| abstract |
Suitable compositions for tantalum chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) include abrasives, organic oxidants, and liquid carriers for them. The organic oxidant has a standard redox potential (E 0 ) of 0.5 V or less with respect to the standard hydrogen electrode. The oxidized form contains at least one π-conjugated ring containing at least one heteroatom directly attached to the ring. The heteroatom can be N, O, S or a combination thereof. In a method embodiment, a CMP composition comprising an abrasive and an organic oxidant having an E 0 of 0.7 V or less relative to a standard hydrogen electrode, and a liquid carrier therefor, the surface of the substrate with the composition It is used to polish the tantalum-containing surface of the substrate, preferably by abrasion with the aid of a polishing pad. |