High temperature substrate support assembly with fail-safe

Abstract

A substrate support assembly includes a plate structure and an insulator structure. The plate structure comprises an upper plate and a lower plate. The lower plate comprises a lower plate structural surface. An insulator structure is disposed below the plate structure. The insulator structure includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. The first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to the second portion of the upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface forms an interior space with the lower plate structure surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present specification relates to substrate support apparatus for use in substrate processing operations. In particular, the present specification relates to high temperature substrate support apparatus for use in high temperature processing operations, including protection against fault conditions. Background Art

[0002] Chambers are used in many types of processing systems. Examples of chambers include etching chambers, deposition chambers, annealing chambers, etc. Typically, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is placed on a substrate support within the chamber and the conditions within the chamber are set and maintained to process the substrate. The characteristics of the substrate support have an impact on the characteristics of the finished substrate. Summary of the invention

[0003] A simplified summary of the disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. This summary is neither intended to identify key or important elements of the disclosure, nor is it intended to describe any scope of a particular embodiment of the disclosure or any scope of the claims. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0004] In some aspects of the present disclosure, a substrate support assembly includes a plate structure and an insulator structure. The plate structure includes an upper plate and a lower plate. The lower plate includes a lower plate structure surface. The insulator structure is disposed below the plate structure. The insulator structure includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface. The first portion of the upper insulator structure surface and the lower plate structure surface form an internal space.

[0005] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an insulator structure of a substrate support assembly includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

[0006] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber includes a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly includes a disk for supporting a substrate. The disk includes a heating element. The substrate support assembly includes a radio frequency (RF) insulator structure. The RF insulator structure includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

[0007] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate support assembly includes a disk, a power distribution assembly, and an alumina insulator. The disk includes a heating element. The alumina insulator is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly. The electrical connection between the heating element and the power distribution assembly includes a terminal and a conical washer.

[0008] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber includes a disk for supporting a substrate, a power distribution assembly, and a ceramic insulator. The disk includes a heating element. The ceramic insulator is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly.

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes recessing a first portion of a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate such that a space is formed between the RF insulating plate and adjacent components of a process chamber. The method further includes installing an insulator between a heater disk of the process chamber and a power distribution assembly of the process chamber. The insulator reduces heat transfer to the process chamber components during an emergency machine shutdown (EMO) condition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures.

[0011] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing chamber including a substrate support assembly according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a substrate support assembly according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 3A Depicted are simplified cross-sectional side views of components of a substrate support assembly according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 3B Depicted is a simplified cross-sectional side view of a substrate support assembly including a backing plate in accordance with some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an insulation plate including a recessed portion according to some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 5 Diagrams of components of a substrate support assembly including high temperature protection are depicted in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate support assembly including an electrostatic chuck element and a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate. In a substrate processing system, an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly can be used to support and / or fix a substrate for processing. The ESC may include a radio frequency (RF) element, a heating element, a chuck element, etc. The ESC may perform several functions to facilitate substrate processing associated with the included elements, including substrate temperature control, substrate position control, etc.

[0018] In some embodiments, the substrate support assembly includes an ESC disc. The disc may include an upper disc plate coupled to a lower disc. The disc may include electrodes configured for heating, providing RF radiation, adsorption, etc. The disc may be coupled to a cooling plate by a number of fasteners. The cooling plate may be disposed above a base plate (e.g., supported by a base plate), and the base plate may be disposed above an insulating plate. In some embodiments, one or more fasteners couple the base plate to the disc. The cooling plate may be supported by the base plate, for example, by being facilitated by fasteners connecting the base plate to the disc. In some embodiments, a portion of the base plate may be in contact with the disc, be thermally connected to the disc, etc. For example, the cooling plate may be nested in the base plate. The insulating plate may be configured to insulate radio frequency (RF) radiation.

[0019] In some embodiments, the substrate support assembly may be configured for high temperature substrate processing, e.g., greater than 200° C., greater than 250° C., greater than 300° C., greater than 350° C., etc. In some embodiments, the substrate support assembly may be included in a processing system (e.g., installed in a processing chamber) targeting substrate processing conditions of about 350° C.

[0020] In some embodiments, the cooling plate can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity (e.g., aluminum). The cooling plate may include one or more channels that may form one or more flow paths for (multiple) coolant fluids. The cooling plate may be configured to circulate the coolant through one or more channels of the cooling plate. In some embodiments, the base plate may apply force to the cooling plate to improve the thermal contact between the cooling plate and the disc. For example, the base plate may be fixed to the disc at one or more locations, and one or more portions of the cooling plate may be pressed against the bottom side of at least a portion of the disc (e.g., by a spring or another elastic medium disposed between the cooling plate and the base plate). In another example, a fastener (e.g., a threaded fastener, such as a bolt fastened to a threaded insert that can be embedded in the disc) may fix the cooling plate and / or the base plate to the disc.

[0021] In some embodiments, an insulating plate may be provided below the base plate, the insulating plate being designed to insulate portions of the system from the RF field. For example, the insulating plate may be comprised of a material having a target dielectric constant. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may be comprised of a plastic material. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may be comprised of a styrene-containing polymer material. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may be comprised of one or more thermosetting, rigid, optionally translucent thermoplastics. The (multiple) thermoplastics of the insulating plate may have a target dielectric constant with a low dissipation factor (e.g., up to 2.53 to 500 GHz). In some embodiments, the insulating plate is formed of a thermosetting cross-linked polystyrene copolymer. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may be comprised of a polyamide-imide plastic. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may be comprised of a combination of materials, for example, one or more plastic portions and one or more ceramic (e.g., alumina) portions. In some embodiments, at least one material included in the composition of the insulating plate may be incompatible with high temperatures (e.g., under high temperature processing conditions, the plastic / polymer material may reach a melting point, a combustion point, a glass transition point, etc.).

[0022] In some embodiments, physical contact between the base plate and the adjacent surface of the insulating plate may be limited. For example, portions of the insulating plate may be recessed (e.g., machined to be a target distance from the surface of the base plate). In some embodiments, contact between the base plate and the insulating plate may be maintained around the outer edge of the insulating plate, rather than near a central portion of the substantially flat surface of the base plate. In some embodiments, contact between the base plate and the insulating plate is maintained at one or more locations of the interface between the base plate and the insulating plate. For example, some portions of the top surface of the insulating plate may be recessed and some portions may not be recessed. The non-recessed portions of the top surface of the insulating plate may help support the base plate. The base plate may also be supported by other components, such as one or more O-rings or other sealing devices, one or more inserts coupled between the base plate and the insulating plate, and the like.

[0023] In some embodiments, various components, fluids, etc. can pass through the insulating plate to reach other components of the substrate support assembly. For example, a coolant fluid can be supplied to the cooling plate through the insulating plate. In some embodiments, a seal is created between a portion of the surface of the insulating plate and the surface of the base plate, for example to define a flow path for one or more fluids. In some embodiments, a portion of the insulating plate may not be recessed to create one or more seals with the base plate. In some embodiments, an insert can be used. The insert can form a seal with the base plate and a seal with the insulating plate. The insert can be made of a material different from the insulating plate and / or the base plate (e.g., a thermally insulating material, such as alumina). In some embodiments, multiple channels through the insulating plate can be formed by the insert, which may include the insert, etc.

[0024] In some embodiments, two areas of the surface of the insulating plate near the base plate can be recessed by different amounts. For example, one or more areas near the seal (e.g., the fluid passage area of ​​the insulating plate) can be recessed less than areas farther away from the seal (e.g., the distance between these areas and the proximal surface of the base plate can be less than the distance between the surface area of ​​the insulating plate farther away from the seal and the base plate). In some embodiments, additional material can be added to one or more locations between the insulating plate and the base plate (e.g., the space between the insulating plate and the base plate created by one or more recesses of the insulating plate), such as one or more gaskets, polyimide films, etc. The added material can be thermally insulating. In some embodiments, a layer of insulating material can be deposited on one area of ​​the recessed area, two or more areas of the recessed area, the entire recessed area, etc.

[0025] In some embodiments, various electrical connections may be formed to power components of the disk (e.g., heating electrodes, adsorption electrodes, etc.). In some systems, the electrical connections and / or components may be damaged when exposed to high temperatures. For example, the temperatures reached during high temperature processing (e.g., the temperature of the disk of the substrate support assembly) may damage the electrical components. One or more thermal insulators may be used to protect fragile electrical components (e.g., electrical components that may be damaged by exposure to elevated temperatures). In some embodiments, a power distribution assembly (e.g., an alternating current (AC) power distribution assembly) may supply electrical power to various components of the disk, such as adsorption electrodes, heating electrodes arranged in one or more regions, etc. A thermal insulator and one or more electrical pathways (e.g., a thermal insulator including one or more electrical pathways) may be disposed between the AC power distribution assembly and the disk. In some embodiments, the thermal insulator may be made of aluminum oxide (Al2O3).

[0026] In some embodiments, temperature cycling (e.g., heating and cooling of the disk during processing, heating and cooling between processing cycles, heating and cooling for maintenance events, etc.) may cause stresses in electrical components of the substrate support assembly (e.g., electrical pathways from the AC power distribution assembly to the disk). In some embodiments, temperature resistant materials may be used for the electrical system in a thermal insulator disposed between the disk and the AC power distribution assembly. In some embodiments, components that resist failure due to thermal cycling may be used. For example, the electrical connections may be formed by screws disposed in threaded terminals. Temperature cycling may cause these connections to loosen (e.g., due to thermal expansion and contraction, due to mismatched coefficients of thermal expansion between the bolts and the terminals, etc.). In some embodiments, components that provide a corrective force, such as a conical safety washer, may be used to maintain electrical connections associated with the substrate support system.

[0027] Aspects of the present disclosure result in technical advantages over conventional solutions. In conventional systems, components of a processing assembly (e.g., a substrate support assembly) may be substantially in contact with one another. Portions of the substrate support assembly may withstand elevated temperatures (e.g., a disk, a bottom plate, a cooling plate, etc.). Portions of the substrate support assembly may be sensitive to elevated temperatures (e.g., an insulating plate, an AC power distribution assembly, etc.). In some embodiments, components of the substrate support assembly may protect sensitive components from experiencing high temperature environments. For example, a coolant may flow through a cooling plate, drawing heat from the system and protecting components (e.g., components disposed on the opposite side of the cooling plate from the disk) from the adverse effects of high temperature conditions.

[0028] In some cases, the cooling operation may be interrupted. Equipment / sensor failure, coolant blockage, power loss, the start of an emergency protocol, etc. may interrupt operations intended to mitigate heat transfer to sensitive components. For example, conditions may trigger an emergency stop of the processing chamber operation during high temperature operation. Such an emergency stop may, for example, stop the coolant from flowing through the cooling plate. In conventional systems, heat may flow (e.g., via conduction) within and between components of the system until equilibrium is reached with the environment. In the case where the cooling operation is interrupted but there is still high temperature in the system (e.g., in an emergency machine shutdown (EMO) protocol, there is residual heat in the disk after the coolant circulation in the cooling plate stops), components that are protected from the adverse effects of high temperature during normal operation of the processing system may be exposed to high temperatures. In one example, the disk may operate at high temperatures (e.g., above 300°C). During normal operation, temperature mitigation components (e.g., cooling plates) may allow sensitive components to operate at much lower temperatures (e.g., insulation plates may operate at around 60°C, AC power distribution systems may be protected from high temperatures, etc.). In EMO operations, residual heat in the disk may be transferred to the cooling plate, base plate, AC power distribution components, and insulation plates. In some cases, the insulating plates and / or components of the AC power distribution assembly may experience significant temperature increases. In some embodiments, the elevated temperatures experienced by temperature sensitive components may cause physical or material damage to the components. In some embodiments, the temperatures experienced by the components of the substrate support assembly may cause phase changes, shape changes, partial phase changes, glass transitions, etc. in the components. In addition, due to different thermal expansion coefficients, different components may experience different thermal expansions. One or more of the phase changes, shape changes, softening, expansion, etc. of the components may compromise the seals between the components and cause one or more gas leaks, one or more vacuum seal failures, etc.

[0029] In an example, the insulating plate may include a styrene / divinylbenzene copolymer having a glass transition temperature T gis about 114°C. The material of the insulating plate may soften at the temperatures experienced during an EMO event. In some embodiments, the temperatures experienced by components of the substrate support assembly may result in reduced effective operation of those components. For example, the AC power distribution assembly may include one or more springs for maintaining pressure and contact for electrical connections. At high temperatures, components such as springs may fail (e.g., due to atomic rearrangements that cause the springs to lose their elasticity).

[0030] The high temperatures experienced by conventional temperature shielding components may cause thermal expansion of the components. Electrical connections may be made by tightening bolts into terminals, and thermal expansion may loosen the connections. The insulating plate may expand due to increased temperature, which may inhibit one or more functions of the insulating plate. For example, the expansion of the insulating plate may interfere with one or more seals made from the plate, such as gas / vacuum seals (e.g., for supplying helium through a disc, for providing vacuum suction on a substrate, for providing a vacuum seal, for operation of a lifting rod, etc.), liquid seals (e.g., for supplying coolant to a cooling plate), etc. In some embodiments, the insulating plate may include one or more components that are different from the body of the plate, for example, through channels may be installed to allow various fluids to pass through the insulating plate. The thermal expansion of these other components may function differently from the insulating plate and further disrupt the function of the insulating plate.

[0031] Aspects of the present disclosure can address one or more of these shortcomings of conventional systems. In some embodiments, temperature-sensitive components of the AC power distribution assembly can be protected, for example, under EMO conditions. Electrical connections near the high-temperature disk can be resistant to high temperatures. For example, one or more terminals can be coupled to components of the disk (e.g., heater electrodes, adsorption electrodes, etc.). The terminals can be made of temperature-resistant materials. The terminals can be threaded and can be coupled to threaded fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws). Threaded fasteners can be coupled to electrical components (e.g., wires) to provide a connection between one or more power sources and components of the disk. Fixing the threaded fasteners can include fixing one or more additional components, including conical washers, disc springs, curved disc springs, etc. Additional fastening components can provide protection for the electrical connection, for example, conical washers can provide additional force to protect the system from failures caused by temperature cycling. In some embodiments, by controlling the heat flow path (e.g., the electrical path can be configured to transfer heat away from the sensitive component, for example, by extending the distance or increasing the surface area), etc., sensitive electrical components can be protected by further insulation (e.g., one or more insulating materials that can be included between the disk and various electrical components in the substrate support assembly).

[0032] In some embodiments, heat transfer between components of the substrate support assembly can be controlled. For example, a depression in a portion of the surface of the insulating plate (e.g., a surface proximate to the bottom plate) can limit heat transfer between the bottom plate and the insulating plate. Under some conditions, such as EMO conditions, the temperature of the bottom plate may rise (e.g., due to heat transfer from the disk waste heat) above a temperature suitable for the insulating plate (e.g., above the glass transition temperature of the material comprising the insulating plate). The temperature rise of the insulating plate can be reduced by limiting contact between the insulating plate and the bottom plate.

[0033] Reducing temperature variations in the insulating plate can improve the operation of the substrate support assembly. An increase in the temperature of the insulating plate (e.g., exceeding the glass transition temperature) can cause the insulating plate to become soft, pliable, etc. This can change the shape of the component, change the performance of the component, irreversibly damage the component, etc. An increase in the temperature of the insulating plate can cause thermal expansion of the plate. In some embodiments, one or more seals (e.g., vacuum seals, fluid seals, etc.) can be created between the insulating plate and one or more other components. Thermal expansion of the insulating plate can destroy one or more seals of the insulating plate, which can cause unintended mixing of fluids, unintended delivery of fluids to undesired portions of the processing system, etc.

[0034] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate support assembly includes a plate structure and an insulator structure. The plate structure includes an upper plate and a lower plate. The lower plate includes a lower plate structure surface. The insulator structure is disposed below the plate structure. The insulator structure includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface. The first portion of the upper insulator structure surface and the lower plate structure surface form an internal space.

[0035] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an insulator structure of a substrate support assembly includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

[0036] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber includes a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly includes a disk for supporting a substrate. The disk includes a heating element. The substrate support assembly includes a radio frequency (RF) insulator structure. The RF insulator structure includes a lower insulator structure surface and an upper insulator structure surface. A first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

[0037] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate support assembly includes a disk, a power distribution assembly, and an alumina insulator. The disk includes a heating element. The alumina insulator is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly. The electrical connection between the heating element and the power distribution assembly includes a terminal and a conical washer.

[0038] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber includes a disk for supporting a substrate, a power distribution assembly, and a ceramic insulator. The disk includes a heating element. The ceramic insulator is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly.

[0039] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes recessing a first portion of a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate such that a space is formed between the RF insulating plate and adjacent components of a process chamber. The method further includes installing an insulator between a heater disk of the process chamber and a power distribution assembly of the process chamber. The insulator reduces heat transfer to the process chamber components during an emergency machine shutdown (EMO) condition.

[0040] Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing chamber 100 including a substrate support assembly 150 according to some embodiments. The substrate support assembly 150 includes a disk 166 (e.g., may include an electrostatic chuck (ESC)). The disk 166 may perform an adsorption operation, such as vacuum adsorption, electrostatic adsorption, etc. The disk 166 may include an upper disk plate coupled to a lower disk (not shown). The disk 166 may be coupled to a cooling plate 164 (e.g., may be in thermal communication with the cooling plate).

[0041] The substrate support assembly 150 may further include a bottom plate 162 and an insulating plate 101. The bottom plate 162 may be coupled to the disk 166, for example, may be attached to the disk 166 by a fastener. The bottom plate 162 may support the cooling plate 164. The insulating plate 101 may include a material that is insulative to RF radiation, such as a plastic material, a polymer material such as a thermoplastic (e.g., a cross-linked polymer of polystyrene and divinylbenzene or polyamide-imide). The insulating plate 101 may include a recess 103. The recess 103 may form a gap between at least a portion of the upper surface of the insulating plate 101 and the lower surface of another component (e.g., the bottom plate 162). In some embodiments, the gap may be formed by a recess in the upper component (e.g., the bottom plate 162).

[0042] The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 and a lid 104 that enclose an interior space 106. The chamber body 102 can be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or other suitable materials. The chamber body 102 generally includes sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110. An outer liner 116 can be disposed adjacent to the sidewalls 108, for example, to protect the chamber body 102. The outer liner 116 can be made and / or coated with a plasma or halogen-containing gas resistant material. The outer liner 116 can be made of or coated with aluminum oxide. The outer liner 116 can be made of or coated with yttrium oxide, yttrium alloys, oxides thereof, etc.

[0043] An exhaust port 126 may be defined in the chamber body 102 and may couple the interior space 106 to a pumping system 128. The pumping system 128 may include one or more pumps, valves, lines, manifolds, tanks, etc. for evacuating and regulating the pressure of the interior space 106.

[0044] The lid 104 can be supported on the sidewalls 108 of the chamber body 102. The lid 104 can be openable to allow access to the interior space 106. The lid 104 can provide a seal for the processing chamber 100 when closed. A gas panel 158 can be coupled to the processing chamber 100 to provide process, cleaning, backing, flushing, etc. gases to the interior space 106 through a gas distribution assembly 130. The gas distribution assembly 130 can be integrated with the lid 104.

[0045] Examples of process gases that can be used in the process chamber 100 include halogen-containing gases such as C2F6, SF6, SiCl4, HBr, NF3, CF4, CHF3, CH2F3, Cl2, and SiF4. Other reactive gases may include O2 or N2O. Non-reactive gases may be used for flushing or as carrier gases, such as N2, He, Ar, etc. The gas distribution assembly 130 (e.g., a showerhead) may include a plurality of holes 132 on a downstream surface of the gas distribution assembly 130. The holes 132 may direct the gas flow to the surface of the substrate 144. In some embodiments, the gas distribution assembly may include a nozzle (not shown) extending through a hole in the cover 104. A seal may be made between the nozzle and the cover 104. The gas distribution assembly 130 may be made of and / or coated with a ceramic material such as silicon carbide, yttrium oxide, etc. to provide resistance to the process conditions of the process chamber 100.

[0046] The substrate support assembly 150 is disposed in the interior space 106 of the processing chamber 100 below the gas distribution assembly 130. The substrate support assembly 150 holds the substrate 144 during processing. An inner liner (not shown) may be coated on the periphery of the substrate support assembly 148. The inner liner 118 may share features (e.g., manufacturing materials, functions, etc.) with the outer liner 116.

[0047] The substrate support assembly 148 may include a support base 152, an insulating plate 101, a bottom plate 162, a cooling plate 164, and a disk 166. The disk 166 may include an electrode 176 for providing one or more functions. The electrode 176 may include an adsorption electrode (e.g., for fixing the substrate 144 to the upper surface of the disk 166), a heating electrode, etc.

[0048] The protective ring 146 may be disposed on a portion of the disk 166 at the outer periphery of the disk 166. The disk 166 may be coated with a protective layer (not shown). The protective layer 136 may be a ceramic such as Y2O3 (yttria or yttrium oxide), Y4Al2O9 (YAM), Al2O3 (aluminum oxide), Y3Al5O 12 (YAG), YAlO3 (YAP), quartz, SiC (silicon carbide), Si3N4 (silicon nitride), Sialon, AlN (aluminum nitride), AlON (aluminum oxynitride), TiO2 (titanium dioxide), ZrO2 (zirconium oxide), TiC (titanium carbide), ZrC (zirconium carbide), TiN (titanium nitride), TiCN (titanium carbonitride), Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ), etc. The protective layer can be a ceramic composite material such as YAG, yttrium oxide-zirconium oxide solid solution, silicon carbide-silicon nitride solid solution distributed in an alumina matrix. The protective layer can be sapphire or MgAlON.

[0049] The disk 166 may include an upper disk plate (not shown) and a lower disk plate (not shown) bonded by a metal bonding agent. The upper disk plate may be a dielectric or electrically insulating material (e.g., having a dielectric strength greater than 10 13 ohm·cm resistivity). In some embodiments, the upper disc plate may be made of a material suitable for temperatures of about 20°C to about 500°C. The upper disc plate may be composed of AlN. The AlN upper disc plate may be doped or undoped. For example, the upper disc plate may be doped with samarium oxide (Sm2O3), cerium oxide (CeO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), or a transition metal oxide. The upper disc plate may be composed of Al2O3. The Al2O3 upper disc plate may be doped or undoped. For example, the upper disc plate may be doped with titanium dioxide (TiO2) or a transition metal oxide.

[0050] The lower disc plate may have a thermal expansion coefficient that matches that of the upper disc plate. The lower disc plate may be a SiC porous body infiltrated with an AlSi alloy (referred to as AlSiSiC). The lower disc plate may be AlN or Al2O3. The lower disc plate may be undoped AlN or undoped Al2O3. The lower disc plate may be made of the same material as the upper disc plate. The lower disc plate may be made of molybdenum. The lower disc plate may be coated with a corrosion-resistant coating, such as a plasma-resistant coating, a halogen-resistant coating, and the like. Coating the lower disc plate may include coating the exposed surface of the lower disc plate after the lower disc plate is bonded to the upper disc plate. The coating of the lower disc plate (e.g., a plasma-resistant coating, a halogen-resistant coating, etc.) may cover the sidewalls and exposed horizontal steps of the lower disc plate. The plasma-resistant coating may include Al2O3, Y2O3, and / or any material described with reference to the protective layer 136.

[0051] The processing chamber 100 may further include a mounting plate (not shown) coupled to the bottom 110 of the chamber body 102 and including channels for routing utilities (e.g., fluids, power lines, sensor leads, etc.) to components of the substrate support assembly 150. For example, a coolant fluid may be provided to the cooling plate 164 via the channels, power may be provided to the electrodes 176 of the disk 166 via the channels, etc. The cooling plate 164 may include one or more conduits 170, for example, to facilitate fluid flow of the coolant.

[0052] The conduit 170 may be fluidly coupled to a fluid source 172 that circulates a temperature regulating fluid through the conduit 170. The conduit 170 and heating elements (e.g., electrodes 176 in the disk 166, one or more heating elements (not shown) disposed within the cooling plate 164, etc.) may be used to control the temperature of the disk 166, the substrate 144, etc. The disk 166 may include individually controlled heating zones that may maintain different temperatures. The disk 166 may include radial heating zones, segmented heating zones, etc. The temperature of the disk 166, the substrate 144, the cooling plate 164, the bottom plate 162, etc. may be monitored by one or more temperature sensors.

[0053] The disk 166 may further include a plurality of gas channels, such as recesses, terraces, and other features that may be formed in the upper surface of the disk 166. The gas channels may be fluidly coupled to the gas source 105. The gas from the gas source 105 may be used as a heat transfer or backside gas, which may be used to control one or more lift pins of the disk 166, etc. Multiple gas sources (not shown) may be used. The gas channels may provide a gas flow path for a backside gas, such as He, through holes drilled in the disk 166. The backside gas may be provided to the gas channels under a controlled pressure to enhance heat transfer between the disk 166 and the substrate 144.

[0054] The insulating plate 101 may include one or more inserts 107 and / or one or more sockets 109. In some embodiments, the recess 103 may inhibit the creation of a fluid seal (e.g., a coolant seal, a vacuum seal, a gas seal, etc.) between the insulating plate 101 and the base plate 162. The sockets 109 and the inserts 107 may facilitate the creation of a seal between the components by at least partially extending through the gap formed by the recess 103 to create a seal. Figure 2 The implementation of the sealing member proximate the recess 103 is discussed in more detail.

[0055] The disk 166 may include one or more clamping electrodes. The clamping electrodes may be controlled by an adsorption power supply 182. The clamping electrodes may be further coupled to one or more RF power supplies through matching circuits to maintain a plasma formed by process and / or other gases within the processing chamber 100. The RF power supplies may be capable of generating RF signals having a frequency from about 50 kilohertz (kHz) to about 3 gigahertz (GHz) and a power of up to about 10,000 watts. The heating electrodes of the disk 166 may be coupled to a heater power supply 178.

[0056] Figure 2 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a substrate support assembly 200 according to some embodiments. The substrate support assembly includes a disk 266, which is composed of an upper disk plate 230 and a lower disk plate 232, which are joined together by a joint 250. In some embodiments, the joint 250 can be a metal joint, for example, can include aluminum. In some embodiments, the joint 250 can be a diffusion joint, for example, can be formed by subjecting the upper disk plate 230 and the lower disk plate 232 to heat and compressive pressure for a period of time to produce a joint. In some embodiments, the joint 250 can be a ceramic joint or a glass joint. An O-ring 245 can be disposed adjacent to the joint 250. The O-ring 245 can be a plasma resistant O-ring, a high temperature O-ring, etc. The O-ring 245 can be made of a perfluoropolymer (PFP). The O-ring 245 can be degraded (for example, due to processing conditions in the processing chamber) and subsequently replaced, for example, by stretching the old O-ring over the upper disk plate 230 and stretching a new O-ring over the upper disk plate 230. The O-ring 245 may protect the joint 250 from plasma erosion.

[0057] The upper disc plate 230 includes a table 210, a channel 212, and an outer ring 216. The upper plate 230 may include one or more electrodes, such as a clamping electrode 280 (e.g., in an electrostatic chuck), a heating element 276, etc. The electrode can be coupled to a terminal 202 (e.g., a threaded terminal). The terminal 202 can be further coupled to a threaded fastener and can be secured with an assembly including a conical washer 204. The terminal 202 can be further coupled to a power distribution assembly 206. The power distribution assembly 206 (e.g., an AC power distribution assembly, an electric power delivery system, etc.) can deliver power to various components of the disc 266. The power distribution assembly 206 can electrically couple a power source to components of the substrate support assembly 200. In some embodiments, the power distribution assembly 206 can include spring-loaded pins, such as spring pins, for electrical connection. In some embodiments, the electrical pathways may be configured to shield power distribution assembly 206 from adverse effects of high temperatures, for example, wires connecting terminals 202 to power distribution assembly 206 may be configured to lose some heat to the environment that might otherwise be transferred to power distribution assembly 206 .

[0058] The power distribution assembly 206 may be further coupled to one or more power sources, for example, the clamping electrode 280 may be coupled to the adsorption power source 282 via the power distribution assembly 206 , the heating element 276 may be coupled to the heater power source 278 via the power distribution assembly 206 , and so on.

[0059] The upper disc plate 230 may have a thickness of about 1-100 mm. The upper disc plate 230 may have a thickness of about 3-25 mm. In some embodiments, the upper disc plate 230 may have a thickness of about 3 mm. The clamping electrode 280 may be located about 1 mm from the upper surface of the upper disc plate 230. The heating element 276 may be located about 1 mm below the clamping electrode 280. The heating element 276 may be a screen printed heating element having a thickness of about 10-200 microns (μm). Alternatively, the heating element may be a resistive coil occupying a thickness of about 1-3 mm of the upper disc plate 230. In some embodiments, the lower disc plate 232 may have a thickness of about 1-100 mm. In some embodiments, the lower disc plate 232 may have a thickness of about 8-25 mm.

[0060] The upper disc plate 230 may include an electrically insulating material such as aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), etc. The lower disc plate 232 and the upper disc plate 230 may be made of the same material. The lower disc plate 232 and the upper disc plate 230 may be made of different materials.

[0061] The lower disk plate 232 is in thermal communication with a cooling plate 264. The cooling plate 264 may include one or more conduits 270 (eg, cooling channels, coolant flow paths, etc.) in fluid communication with a fluid source 272. The conduits 270 may extend through the cooling plate 264 in any manner, although Figure 2 Only two conduits are shown in FIG. The cooling plate 264 may be constructed of a material that facilitates heat transfer, such as aluminum, for example, from the disk 266 to the coolant fluid.

[0062] In some embodiments (not shown), the back disc plate is bonded to the back side of the lower disc plate 232. For example, the back disc plate can be bonded to the back side of the lower disc plate 232 by metal bonding, ceramic bonding, or diffusion bonding. In an embodiment, the back disc plate can be formed of the same material as the upper disc plate 230. The lower disc plate can include features to accommodate fasteners (e.g., can include embedded inserts, such as embedded threaded inserts, such as helical coils). The back disc plate can include holes that provide access to features in the lower disc plate 232 (e.g., so that the shaft of a threaded fastener can access the threaded insert in the lower disc plate 232).

[0063] The cooling plate 264 may be supported by a base plate 268. The base plate 268 may facilitate thermal communication between the cooling plate 264 and the disk 266. For example, the base plate 268 may be connected to the disk 266 by a plurality of fasteners 205. The fasteners 205 may be threaded fasteners, such as nut and screw pairs. The lower disk plate 232 may include features for accommodating the fasteners 205. The base plate 268 may include features for accommodating the fasteners 205. The features may include through holes, slits, etc. The fasteners may include washers, foils, or other load dispersing materials known in the art. In some embodiments, the fasteners 205 may be changed to connect the cooling plate 264 to the disk 266.

[0064] One or more portions of the bottom plate 268 may extend upwardly along, around, through, and the like, of the cooling plate 264. For example, the cooling plate 264 may be nested in the bottom plate 268. The extended portion of the bottom plate 268 may be in thermal communication with the disk 266, for example, may contact the disk 266, may be adjacent to the disk 266, may be separated from the disk 266 by a thermally conductive medium, and the like. Portions of the bottom plate 268 may be separated from the disk 232 by a sealing member, such as an O-ring 252. Various structures may create a fluid seal via a fluid sealing member, such as an O-ring.

[0065] In some embodiments, a gap 215 is maintained between the cooling plate 264 and the disk 266. In some embodiments, the gap can be formed by an O-ring 214. The O-ring 214 can be, for example, a polyimide or PFP O-ring. The O-ring 214 can be vulcanized or otherwise disposed on the cooling plate 264. The O-ring 214 can be vulcanized or otherwise disposed on the bottom side of the lower disk 232. The fastener 205 can tighten and compress the O-ring 214. The tension in the fastener (e.g., by carefully applying torque) and the resistance of the O-ring 214 can produce a roughly consistent separation between the disk 266 and the cooling plate 264. This can ensure that the heat transfer between the components is roughly uniform across the entire interface between the two components. In some embodiments, the gap 215 can be approximately 0.05 mm (two thousandths of an inch) to 0.25 mm (ten thousandths of an inch). In some embodiments, a thermally conductive gas can be in the gap 215 (e.g., the flow of the thermally conductive gas can be maintained). In some embodiments, a vacuum condition may be maintained in gap 215, for example, to reduce heat transfer between cooling plate 264 and disk 266. The presence of gap 215 may allow the temperatures of cooling plate 264 and disk 266 to differ significantly, may allow each component to expand and contract independently (e.g., due to thermal cycling), etc.

[0066] In some embodiments, the cooling plate 264 can be in contact with the disk 266. In some embodiments, a gap 215 is maintained between the cooling plate 264 and the disk 266. For example, the cooling plate 264 and / or the base plate 268 can be bonded to the disk 266 by organic bonding, metallic bonding, or ceramic bonding. If the cooling plate is bonded to the disk 266, no fasteners may be used in some embodiments.

[0067] In some embodiments, the cooling plate 264 can have a force applied thereto from an elastic medium, for example, one or more springs (not shown) can be disposed between the bottom of the cooling plate 264 and the bottom plate 268. In some embodiments, a material can be disposed between the plates (e.g., a thermally insulating material, a thermally conductive material, etc.). The material can be selected for target heat transfer properties. In some embodiments, the interface between the cooling plate 264 and the bottom plate 268 can include features similar to the interface between the disk 266 and the cooling plate 264.

[0068] In some embodiments, the bottom plate 268 is disposed adjacent to the insulating plate 275. The insulating plate 275 may be made of a material that is insulated from RF radiation. The insulating plate 275 may include a recessed portion 277. In some embodiments, the recessed portion 277 may be recessed compared to the outer annular region of the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, the recessed portion 277 may be recessed by about 0.1-1.0 mm, such as about 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm (twenty thousandths of an inch), 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, and the like. In some embodiments, the recess may limit contact and heat transfer between the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275. Limiting heat transfer between the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275 may protect the insulating plate 275 from high temperatures that may damage the insulating plate 275, for example, under EMO conditions.

[0069] In some embodiments, there may be one or more channels (e.g., holes, flow paths, features, etc.) through the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, one or more channels may provide a flow path for the fluid from a source (e.g., fluid source 272, gas supply 240, etc.) to a target delivery area (e.g., cooling plate 264, disk 266, etc.). The channel may provide a flow path from a fluid reservoir to a fluid delivery area. The gas supply 240 may be used to supply backside gas for the substrate, operating gas for the lifter assembly, etc. In some embodiments, the channel may be configured to seal, for example, to prevent fluid from leaking into the recessed portion 277. In some embodiments, one or more areas of the top surface of the insulating plate 275 may not be recessed, less recessed, etc., for example, the non-recessed portion 279. The non-recessed portion may be configured to create a seal with the bottom plate 268, for example, by including one or more O-rings (near the non-recessed portion 279 in the figure). In some embodiments, the channel through the insulating plate 275 or the recess in the insulating plate 275 may include an insert, such as insert 281. In some embodiments, the insert may be disc-shaped or annular, such as cylindrical, including a cylindrical hole that shares an axis of symmetry with the outer surface. In some embodiments, the insert may create a seal with the insulating plate 275, for example, promoted by one or more O-rings disposed between the insert 281 and the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, the insert may create a seal with the insulating plate 268, for example, promoted by one or more O-rings disposed between the insert 281 and the bottom plate 268. The insert may be made of a material that can withstand high temperatures (e.g., alumina). The insert may be made of an insulating material (e.g., alumina) that prevents heat from being transferred from the bottom plate 268 to the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, an insert that facilitates communication (e.g., fluid communication, electrical communication, etc.) through the insulating plate 275 may extend through the entire insulating plate 275, such as insert 283. The insert may fluidly connect one or more fluid reservoirs to one or more fluid delivery areas, such as coolants, cooling fluids, working gases, etc. In some embodiments, an insert extending through the insulating plate 275 may create a seal with another component (not shown), for example, facilitated by one or more O-rings disposed beneath the insert 283 .

[0070] In some embodiments, different portions of the insulating plate 275 may be made of different materials, for example, the outer ring (such as the non-depressed outer portion of the insulating plate 275) may be made of aluminum oxide, while the inner disk (such as the recessed portion 277) may be made of an insulating material (e.g., plastic, polymer, etc.). In some embodiments, portions of the recessed portion 277 of the insulating plate 275 may be recessed by different distances or amounts, for example, the area near the seal (e.g., the disk-shaped area around the insert) may be recessed less than the surrounding area. Changing the recess distance in this way can improve the integrity of one or more seals (e.g., formed between the insert and the bottom plate 268). In some embodiments, one or more areas of the recessed portion 277 can be increased by additional materials. For example, a material can be disposed, deposited, etc. on top of the recessed portion 277. In some embodiments, a polyimide film can be deposited in one or more areas of the recessed portion 277 (e.g., in an area near the seal, in an area near the insert, etc.). In some embodiments, one or more gaskets can be disposed between the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, areas with a shorter distance between the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275 (e.g., areas where the insulating plate 275 is less recessed, areas where a polyimide film is deposited, areas where a gasket is provided, etc.) can be spaced apart on the entire surface of the insulating plate 275. In some embodiments, the recessed areas of the upper surface of the insulating plate 275 can allow for some deformation of the bottom plate 268, the insulating plate 275, etc. Reducing the distance between certain portions of the adjacent surfaces of the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275 (e.g., via different levels of recesses, deposited films, gaskets, etc.) can reduce the effects of deformation while keeping heat transfer between the bottom plate 268 and the insulating plate 275 limited. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the gap formed by the recessed portion 277 can be filled with an insulating material.

[0071] Figure 3A A simplified cross-sectional side view of components of a substrate support assembly 300A is depicted in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 2 The substrate support assembly 200 of FIG. 300A shares some features. The substrate support assembly 300A includes a disk 306, and the disk 306 includes an upper disk plate 330 and a lower disk plate 332. The disk can be an electrostatic disk, a vacuum disk, etc. The disk can be used to support the substrate during processing. The components of the disk (e.g., the upper disk plate 330 and the lower disk plate 332) can be joined by a joint 350. The joint 350 can be a metal joint. The joint 350 can be a diffusion joint. The joint 350 can be a glass joint or a ceramic joint. The upper disk plate 330 can include a similar Figure 2The upper disc plate 230 may include features of the upper disc plate 230, such as a heating electrode, an adsorption electrode, and the like. The upper disc plate 330 and the lower disc plate 332 may be composed of materials having substantially matching thermal expansion coefficients. The upper disc plate 330 may have a thickness of approximately 3-10 mm. The upper disc plate 330 may have a thickness of approximately 3-5 mm. The lower disc plate 332 may have a thickness of approximately 8-25 mm. The lower disc plate 332 may have a thickness of approximately 8-20 mm. The lower disc plate 332 may have a thickness of approximately 12 mm.

[0072] The upper disc plate 330 may have a larger surface (eg, a top surface) than the lower disc plate 332. The upper disc plate 330 may have a larger diameter than the lower disc plate 332.

[0073] In some embodiments (not shown), the back disc plate is bonded to the back side of the lower disc plate 332. For example, the back disc plate can be bonded to the back side of the lower disc plate 332 by metal bonding, ceramic bonding, or diffusion bonding. The back disc plate can be formed of the same material as the upper disc plate 330 and / or the lower disc plate 332. The lower disc plate can include features to accommodate fasteners (e.g., can include embedded inserts, such as embedded threaded inserts, such as helical coils). The back disc plate can include holes that provide access to features in the lower disc plate 332 (e.g., so that the shaft of a threaded fastener can access the threaded insert in the lower disc plate 332).

[0074] The outer dimensions of the bottom plate 318 may be similar to the outer dimensions of the upper disk plate 330. The outer diameter of the bottom plate 318 may be similar to the outer diameter of the upper disk plate 330. One or more O-rings 345 may be disposed between the upper disk plate 330 and the bottom plate 318. The O-rings 345 may provide a vacuum seal between the interior space of the substrate support assembly 300A and the processing chamber environment. The O-rings 345 may be made of a material suitable for the processing chamber environment. The O-rings 345 may be resistant to high temperatures, corrosion, degradation, etc. The O-rings 345 may protect the joint 350 from erosion, interaction with plasma, corrosion, etc.

[0075] The substrate support assembly 300A further includes a cooling plate 320. The cooling plate 320 may be a heat sink, an internal heat sink, a heat exchanger, etc. The cooling plate 320 may be coupled to the bottom plate 318 by one or more springs 322. The spring 322 may be operable to press the cooling plate 320 against the lower disk plate 332. The spring 322 may be a coil spring. The spring 322 may apply a force to press the cooling plate 320 against the disk 306. The cooling plate 320 may have one or more conduits 308. The conduits 308 may be in fluid communication with a fluid source (not shown). The cooling plate 320 may contact the disk 306. In some embodiments, the cooling plate 320 and / or the bottom plate 318 may be bonded to the disk 306 by organic bonding, metal bonding, ceramic bonding, etc. If the cooling plate 320 and / or the bottom plate 318 are bonded to the disk 306, no fasteners may be used in some embodiments. A gap may be maintained between the cooling plate 320 and the disk 306.

[0076] The cooling plate 320 can absorb heat from the disk 306. A component can be disposed between the lower disk plate 332 and the cooling plate 320. For example, a gasket can be disposed between the lower disk plate 332 and the cooling plate 320. The component can have a low thermal conductivity. The component can act as a thermal choke. The component can be compressible. The component can be used to increase the uniformity of thermal connectivity between the lower disk plate 332 and different areas of the cooling plate 320. By providing some insulation between the cooling plate 320 and the lower disk plate 332, the disk 306 can be maintained at a higher temperature than the cooling plate 320, a higher temperature than the cooling fluid provided via the conduit 308, etc. In some embodiments, the disk 306 can be heated to a temperature of 200-400°C. The cooling plate 320 can maintain a temperature below about 120°C. In some embodiments, the disk 306 can be heated to about 250°C and the cooling plate 320 can maintain a temperature of about 60°C. In some embodiments, disk 306 is free to thermally expand and / or contract independently of cooling plate 320, base plate 318, etc.

[0077] The substrate support assembly 300A includes an insulating plate 325. The insulating plate 325 may be Figure 2 The insulating plate 325 may include a recessed portion 326. The recessed portion 326 may be recessed compared to a non-recessed portion of the insulating plate 325. The non-recessed portion may support the bottom plate 318. The non-recessed portion may include an edge around the diameter of the insulating plate 325. The recessed portion 326 may limit contact between the bottom plate 318 and the insulating plate 325. The recessed portion 326 may limit heat transfer between the bottom plate 318 and the insulating plate 325. The recessed portion 326 may be Figure 2The recessed portion 277 shares features (size, etc.) with the recessed portion 276. In some embodiments, the insulating plate 325 can be composed of multiple components, multiple materials, etc. For example, the recessed portion 326 can be an insulating material such as plastic or polymer, and the non-recessed portion can be a ceramic such as alumina.

[0078] Figure 3B A simplified cross-sectional side view of components of a substrate support assembly 300B is depicted in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 2 The substrate support assembly 300B shares some features with the substrate support assembly 200 of FIG. Figure 3A The substrate support assembly 300A shares some features with the substrate support assembly 300B. The substrate support assembly 300B includes a disk assembly 356, which includes an upper disk plate 380, a lower disk plate 382, ​​and a backing plate 384. Note that the backing plate 384 may have a greater thickness than shown relative to the thickness of the upper disk plate 380 and the lower disk plate 382. In some embodiments, the backing plate 384 is omitted. One or more thermal interface layers and / or materials separate the lower disk plate 382 from the cooling plate 370. In some embodiments, the backing plate 384 is included, and one or more thermal interface layers and / or materials separate the backing plate 384 from the cooling plate 370. The thermal interface material and / or layer may include one or more electrically conductive and / or thermally conductive layers and / or one or more electrically and / or thermally insulating layers. For example, the electrically conductive layer and / or thermally conductive layer may include flexible graphite, and the electrically insulating layer and / or thermally insulating layer may include polyimide, perfluoropolymer, etc. One or more thermal interface layers may have varying thicknesses, for example, from a fraction of a millimeter (e.g., 0.1 mm) to several centimeters (e.g., 4 mm). In some embodiments, one or more thermal interface layers have different shapes. In some embodiments, multiple thermal interface layers are used, which may include 2-10 layers. In such embodiments, different thermal interface layers may be formed of different materials.

[0079] The components of the disk assembly 356 can be bonded together by a metal bond, such as a metal bond 398. In some embodiments, the bond 398 can be a ceramic bond, a diffusion bond, a glass bond, etc. The bond can also bond the lower disk plate 382 and the backing plate 384 (the bond is not shown).

[0080] In some embodiments, fasteners are used to connect the disk assembly 356 to the cooling plate 370. For example, a threaded insert and / or the head of a threaded fastener may be disposed in the lower disk plate 322. If a threaded insert is used in the lower disk plate 382, ​​the threaded shaft of the threaded fastener (e.g., a screw) may be inserted through a feature (e.g., a hole) into the cooling plate 370, the back plate 384, the lower disk plate 382, ​​and / or the bottom plate 368. If the head of the threaded fastener (e.g., a screw head) is disposed (e.g., encapsulated) in the lower disk plate 382, ​​the shaft of the fastener may extend from the bottom of the lower disk plate, through the hole in the lower disk plate 382, ​​the back plate 384, the bottom plate 368, and / or the cooling plate 370, and a nut may be threaded onto the threaded fastener to secure the stack of plates together.

[0081] In some embodiments, the upper disk plate 380 may be composed of an electrically insulating material. The upper disk plate 380 may be composed of a ceramic, such as aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum oxide (Al2O3). The lower disk plate 382 and / or the backing plate 384 (if used) may be composed of the same material as the upper disk plate 380. The lower disk plate 382 and / or the backing plate 384 (if used) may be composed of a material having thermal expansion characteristics similar to the material of the upper disk plate 380. During thermal expansion and / or contraction events, similar thermal expansion of the upper disk plate 380 and the lower disk plate 382 (and / or the backing plate 384) may result in matched, opposing forces being applied to the upper disk plate 380. The substantially matched forces on both sides of the lower disk plate 380 may minimize deformation, bending, flexing, etc. of components of the substrate support assembly 300B. The generally matching forces on both sides of the lower disc plate 382 can reduce or eliminate damage to the upper disc plate 380, the lower disc plate 382, ​​etc. caused by thermal expansion.

[0082] In some embodiments, the backing plate 384 can be designed to substantially match the thermal expansion characteristics of the upper disc plate 380. The backing plate 384 can be made of a material that substantially matches the thermal expansion characteristics of the upper disc plate 380. The thermal expansion characteristics of the backing plate 384 can be within 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, etc., of the thermal expansion characteristics of the upper disc plate 380.

[0083] In some embodiments, a radio frequency (RF) signal may be provided through the disc assembly 356. To facilitate transmission of the RF signal, an RF gasket 396 may be disposed between the bottom plate 368 and the lower disc plate 382. The RF gasket 396 may electrically connect the bottom plate 368 to the lower disc plate 382. The RF gasket 396 may provide a conductive path around the back plate 384. In some embodiments, a thermal isolator may be disposed adjacent to the RF gasket 396. The thermal isolator (hard stop) may be used to ensure that the bottom plate 368 does not contact the lower disc plate 382.

[0084] In some embodiments, one or more O-rings 395 are disposed between the bottom plate 368 and the lower disk plate 382. The one or more O-rings 395 may include, for example, a single O-ring or a pair of concentric O-rings, which may provide a vacuum seal. In some embodiments, an O-ring 399 is additionally disposed between the upper disk plate 380 and the bottom plate 368. In embodiments, an O-ring 399 may be provided to protect the joint 398. The O-ring 399 may be, for example, a polyimide, a perfluoropolymer, or another material, such as a plasma resistant material in embodiments.

[0085] The substrate support assembly 300B further includes a cooling plate 370 and a conduit 358. The cooling plate 370 can be used as a heat sink, a heat transfer device, a heat exchanger, etc. The conduit 358 can be fluidly connected to a fluid source (not shown). The conduit 358 can facilitate heat transfer away from the disk assembly 356. The cooling plate 370, the bottom plate 368, etc. can be connected to a fluid source. Figure 2 and Figure 3A Similar components share one or more characteristics.

[0086] The substrate support assembly 300B includes an insulating plate 375. The insulating plate 375 may be Figure 2 Insulation board 275 and / or Figure 3A The insulating plate 325 of the embodiment of the present invention shares one or more features. The insulating plate 375 may include a recessed portion 376. The recessed portion 376 may limit the contact between the bottom plate 368 and the insulating plate 375. The recessed portion 376 may limit the heat transfer between the bottom plate 368 and the insulating plate 375.

[0087] Figure 4 402 according to some embodiments. The insulating plate 400 may be an insulating material, such as plastic, polymer, etc. The insulating plate 400 may be a material that insulates the transmission of RF fields. The insulating plate 400 may be an RF insulating plate. In some embodiments, the insulating plate 400 may be made of a variety of materials. For example, the recessed portion 402 may be a polymer material, and the non-recessed portion 404 may be a ceramic material.

[0088] The insulating plate 400 includes a recessed portion 402 and a non-recessed portion 404. The non-recessed portion may be configured to support additional components, such as a bottom plate of a substrate support assembly. In some embodiments, limited heat transfer to the insulating plate may occur near the outer edge of the substrate support assembly. The recessed portion 402 may be close to a portion of another component of the substrate support assembly, which may reach a high temperature under some conditions, such as EMO conditions. The insulating plate 400 may be arranged near a component that may experience an elevated temperature under certain conditions, such as EMO conditions. The recessed portion 402 may be separated from the component, such as by being recessed, to protect from the high temperature of adjacent components. The non-recessed portion 404 may be arranged around the outside of the insulating plate 400, such as around the outer edge. The recessed portion 402 may be arranged in a central portion of the insulating plate 400, such as surrounded by the non-recessed portion 404. The recessed portion 402 and the adjacent component may define an internal space, such as separating the recessed portion 402 from another component. The recessed portion 402 may form an internal space with an adjacent plate structure, such as a cooling plate, a bottom plate, etc. The recessed portion 402 may form an inner space with the lower plate structure surface of the adjacent component. The recessed portion 402 may generate a heat insulating space between the insulating plate 400 and the adjacent component.

[0089] The insulating plate 400 may include additional features. The insulating plate 400 may include features, such as screw holes, etc. (not shown), for fastening the insulating plate 400 to other components of the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the non-recessed portion includes a series of holes or other features for fastening the insulating plate 400 to one or more other components of the processing chamber.

[0090] The insulating plate 400 may include one or more features that provide access to components disposed on opposite sides of the insulating plate 400. The insulating plate 400 may include a plurality of inserts. The inserts may be a ceramic material, such as alumina. The inserts may extend through the insulating plate 400, for example, from the top surface of the recessed portion 402 to the bottom surface of the insulating plate 400. The inserts may extend from the surface through a portion of the body of the insulating plate 400, for example, the inserts may not extend through the entire thickness of the insulating plate 400.

[0091] The insert may enable a fluid seal to be formed between a portion of the insulating plate 400 and a portion of an adjacent component. For example, the recessed portion 402 may not be in physical contact with the adjacent component, and the insert may extend beyond the surface of the recessed portion 402 to create a seal with another component, for example, via an O-ring or a gasket. The insert may provide an access channel to fluidly couple a fluid reservoir to an active fluid zone, such as an area where fluid is available for processing operations. The insert may couple a fluid reservoir to a fluid delivery zone. The insert may couple a cooling fluid reservoir to a cooling plate. The insert may couple a fluid reservoir to a gas outlet for performing operations such as lifting rod operations, providing support gas, etc.

[0092] The insulating plate 400 includes an insert 406. The insert 406 can provide a channel for fluid communication between the cooling plate and the fluid reservoir, for example. The insert 406 can facilitate the supply and return of coolant. The insert 406 can form a fluid seal with the bottom plate or other processing chamber components (for example, through a gasket).

[0093] The insulating plate 400 includes an insert 408. The insert 408 can provide access to the lift pin assembly, for example, to which gas can be supplied. The insert 410 can provide a channel for supplying helium to the substrate support surface. The insert 412 can enable electrical access to components of the substrate assembly. Any of these inserts can facilitate fluid sealing with adjacent components of the insulating plate 400. For example, depending on the intended use of the insulating plate, the insulating plate can include any number of inserts. The inserts can be made of various materials, have various sizes, connect to adjacent components in various ways, etc.

[0094] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of components of an example substrate support assembly 500 is depicted, including protection from high temperatures, according to some embodiments. The substrate support assembly 500 may include an upper disk 502, a lower disk 504, and / or a bottom plate 506. In some embodiments, special considerations may be given to protecting the components of the substrate support assembly from damage by high temperatures. In some embodiments, reference Figure 5, insulator 508, insulator 507 and / or insulator 510 may be disposed between the substrate support disc and the AC power distribution assembly (not shown). Insulator 510 may include a base 510A and an isolator 510B mounted to the base 510A. In some embodiments, isolator 510B may have a radial fin structure. In some embodiments, insulator 507 is omitted and insulator 508 extends to the lower disc plate 504. Insulator 508 may be a ceramic material. Insulator 508 may be a ceramic insulator. Insulator 508 may be alumina. Insulator 508 may be a thermoplastic. Insulator 508 may be one or more, or a mixture of multiple materials, to achieve a desired thermal insulation effect. Insulator 510 may be a thermoplastic. In some embodiments, an additional insulator (e.g., a thermoplastic layer) 507 is disposed between insulator 508 and the lower disc plate 504. Baseboard support assembly 500 may be configured to maintain the power distribution assembly and / or insulator 510, insulator 508, and / or insulator 507 below a threshold temperature. In some embodiments, insulator 508, insulator 507, and / or insulator 510 are parts of a single insulator (e.g., insulator 508, insulator 510, and / or thermoplastic 507 may be connected and form a single component, which may be made of thermoplastic). In one embodiment, a single component including insulator 508, insulator 507, and insulator 510 includes ceramic insulator 508 and thermoplastic insulator 510 and thermoplastic insulator 507. In one embodiment, a single component including thermoplastic insulator 510 and ceramic insulator 508 is used. Insulator 508, insulator 507, and / or insulator 510 may maintain the power distribution assembly below a threshold temperature.

[0095] In some embodiments, the lower disk plate 504 may be disposed between the insulator 508 and the upper disk plate 502, for example, the insulator 508 may not be disposed adjacent to the upper disk plate 502. The insulator 508 may be disposed to protect sensitive components (such as electrical components) from the high temperature of the lower disk 504.

[0096] In some embodiments, one or more terminals 512 (e.g., terminals for supplying power to the upper disc plate 502) may extend from the upper disc plate 502. The lower disc plate 504 may be shaped to allow the terminals 512 to extend from the upper disc plate 502 through at least a portion of the lower disc plate 504. For example, one or more holes for receiving terminals, connectors, bolts, washers, wires, etc. may extend through the lower disc plate 504. In some embodiments, the insulator 508 includes corresponding holes to receive the same components.

[0097] Terminal 512 can be electrically connected to AC power distribution assembly 510 by bolts. The electrical connection associated with terminal 512 can be prevented from loosening (e.g., due to thermal cycling) by one or more mechanical devices. The electrical connection can be protected by including one or more tensioning devices (such as conical washers 514).

[0098] The electrical connection to the upper disc plate 502 may include further features to limit heat transfer to the electrical components. The baseboard support assembly 500 may include features to protect components (such as the AC power distribution assembly 510) from high temperatures. Certain portions of the electrical path between the upper disc plate 502 and the AC power distribution assembly 510 may include wires, which may reduce heat flow through the electrical components. The wire path may be extended and / or convoluted, which may further limit heat flow to the AC power distribution assembly 510. The length of the wire path may be extended (e.g., beyond the length required to achieve electrical coupling) to achieve a target heat transfer rate.

[0099] Unless specifically mentioned, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. used herein are intended to be used as labels for distinguishing between different elements, and may not have ordinal meanings according to their numerical names.

[0100] The examples described herein also relate to an apparatus for performing the methods described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for performing the methods described herein, or it may include a general purpose system selectively configured to perform the methods described herein.

[0101] As used herein, the terms "above," "below," "between," "disposed thereon," "supporting," and "on" refer to the relative position of one material layer or component with respect to other layers or components. For example, a layer disposed above or below another layer may be in direct contact with the other layer or may have one or more intervening layers. Additionally, a layer disposed between two layers may be in direct contact with both layers or may have one or more intervening layers. Similarly, unless expressly stated otherwise, a feature disposed between two features may be in direct contact with the adjacent feature or may have one or more intervening layers.

[0102] The above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific illustrative examples and embodiments, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to the described examples and embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should be determined with reference to the following claims, and encompasses the full scope of equivalents of these claims.

Claims

1. A substrate support assembly, comprising: A plate structure, the plate structure comprising an upper plate and a lower plate, the lower plate comprising a lower plate structure surface; as well as An insulator structure, the insulator structure being arranged below the plate structure, the insulator structure comprising: The surface of the lower insulator structure; as well as An upper insulator structural surface, wherein a first portion of the upper insulator structural surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structural surface, and wherein the first portion of the upper insulator structural surface forms an inner space with the lower plate structural surface.

2. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper plate comprises a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is configured to circulate a coolant through one or more channels of the cooling plate.

3. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the upper insulator structural surface forms a seal with the lower plate structural surface.

4. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, further comprising an insert, wherein the insert extends from the first portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

5. The substrate support assembly of claim 4, wherein a top surface of the insert forms a seal with the lower plate structure surface.

6. The substrate support assembly of claim 4, wherein the insert provides a channel to fluidly couple a fluid reservoir to a fluid delivery region, wherein the fluid reservoir is coupled to a first side of the insert and the fluid delivery region is fluidly coupled to a second side of the insert.

7. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the insulator structure is a radio frequency (RF) insulator.

8. The substrate support assembly of claim 7, wherein the insulator structure comprises a) a cross-linked polymer comprising polystyrene or b) polyamideimide.

9. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein a first surface area of ​​the first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is greater than a second surface area of ​​the second portion of the upper insulator structure surface such that a contact area is less than a non-contact area.

10. The substrate support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a disk for supporting a substrate, a power delivery system for electrically coupling one or more components of the disk to a power source, and an insulator comprising at least one of alumina or a thermoplastic, the insulator being disposed between the disk and the power delivery system.

11. An insulator structure of a substrate support assembly, comprising: The surface of the lower insulator structure; as well as An upper insulator structure surface, wherein a first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

12. The insulator structure of claim 11, wherein the second portion of the upper insulator structure surface is disposed along an outer portion of the upper insulator structure surface, and the first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is disposed proximate a central portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

13. The insulator structure of claim 11, further comprising a fluid sealing member disposed on the second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

14. The insulator structure of claim 11, further comprising a first insert, wherein the first insert extends from the lower insulator structure surface to the upper insulator structure surface, and wherein the first insert extends through the first portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

15. The insulator structure of claim 14, wherein the first insert fluidically couples the fluid reservoir to the fluid delivery region.

16. The insulator structure of claim 14, further comprising a second insert, wherein the first insert fluidly couples a reservoir of cooling fluid to a portion of the substrate support assembly, and wherein the second insert fluidly couples a gas reservoir to a gas outlet for performing operations associated with substrate processing.

17. A processing chamber, the processing chamber comprising a substrate support assembly, the substrate support assembly comprising: a disc for supporting a substrate, the disc comprising a heating element; as well as A radio frequency (RF) insulator structure, wherein the RF insulator structure comprises: The surface of the lower insulator structure; as well as An upper insulator structure surface, wherein a first portion of the upper insulator structure surface is recessed relative to a second portion of the upper insulator structure surface.

18. The processing chamber of claim 17, wherein the insulator structure comprises polyamideimide or a cross-linked polymer including polystyrene.

19. The processing chamber of claim 17, further comprising a plate structure comprising a lower plate structure surface disposed above the insulator structure, wherein the first portion of the upper insulator structure surface and the lower plate structure surface define an interior space.

20. The processing chamber of claim 19, wherein the second portion of the upper insulator structural surface forms a seal with the lower plate structural surface.

21. A substrate support assembly comprising: a disc, the disc comprising a heating element; Power distribution components; as well as An insulator comprising at least one of alumina or thermoplastic disposed between the puck and the power distribution assembly, wherein the electrical connection between the heating element and the power distribution assembly comprises a terminal and a conical washer.

22. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, wherein the substrate support assembly comprises an electrostatic chuck.

23. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, further comprising a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comprises one or more channels forming a flow path for a coolant fluid.

24. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, wherein the disk comprises an upper disk plate and a lower disk plate, and wherein the upper disk plate comprises the heating element.

25. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, wherein the insulator includes a plurality of side walls defining a plurality of channels extending from a first side of the insulator proximate the power distribution assembly to a second side of the insulator proximate the disk.

26. The substrate support assembly of claim 25, wherein the power distribution assembly is electrically coupled to the heating element through the plurality of channels.

27. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, wherein the electrical connection between the heating element and the power distribution assembly comprises a wire, and wherein a length of the wire is extended to achieve a target heat transfer rate from the heating element to the power distribution assembly.

28. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate, wherein the RF insulating plate is disposed proximate to components of the substrate support assembly that may experience elevated temperatures, and wherein portions of the RF insulating plate are recessed to create a space between the RF insulating plate and the proximate components.

29. The substrate support assembly of claim 21, further comprising a backing plate, wherein the backing plate is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly, and wherein the backing plate is comprised of a material having thermal expansion characteristics within 10% of the thermal expansion characteristics of a material in an upper portion of the disk.

30. The substrate support assembly of claim 29, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) gasket, wherein the RF gasket: A conductive path between the two components of the substrate support assembly is provided by bypassing the backing plate.

31. A processing chamber comprising: a disc for supporting a substrate, the disc comprising a heating element; Power distribution components; as well as A ceramic insulator is disposed between the disk and the power distribution assembly.

32. The processing chamber of claim 31, wherein the disk further comprises an electrostatic clamping electrode.

33. The processing chamber of claim 31, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate, wherein the RF insulating plate comprises a recessed portion, and the recessed portion, together with adjacent components of the processing chamber, forms a thermal insulation space between the recessed portion of the RF insulating plate and the adjacent components.

34. The processing chamber of claim 33, wherein the RF insulating plate further comprises an insert, wherein the insert fluidly couples a fluid reservoir to a fluid delivery region through the RF insulating plate.

35. The processing chamber of claim 34, wherein the fluid comprises a coolant, and wherein the coolant maintains the power distribution component below a threshold temperature.

36. The processing chamber of claim 31, wherein the ceramic insulator comprises aluminum oxide.

37. The processing chamber of claim 31 , wherein the ceramic insulator comprises a plurality of side walls defining a plurality of channels extending from a first side of the ceramic insulator proximate the power distribution assembly to a second side of the ceramic insulator proximate the disk.

38. The processing chamber of claim 37, wherein the power distribution assembly is electrically coupled to the heating element through the plurality of channels.

39. A method comprising: recessing a first portion of a radio frequency (RF) insulating plate such that a space is created between the RF insulating plate and adjacent components of a processing chamber; as well as An insulator is installed between a heated puck of the process chamber and a power distribution assembly of the process chamber, wherein the insulator reduces heat transfer to the components of the process chamber during an emergency machine off (EMO) condition.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising mounting a backing plate between the heated disk and a cooling plate, wherein thermal expansion characteristics of the backing plate are within 10% of thermal expansion characteristics of the heated disk.

Images