Provided is a wafer polishing method capable of improving nanotopography characteristics within a site on the surface of a wafer having a 2 mm square area or a small area equivalent thereto and a silicon wafer polished by the wafer polishing method, and further provided is a method of chemical-mechanical polishing the surface of a wafer through a polishing step in two or more polishing steps with different polishing rates, in which the in-plane thickness variation (standard deviation) of a polishing pad 150 used in a polishing step with a machining allowance of 0.3 μm or more is 2.0 μm or less.

Methods and apparatuses for dispensing polishing fluids onto a polishing pad within a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system are disclosed herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to a CMP polishing method including urging a substrate against a surface of a pad of a polishing system using a carrier assembly. A fluid is dispensed onto the pad from a fluid delivery assembly at a variable flow rate and a first flow rate of the variable flow rate is pulsed at a frequency and a duty cycle. The frequency refers to a number of pulses of the fluid at the first flow rate per rotation of the pad. The term duty cycle refers to a percentage of the pad exposed to fluid per rotation of the pad. The carrier assembly is translated across a surface of the pad while rotating the carrier assembly about a rotational axis.

According to one embodiment, a polishing apparatus includes a holder for holding a polishing pad for polishing a surface of a substrate. A plurality of pressing members are configured to press a back surface side of the polishing pad while held by the holder. A driving unit is configured to selectively move pressing members in a direction towards the surface of the substrate so as to press the back surface side of the polishing pad.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing member having a polishing surface configured to perform a polishing of a main surface of a substrate; a first dressing member having a first dressing surface configured to perform a dressing of the polishing surface; a second dressing member having a second dressing surface configured to perform a dressing of the first dressing surface; a holding member configured to hold the polishing member and the second dressing member; and a driving unit configured to, by moving the holding member, switch a first state in which the first dressing surface and the polishing surface come into contact with each other to perform the dressing of the polishing surface and a second state in which the first dressing surface and the second dressing surface come into contact with each other to perform the dressing of the first dressing surface.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing member having a polishing surface configured to perform a polishing of a main surface of a substrate; a first dressing member having a first dressing surface configured to perform a dressing of the polishing surface; a second dressing member having a second dressing surface configured to perform a dressing of the first dressing surface; a holding member configured to hold the polishing member and the second dressing member; and a driving unit configured to, by moving the holding member, switch a first state in which the first dressing surface and the polishing surface come into contact with each other to perform the dressing of the polishing surface and a second state in which the first dressing surface and the second dressing surface come into contact with each other to perform the dressing of the first dressing surface.

The present invention relates to a device for polishing a specimen (104, 204). The device comprises a polishing platen (101, 201) rotatable about an axis, a polishing pad (103, 203) attached to the polishing platen (101, 201), a specimen holder (105, 205) for holding the specimen (104, 204) against the polishing pad (103, 203), means (107, 110, 207, 212) for measuring a physical quantity in a plurality of positions on the polishing pad (103, 203), the physical quantity being indicative of the moisture or the friction, and means (116, 119, 120, 121, 213, 215, 216, 217) for dispensing a polishing suspension, based on values of the measured physical quantity, to the plurality of positions on the polishing pad (103, 203). The invention also relates to a method for polishing a specimen (104, 204).

The present invention relates to a device for polishing a specimen (104, 204). The device comprises a polishing platen (101, 201) rotatable about an axis, a polishing pad (103, 203) attached to the polishing platen (101, 201), a specimen holder (105, 205) for holding the specimen (104, 204) against the polishing pad (103, 203), means (107, 110, 207, 212) for measuring a physical quantity in a plurality of positions on the polishing pad (103, 203), the physical quantity being indicative of the moisture or the friction, and means (116, 119, 120, 121, 213, 215, 216, 217) for dispensing a polishing suspension, based on values of the measured physical quantity, to the plurality of positions on the polishing pad (103, 203). The invention also relates to a method for polishing a specimen (104, 204).

A method includes bonding a first package component on a composite carrier, and performing a first polishing process on the composite carrier to remove a base carrier of the composite carrier. The first polishing process stops on a first layer of the composite carrier. A second polishing process is performed to remove the first layer of the composite carrier. The second polishing process stops on a second layer of the composite carrier. A third polishing process is performed to remove a plurality of layers in the composite carrier. The plurality of layers include the second layer, and the third polishing process stops on a dielectric layer in the first package component.

The invention provides improved slurries for the polishing of hard materials such as those having a Mohs hardness of greater than about 6. Exemplary hard surfaces include sapphire, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and gallium nitride, and diamond. In the compositions and method of the invention, novel compositions comprising a unique combination of additives which surprisingly were found to uniformly disperse diamond particles having a wide range of particle size in a slurry. In the method of the invention, the generally alkaline slurry compositions of the invention are capable of utilizing diamond particle sizes of greater than 40 microns while effecting good removal rates. In such cases, when utilized with a suitable pad, rapid and planar grinding of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, sapphire, gallium nitride, and diamond is possible, with uniform surface damage.

Provided herein are compositions comprising a first colloidal silica particle that is not surface-modified and a second colloidal silica particle that is surface modified to carry a negative charge. Also provided herein are methods for selectively removing HfO.sub.2 or SiO.sub.2 from a surface.