiconductor structure for a DRAM is described having multiple layers of arrays of memory cells. Memory cells in a vertical string extending through the layers have an electrical connection to one terminal of the memory cells in that string. Word lines couple the strings together. Each layer of the array also includes bit line connections to memory cells on that layer. Select transistors enable the use of folded bit lines. The memory cells preferably are thyristors. Methods of fabricating the array are described.

Integrated circuit devices including a via and methods of forming the same are provided. The methods may include forming a conductive wire structure on a substrate. The conductive wire structure may include a first insulating layer and a conductive wire stack in the first insulating layer, and the conductive wire stack may include a conductive wire and a mask layer stacked on the substrate. The method may also include forming a recess in the first insulating layer by removing the mask layer, the recess exposing the conductive wire, forming an etch stop layer and then a second insulating layer on the first insulating layer and in the recess of the first insulating layer, and forming a conductive via extending through the second insulating layer and the etch stop layer and contacting the conductive wire.

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a cut-off region in at least one mandrel line among a plurality of mandrel lines, conformally forming a spacer material layer in the plurality of mandrel lines and a non-mandrel area and forming a cut spacer in the cut-off region and depositing a gap-fill material such that a cut block is formed on a portion of the non-mandrel area and a concave portion of the cut spacer is filled.