Patent ID: 6242341
Filing Date: 2001-06-05
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A process for planarization through laser ablation, comprising:providing an integrated circuit wafer that lies in a plane and has a top-most layer with an upper surface that is non-planar;mounting said wafer on a rotatable table having a center of rotation perpendicular to the plane in which the wafer lies;providing a laser that is capable of emitting a beam, having a lower edge, of radiation having a wavelength that is absorbed by material comprising said topmost layer;mounting the laser whereby said beam lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the wafer while passing over said center of rotation, said lower edge being at a predetermined distance below said upper surface;then causing the table to rotate at a speed between about 500 and 3,000 RPM while blowing dust free gas over the wafer; andactivating the laser, thereby causing removal by ablation of all material in said top-most layer that lies above the lower edge of the beam.