Patent 7951719 was granted and assigned to Hrl Laboratories, Llc on May, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A method for removing defects from a semiconductor surface is disclosed. The surface of the semiconductor is first coated with a protective layer, which is later thinned to selectively reveal portions of the protruding defects. The defects are then removed by etching. Finally, also the protective layer is removed. According to the method, inadvertent thinning of the surface is prevented and removal of the defects is obtained.