Patent ID: 8828874

Claim:
A method of chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate having a Group III-nitride comprising surface, comprising: providing a chemical-mechanical polishing slurry composition, said slurry composition comprising: a slurry solution including a liquid carrier, an oxidizer comprising a per-based compound in a concentration range from 0.05 M to 0.4 M, in a pH range from 1 to 7, and a plurality of coated particles having a hard core and a soft surface that provides a lower hardness compared to said hard core by at least one (1) Mohs number or at least a Knoop hardness of 100 Kg/mm 2 , wherein said lower hardness is less than a 6 Mohs number or a Knoop hardness less than 900 Kg/mm 2 , wherein said slurry solution includes at least one component that reacts with said Group III-nitride comprising surface to form a softened Group III-nitride comprising surface; dispensing said slurry composition to contact said Group III-nitride comprising surface to form said softened Group III-nitride comprising surface by pressing a polymeric polishing pad having a Mohs hardness less than 6 or Knoop Hardness less than 900 Kg/mm 2 onto said Group III-nitride comprising surface, and moving said polishing pad relative to said softened Group III-nitride comprising, wherein at least a portion of said softened Group III-nitride comprising surface is removed.