Provided are materials and methods for the chemical mechanical planarization
of material layers such as oxide or metal formed on semiconductor substrates during
the manufacture of semiconductor devices using a fixed abrasive planarization pad
having an open cell foam structure from which free abrasive particles are produced
by conditioning and combined with a carrier liquid to form an in situ slurry on
the polishing surface of the planarization pad that, in combination with relative
motion between the semiconductor substrate and the planarization pad, tends to
remove the material layer from the surface of the semiconductor substrate. Depending
on the composition of the material layer, the rate of material removal from the
semiconductor substrate may be controlled by manipulating the pH or the oxidizer
content of the carrier liquid.
