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  Polishing cloth, polishing apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor devicesUSPTO Application #: 20060276113Title: Polishing cloth, polishing apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor devices Abstract: There is disclosed a polishing cloth having an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a hydrolyzable with an aqueous medium and being capable of exhibiting a stable polishing performance for a relatively long period of time without necessitating a dressing treatment. (end of abstract) Agent: C. Irvin Mcclelland Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C. - Alexandria, VA, US Inventors: Hideaki Hirabayashi, Akiko Saito, Naoaki Sakurai, Yoshihiro Oshibe, Masahiro Ishidoya Related Keywords: polymer, semiconductor USPTO Applicaton #: 20060276113 - Class: 451288000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Abrading, Machine, Rotary Tool, Rotary Disk, Work Rotating, Rotary Work Holder, Planar Surface Abrading, The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060276113. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/412,298, filed Apr. 14, 2003, now allowed, which is a continuation application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP01/08717, filed Oct. 3, 2001, which was not published under PCT Article 21(2) in English, and which is based on and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-312288, filed Oct. 12, 2000; and No. 2001-210856, filed Jul. 11, 2001, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by 0reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a polishing cloth, a polishing apparatus and a method of manufacturing semiconductor devices. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] A polishing apparatus provided with a polishing cloth has been conventionally employed in the manufacture of a semiconductor device when it is desired to mirror-finish a semiconductor substrate (for example, a semiconductor wafer), to flatten an insulating film deposited on a semiconductor wafer, or to perform the back etching of a metal film to form a buried wiring. [0006] This polishing apparatus is generally formed of a structure comprising a turntable whose surface is constituted by an underlying layer formed of rigid polyurethane foam or of a 2-ply structure consisting of a rigid polyurethane foam layer and a polyurethane nonwoven fabric layer, and by a polishing cloth having a rough surface and covering the underlying layer; a supply pipe for feeding a polishing slurry containing abrasive grains to the polishing cloth; and a holder rotatively and vertically movably disposed over the turntable. When it is desired to flatten an insulating film deposited on wirings formed on the surface of semiconductor wafer for example, this polishing apparatus can be operated as follows. First of all, the semiconductor wafer is held by making use of the holder in such a manner that the insulating film to be polished faces the polishing cloth, and, while keeping the feeding of a polishing slurry containing abrasive grains to the polishing cloth, the semiconductor wafer is permitted to contact with the polishing cloth by applying a desired magnitude of load to the semiconductor wafer by means of the holder. On this occasion, the holder and the turntable are kept rotating in the same direction with each other. [0007] In this polishing operation, the open interstices (generally 40-50 .mu.m in diameter) of the polishing cloth are filled with abrasive grains having a diameter of 0.2 .mu.m and included in the polishing slurry, thereby enabling the abrasive grains to be homogenously dispersed at the interface between the polishing cloth and the semiconductor wafer. At the same time, the abrasive grains are also permitted to remain at the portions of the polishing cloth which are located between the open interstices. As a result, the insulating film can be mechanically polished, thus achieving the flattening of the surface of the insulating film. [0008] However, when this polishing operation is continued for a long period of time, the abrasive grains are accumulated in the open interstices, thus increasing the quantity of the abrasive grains on the portions located between the open interstices of the polishing cloth. Namely, the polishing power by the abrasive grains is enhanced. As a result, the polishing rate is increased as compared with the initial polishing rate, thus bringing out so-called fluctuation of polishing performance. [0009] The polishing cloth which fluctuates in polishing performance as described above has been conventionally subjected to a regeneration treatment by making use of a dressing apparatus provided with a dressing tool having a large number of diamond particles electrodeposited on a metallic substrate. However, it is very difficult to avoid this fluctuation of polishing performance of polishing cloth unless the aforementioned dressing treatment is performed after finishing every polishing operation. This makes the polishing operation very troublesome because of the inclusion of the aforementioned dressing treatment. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a polishing cloth which is capable of exhibiting a stable polishing performance for a relatively long period of time without necessitating a dressing treatment. [0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a polishing cloth which is provided with an automatic abrasive grain-feeding capability and capable of exhibiting a stable polishing performance for a relatively long period of time without necessitating a dressing treatment. [0012] A further object of the present invention is to provide a polishing apparatus provided with aforementioned cloth capable of exhibiting a stable polishing performance. [0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which makes it possible to reliably form a conductive member, such as a buried wiring layer, with high precision in at least one embedding portion selected from groove and opening formed in an insulating film which has been deposited on a semiconductor substrate. [0014] According to the present invention, there is provided a polishing cloth comprising an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a hydrolyzable with an aqueous medium. [0015] According to the present invention, there is also provided a polishing cloth comprising an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a hydrolyzable with an aqueous medium and at least one abrasive grain selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, manganese oxide, silica, alumina and zirconia, the abrasive grain being dispersed in the polymer material. [0016] According to the present invention, there is also provided a polishing cloth comprising an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a soluble in an aqueous medium. [0017] According to the present invention, there is also provided a polishing cloth comprising an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a soluble in an aqueous medium and at least one kind of abrasive grain selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, manganese oxide, silica, alumina and zirconia, the abrasive grain being dispersed in the polymer material. [0018] According to the present invention, there is also provided a polishing cloth comprising an abrasive layer having dispersed therein at least one abrasive grain selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, manganese oxide, silica, alumina and zirconia, wherein a surface portion of the abrasive layer is prohibited from eluting in the presence of an aqueous medium, until the abrasive layer is subjected to frictional stress, and is permitted to elute in the presence of an aqueous medium, when the abrasive layer is subjected to frictional stress, concomitantly permitting the abrasive grain to be supplied to the surface of the abrasive layer. [0019] According to the present invention, there is also provided a polishing apparatus comprising: [0020] a turntable having a surface which is covered with a polishing cloth having an abrasive layer containing a polymer material which is a hydrolyzable with an aqueous medium; [0021] holding means which is rotatively and vertically movably disposed over the turntable and is designed to hold a subject member to be polished, the holding means being also designed to impose a desired magnitude of load on the subject member to thereby enable the subject member to be press-contacted with the abrasive cloth of the turntable, and further designed to rotate in the same direction as that of the turntable; and Continue reading... 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