Method of detecting a polishing endpoint layer of a semiconductor wafer which includes a non-reactive reporting specie

摘要

A method of planarizing a semiconductor wafer having a polishing endpoint layer that includes a sulfur-containing reporting specie includes the step of polishing a first side of the wafer in order to remove material from the wafer. The method also includes the step of detecting presence of the sulfur-containing reporting specie in the material removed from the wafer. The method further includes the step of terminating the polishing step in response to detecting presence of the sulfur-containing reporting specie. A shallow trench isolation process for fabricating a semiconductor wafer is also disclosed.