Does Altera use chemical mechanical planarization to planarize the integrated circuit (IC) surface during production?

Description

Yes. Altera uses chemical mechanical planarization to planarize the IC surface during production.

The chemical mechanical planarization of silicon wafers is an important step in the processing of multiple-layer ICs: it is used to make ICs with materials less than 5-µm thick. This polishing process uses a liquid slurry containing very fine particles to planarize the surface of the silicon wafer.

The slurry coats the top of the wafer and is pressed between the wafer and a flexible circular rotating pad, somewhat like using a rotary buffer to polish the finish on a car.