Appeal No. 2003-0512
Application 09/184,805
Reference is made to appellants’ main and reply briefs
(Paper Nos. 28 and 31) and to the examiner’s answer (Paper No.
29) for the respective positions of appellants and the examiner
regarding the merits of these rejections.
Discussion
Each of the independent claims on appeal, in one way or
another, calls for the step of chemical mechanical polishing the
filler layer of the substrate with a first slurry until the stop
layer is partially covered by the filler layer and partially
exposed, and the step of chemical mechanical polishing the
substrate with a second slurry until the stop layer is
substantially completely exposed.
Cadien, the examiner’s primary reference, is directed to
novel slurries for chemical mechanical polishing substrates. The
method of chemical mechanical polishing disclosed in Cadien that
uses the novel slurries starts by providing a substrate (see Fig.
3b) that comprises a conductive layer 301, an interlayer
dielectric layer 302 for electrically isolating the conductive
layer from a subsequently formed conductive layer, a titanium
contact layer 305 which functions to improve electrical
performance, a titanium nitrate adhesion layer 306 which provides
an adhesion layer and a diffusion barrier for a subsequently
3
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