METHOD OF FORMING SELF-ALIGNED CONTACT PAD USING CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING PROCESS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming a self-aligned contact pad using a Chemical Mechanical Polishing process. SOLUTION: The method includes steps of: forming stacks of a conductive line and an insulating capping layer, spacers, and insulating layers configured to expose the top of the capping layer, on a semiconductor substrate; selectively, partially etching the capping layers to form damascene grooves; forming a first etching mask to fill the grooves and then forming a second etching mask having opened regions to be exposed across a plurality of portions of the first etching mask and insulating layer; etching selectively the portions of the insulating layer exposed by the second and first etching masks to form a plurality of opened holes together; removing the second etching mask and then forming conductive layers that fill the opened holes; and performing CMP using the capping layer as a polishing end point, wherein the remaining first etching mask also is processed to be removed during the polishing so that node-separation can be effected with self-aligned contact pads. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT