(12) United States Patent
Ng et al.
US006235636B1
(io) Patent No.: US 6,235,636 Bl (45) Date of Patent: May 22,2001
(54) RESIST REMOVAL BY POLISHING
(75) Inventors: Che-Hoo Ng, San Martin; Matthew S.
Buynoski, Palo Alto, both of CA (US)
(73) Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.,
Sunnyvale, CA (US)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/295,271
(22) Filed: Apr. 20, 1999
(51) Int. CI.7 H01L 21/302
(52) U.S. CI 438/692; 134/7; 134/6;
438/689; 438/690; 438/691; 438/693
(58) Field of Search 438/689, 692,
438/693, 691, 690; 134/6, 7
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,722,875 * 3/1998 Iwashita et al 451/8
5,763,304 * 6/1998 Tseng 438/239
6,001,739 * 12/1999 Konishi 438/692
6,117,783 * 9/2000 Small et al 438/693
6,126,531 * 10/2000 Iida et al 451/447
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Peter Van Zant, Microchip Fabrication, A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing, (McGraw-Hill, Third Edition), pp. 192-197 & 272-277 & 300-302.
* cited by examiner
Primary Examiner—Randy Gulakowski
Assistant Examiner—Michael Kornakov
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Lariviere, Grubman &
Payne, LLP
(57) ABSTRACT
Chemical mechanical polishing for removing a hardened surface layer of photoresist in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The use of chemical mechanical polishing allows for the removal of a hardened surface layer of photoresist that has been hardened through ion beam implantation or plasma etching. The chemical mechanical polishing process places a semiconductor wafer with a photoresist layer on a polishing pad. The photoresist layer is placed close to the polishing pad, so that the hardened surface layer of the photoresist layer is removed. A slurry is added to the polishing pad to aid in the removal of the hardened surface layer of the photoresist layer. Conventional chemical stripping is then used to remove the remaining photoresist layer.
10 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
