Method and system to provide material removal and planarization employing a reactive pad

Abstract

Systems and methods to remove a first material located on a top surface of a workpiece are presented according to one aspect of the present invention. According to an exemplary method, the pad including a second material is positioned proximate to the workpiece so that a front surface of the pad contacts an exposed surface of the first material. The front surface of the pad is mechanically moved against the exposed surface of the first material to initiate a chemical reaction between the first material and the second material that yields a reaction product. The reaction product may be removed by using a chemical solution, by using the mechanical movement of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material or both.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of removing a first material located on a top surface of a workpiece using a pad positioned proximate to the workpiece, the method comprising: 
 positioning a pad proximate to the workpiece so that a front surface of the pad contacts an exposed surface of the first material, the pad comprising a second material;    mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material to initiate a chemical reaction between the first material and the second material, the chemical reaction yielding a reaction product;    removing the reaction product using a chemical solution, the reaction product being soluble into the chemical solution and the first material and second material not being substantially soluble into the chemical solution.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 depositing the first material onto a top surface of a workpiece and into features of the workpiece.    
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 mechanically rotating, vertically moving, and laterally moving the pad relative to the workpiece using a shaft coupled to the pad.    
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the pad is wholly comprised of the second material.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the second material is stored within the pad.  
     
     
         6 . A method of removing a first material located on a top surface of a workpiece using a pad positioned proximate to the workpiece, the method comprising: 
 positioning a pad proximate to the workpiece so that a front surface of the pad contacts an exposed surface of the first material, the pad comprising a second material;    mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material to initiate a chemical reaction between the first material and the second material, the chemical reaction yielding a reaction product;    removing the reaction product using the mechanical movement, wherein mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material is not sufficient to remove the first material but is sufficient to remove the reaction product.    
     
     
         7 . A method of removing a first material located on a top surface of a workpiece using a pad positioned proximate to the workpiece, the method comprising: 
 positioning a pad proximate to the workpiece so that a front surface of the pad contacts an exposed surface of the first material, the pad comprising a second material;    mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material to initiate a chemical reaction between the first material and the second material, the chemical reaction yielding a reaction product;    removing the reaction product using a chemical solution and the mechanical movement, the reaction product being soluble into the chemical solution and the first material and second material not being substantially soluble into the chemical solution, wherein mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material is not sufficient to remove the first material but is sufficient to remove the reaction product.    
     
     
         8 . A system to remove a first material located on a top surface of a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 a pad positioned proximate to the workpiece so that a front surface of the pad contacts an exposed surface of the first material, the pad comprising a second material;    means for mechanically moving the front surface of the pad against the exposed surface of the first material to initiate a chemical reaction between the first material and the second material, the chemical reaction yielding a reaction product; and    a chemical solution to remove the reaction product, the reaction product being soluble into the chemical solution and the first material and second material not being substantially soluble into the chemical solution.