Patent ID: 8575022

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a metal wire within an insulating material; etching said insulating material to leave an exposed portion of said metal wire extending from said insulating material, said exposed portion having a central portion and distal edges; and polishing said exposed portion of said metal wire, after etching said insulating material, to round said distal edges of said exposed portion of said metal wire, said polishing removing corners of said exposed portion of said metal wire such that said distal edges are reduced to a level approximately equal to a surface of said insulating material after etching and leaving said central portion of said exposed portion of said metal wire extending from said insulating material, and said polishing comprising soft-pad Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) using between 2 to 4 Pascals of downward force, a wafer rotation between 50 to 150 revolutions-per-minute (RPM), a polish pad rotation between 50 to 150 RPM and a polish time between 15 to 45 seconds.