A polishing liquid containing: abrasive grains containing a hydroxide of a tetravalent metal element; and a nitrogen-containing compound having a hydrocarbon group having 6 or more carbon atoms and bonded to a nitrogen atom, in which the nitrogen-containing compound contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium salt, tertiary amine, and a heterocyclic compound having a quaternary nitrogen atom constituting a heterocyclic ring. A polishing method including a step of polishing a surface to be polished by using this polishing liquid.

The invention provides methodology for final finishing of hard surfaces such as diamond surfaces. In this method, a smooth pad having a surface roughness of about 0.2 nm to about 100 nm, having, for example a thickness ranging from about 0.02 mm to about 5 mm, and a Shore D hardness of 30 or higher, is utilized in conjunction with known polishing slurries to provide diamond surfaces having superior smooth finishes.

Systems and methods for treating concrete, which includes the steps of wetting a surface of concrete with colloidal silica, allowing time for the colloidal silica to penetrate the concrete surface, and cutting the surface of the concrete with a bladed or segmented tool wherein the longitudinal blade or edge portion is positioned approximately at an angle between 30 degrees and 90 degrees relative to the surface of the concrete.

Provided is a method for recycling a polishing agent slurry comprising: a first process including a slurry collecting process of collecting the used polishing agent slurry discharged from a polishing device; a desalting treatment process of reducing an ion concentration of the collected polishing agent slurry; and a dispersion treatment process of dispersing the polishing agent component and the constituent component of the object to be polished by adding a pH adjusting agent and a dispersing agent to the desalted polishing agent slurry; and after the first process, a second process of preparing a recycled polishing agent slurry from the polishing agent component by separating the polishing agent component and the constituent component of the object to be polished.

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.

The present invention is polishing particles for polishing a synthetic quartz glass substrate. The polishing particles contain cerium-based polishing particles and have a breaking strength, which is measured by a compression tester, of 30 MPa or more. This provides polishing particles for polishing a synthetic quartz glass substrate while sufficiently reducing generation of defects due to polishing.

Provided is a polishing composition which contains a water-soluble polymer and is suitable for reducing LPDs. The polishing composition provided in this application includes an abrasive, a water-soluble polymer, and a basic compound. In the polishing composition, the content of a reaction product of a polymerization initiator and a polymerization inhibitor is 0.1 ppb or less of the polishing composition on a weight basis.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a polishing ring assembly suitable for polishing an electrostatic chuck and method of using the same. In one embodiment, the polishing ring assembly has a retaining ring assembly and an electrostatic chuck fixture. The retaining ring assembly includes an inner diameter and a top surface, a plurality of outer drive rings wherein the plurality of outer drive rings are placed on the top surface of the ceramic retaining ring. The electrostatic chuck fixture includes an electrostatic chuck drive plate adjacent to the inner diameter of in the ceramic retaining ring. The electrostatic chuck drive plate has a lock to secure retaining ring assembly with the electrostatic chuck fixture without transferring the weight from one assembly over to the other through the locking mechanism.

A method for polishing a wafer in order to correct a shape of a polished wafer subjected to polishing, by pressing the wafer to a polishing pad while continuously supplying a composition for polishing containing water to perform correction-polishing, the method including the steps of: measuring the shape of the polished wafer before performing the correction-polishing; determining, in accordance with the measured shape of the polished wafer, a kind and concentration of a surfactant to be contained in the composition for polishing; and performing the correction-polishing while supplying the composition for polishing adjusted on a basis of the determined kind and concentration of the surfactant. This provides a method and apparatus for polishing a wafer that make it possible to reduce, in the latter polishing step, a variation in the shape of the wafer that occurred in a preceding polishing step.

Compositions for use in CMP processing and methods of CMP processing. The composition utilizes low levels of particulate material, in combination with at least one amino acid, at least one oxidizer, and water to remove a metal layer such as one containing copper to a stop layer with high selectivity.