Polishing liquid comprising abrasive grains, a phosphonic acid compound having a molecular weight of 210 or more, and at least one selected from the group consisting of amino acids and amino acid derivatives, in which a silanol group density of the abrasive grains is 6.5 groups/nm.sup.2 or less, and a degree of association of the abrasive grains is 1.5 or more.

To provide modified colloidal silica capable of improving the stability of the polishing speed with time when used as abrasive grains in a polishing composition for polishing a polishing object that contains a material to which charged modified colloidal silica easily adheres, such as a SiN wafer, and to provide a method for producing the modified colloidal silica. Modified colloidal silica, being obtained by modifying raw colloidal silica, wherein the raw colloidal silica has a number distribution ratio of 10% or less of microparticles having a particle size of 40% or less relative to a volume average particle size based on Heywood diameter (equivalent circle diameter) as determined by image analysis using a scanning electron microscope.

Methods for polishing dielectric layers using an auto-stop slurry in forming semiconductor devices, such as three-dimensional (3D) memory devices, are provided. The methods include forming a stack structure in a staircase region and a core array region, the stack structure including a staircase structure in the staircase region; forming a dielectric layer over the staircase region and a peripheral region outside the stack structure; and polishing the dielectric layer using an auto-stop slurry containing a ceria-based abrasive.

A polishing liquid composition for a silicon oxide film according to the present invention includes cerium oxide particles, a water-soluble macromolecular compound, and an aqueous medium, and the water-soluble macromolecular compound is a water-soluble macromolecular compound including a betaine structure, excluding carbobetaine homopolymers and sulfobetaine homopolymers. The water-soluble macromolecular compound is preferably a water-soluble macromolecular compound containing a constitutional unit A including a betaine structure, and a constitutional unit B that is a constitutional unit other than the constitutional unit A and contains at least one group of a primary amino group, a secondary amino group, a tertiary amino group, a quaternary ammonium group, and salts thereof.

A composition is provided that comprises a calcium carbonate slurry. The calcium carbonate slurry comprises a plurality of calcium carbonate particles suspended in a solution, where the solution comprises a dispersant and an anionic surfactant. The concentration of the calcium carbonate particles in the calcium carbonate slurry is equal to or less than about 2.0 wt. %.

Provided is a method that enables good cleaning of a polished substrate formed of a high-hardness material. Provided is a method of polishing and cleaning a substrate formed of a material having a Vickers hardness of 1500 Hv or more. The method includes: polishing a substrate to be polished using a polishing composition; and cleaning the polished substrate using a cleaner. The polishing composition contains a polishing auxiliary. Furthermore, the cleaner contains a surfactant.

A slurry containing: abrasive grains; a compound X having 3 or more carbon atoms; and water, in which the abrasive grains contain cerium oxide, and a dispersion term dD in Hansen solubility parameters of the compound X is 18.0 MPa.sup.1/2 or less. A polishing method including polishing a surface to be polished by using this slurry.

The present disclosure provides a new corrosion control chemistry for use in ruthenium (Ru) chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. More specifically, the present disclosure provides an improved CMP slurry chemistry and CMP process for planarizing a ruthenium surface. In the CMP process disclosed herein, a ruthenium surface (e.g., a post-etch ruthenium surface) is exposed to a CMP slurry containing a halogenation reagent, which reacts with the ruthenium surface to create a halogenated ruthenium surface, and a ligand for ligand-assisted reactive dissolution of the halogenated ruthenium surface. Relative amounts of the halogenation agent and the ligand can be controlled in the CMP slurry, so as to provide a diffusion-limited etch process that improves pos-etch surface morphology, while providing high material removal rates.

A method of CMP includes providing a slurry solution including ≥1 per-compound oxidizer in a concentration between 0.01 M and 2 M with a pH from 2 to 5 or 8 to 11, and ≥1 buffering agent which provides a buffering ratio ≥1.5 that compares an amount of a strong acid needed to reduce the pH from 9.0 to 3.0 as compared to an amount of strong acid to change the pH from 9.0 to 3.0 without the buffering agent. The slurry solution is exclusive any hard slurry particles or has only soft slurry particles that have throughout a Vickers hardness <300 Kg/mm.sup.2 or Mohs Hardness <4. The slurry solution is dispensed on a hard surface having a Vickers hardness >1,000 kg/mm.sup.2 is pressed by a polishing pad with the slurry solution in between while rotating the polishing pad relative to the hard surface.

A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus includes a polishing pad located on a top surface of a platen configured to rotate around a vertical axis passing through the platen, a wafer carrier configured to hold a substrate and facing the polishing pad, and an integrated slurry mixer-dispenser including at least two inlet ports configured to receive a respective slurry component, configured to generate slurry by mixing at least two slurry components provided through the at least two inlet ports, and including a dispensation port configured to dispense the slurry over the polishing pad.