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The amplification of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) by a multilayer graphene (MLG)-based amplifier is studied. The conductivity of massless carriers (electrons or holes) in graphene in an external drift electric field is calculated using Boltzmann’s equation. At some carrier drift velocities, the real part of the variable conductivity becomes negative and MLG can be employed in SAW amplifiers. Amplification of Blustein’s and Rayleigh’s SAWs in CdS, a piezoelectric hexagonal crystal of the symmetry group C6v, is considered. The corresponding equations for SAW propagation in the device are derived and can be applied to other substrate crystals of the same symmetry. The results of the paper indicate that MLG can be considered as a perspective material for SAW amplification and related applications.

New chemical mechanical polishing processes using nanocolloidal ceria slurry are proposed for high-precision and low-damage planarization of silicon-dioxide-based dielectric films. In the polishing process of a shallow trench isolation structure, a hard pad and a cationic polymer additive are used in combination with the slurry. The new process is effective in improving the planarity and reducing the microscratch count in comparison with a conventional polishing process with calcined ceria slurry and a standard pad. In the polishing process of an interconnect structure with ultralow-k interlayer dielectrics (ULK-ILDs), the standard pad should be used since the ULK-ILDs are easily damaged. By employing a spin-ontype ULK-ILD having a self-planarizing effect, a high planarity is obtained when using the nanocolloidal ceria slurry with the standard pad. The electrical measurement of the interconnect structure indicates that dielectric damage due to the process is successfully suppressed.

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