Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Ge Using Colloidal Silica Particles and H2O2

The effects of colloidal silica particles, oxidizer (H2O2), and pH on the removal rates (RRs) of Ge have been evaluated. High removal and dissolution rates were obtained in the basic pH regions, likely caused by *OH radicals and rapid dissolution of the dissociation products of germanium hydroxides, while at pH 2, a RR of 420 nm/min was obtained with minimal dissolution. The surface quality of polished wafer coupons, measured using atomic force microscopy, was very good. A probable reaction mecha-nism for Ge removal as a function of pH is proposed