Abstract
Silicon carbide (SiC) is considered as a replacement material for Si semiconductor due to its superior physical properties in electronics industry. As the Mohs scale of mineral hardness of SiC material is about 9.25~9.5, which is obviously harder than silicon, the machining and polishing of SiC are more time consuming than that of silicon. Therefore the high process cost issue of SiC wafer is a key problem to tackle. In this study, we investigate the atmospheric plasma assisted surface softening technology, combined with the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process to polish 4 inch SiC wafers. Therefore, the material removal rate and surface quality are enhanced in wafer polishing process.