Modular substrate support assembly

Abstract

An electrostatic chuck assembly includes: a first disk plate including one or more first functional elements; a second disk plate comprising one or more second functional elements; and an interface layer at least partially bonding the first disk plate and the second disk plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Some embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to a modular substrate support assembly having multiple disks. Background Technology

[0002] Electrostatic chucks and heaters are widely used to hold substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, during substrate processing in a processing chamber. An electrostatic chuck typically includes one or more electrodes embedded within a single chuck body comprising a dielectric or semiconductive ceramic material on which an electrostatic clamping field can be generated to hold the substrate. A heater typically includes a heating element to heat the supported substrate.

[0003] Electrostatic chucks and heaters are traditionally formed from a single monolithic ceramic body, which contains all the functional elements of the electrostatic chuck or heater embedded within this single ceramic body. Therefore, if any functional component of the electrostatic chuck or heater fails, the entire electrostatic chuck or heater must be replaced. Furthermore, because multiple functional elements are embedded within the electrostatic chuck or heater, there is an increased risk of breakage during manufacturing and / or use. The complexity of the electrostatic chuck or heater is also limited to minimize the probability of breakage and ensure manufacturability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some embodiments of the present disclosure described herein cover a substrate support assembly having: a first disk plate including one or more first functional elements; a second disk plate including one or more second functional elements; and an interface layer that at least partially bonds the first disk plate and the second disk plate.

[0005] Some embodiments of this disclosure described herein cover a method for evaluating and / or adjusting the thermal response of a substrate support assembly. This method includes measuring the thermal response of a first substrate support assembly at one or more operating temperatures, the first substrate support assembly including a first disk plate assembly coupled to a cooling plate. This method further includes determining whether the thermal response of the first substrate support assembly meets one or more thermal response criteria. This method may include adjusting or replacing one or more disk plates of the first disk plate assembly to modify the thermal response of the first substrate support assembly in response to determining that the thermal response fails to meet the one or more thermal response criteria.

[0006] Some embodiments of this disclosure described herein cover a method for evaluating the thermal response of a disk plate assembly. This method may include determining the thermal properties of one or more disk plates of the disk plate assembly. The method further includes determining one or more adjustments to be made to at least one disk plate based on these thermal properties. The method may further include performing these one or more adjustments on the at least one disk plate and assembling the disk plate assembly with the modified disk plate or one or more new disk plates.

[0007] Some embodiments of this disclosure described herein cover a substrate support assembly. This substrate support assembly includes: a body comprising one or more disc plates; a first heating electrode in a first heating region of the body; and a second heating electrode in the first heating region of the body. The first and second heating electrodes are connected in series or in parallel. A series connection between the first and second heating electrodes increases the net resistance of the combination of the first and second heating electrodes, while a parallel connection between the first and second heating electrodes decreases the net resistance of the combination of the first and second heating electrodes. Attached Figure Description

[0008] This disclosure is illustrated by way of example, not limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to “a” or “one” embodiments in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and such references imply at least one.

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of the processing chamber is depicted;

[0010] Figure 2 An exploded view of one embodiment of the substrate support assembly is depicted.

[0011] Figure 3 A cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of the substrate support assembly is depicted;

[0012] Figure 4 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of the disk plate assembly in the substrate support assembly is depicted;

[0013] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Cross-sectional side views of various embodiments of the disk plate assembly in the substrate support assembly are depicted.

[0014] Figure 6 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of the disk plate assembly in the substrate support assembly is depicted;

[0015] Figures 7A to 7E Cross-sectional side views depicting various embodiments of the disc plate assembly;

[0016] Figure 8 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of the disk plate assembly in the substrate support assembly is depicted;

[0017] Figure 9 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of the disc plate assembly is depicted;

[0018] Figure 10A and Figure 10B Cross-sectional side views depicting various embodiments of the functional elements of a disk plate used in a disk plate assembly;

[0019] Figure 11 The illustration depicts one embodiment of the process for testing the thermal response of a disk plate assembly and adjusting the disk plate assembly; and

[0020] Figure 12 The illustration shows one embodiment of the process for testing the thermal response of a disc plate assembly and adjusting the disc plate assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an architecture for constructing a substrate support assembly (e.g., a disk assembly of a substrate support assembly) from a combination of boards, wherein each board includes one or more functional elements. A board library is maintainable, and substrate supports, such as heaters (e.g., deposition heaters), electrostatic chucks, vacuum chucks, coolers, etc., can be designed by combining boards from the library. Furthermore, new boards can be designed and added to the library at any time to increase the options for assembling board assemblies used as substrate supports. Individual boards with different functional elements can be selected and stacked, and can be bonded together using one or more interface layers. This embodiment enables the rapid and easy design of new substrate supports. Additionally, because multiple boards are used in the embodiment, the thermal performance of a fully or partially assembled substrate support assembly can be tested, and one or more boards can be adjusted (e.g., planed or polished) to adjust the thermal response of individual boards and / or the substrate support assembly as a whole. Therefore, the thermal response of the substrate support assembly can be further customized, thereby enabling fine control of the thermal response of the substrate support assembly.

[0022] In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly includes two or more disks that can be bonded using a bonding layer (also known as an interface layer) and / or mechanical jigs. One or more disks may include one or more functional elements, such as clamping electrodes, heating elements, zone heaters, pixelated heaters, radio frequency (RF) electrodes, RF filters, gas channels, air pockets, cooling channels, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the top disk may include clamping electrodes and RF electrodes. The middle disk may include one or more heating elements, such as those for zone heaters and / or pixelated heaters. Another disk may include an RF filter to ensure interference and noise minimization, which reduces any potential impact on the substrate. Another disk may serve as a wiring connection layer including wires connected to one or more functional elements via through-holes and further connected to power and / or ground. The bottom disk may include one or more cooling loops or channels to circulate cooling fluid (e.g., coolant or refrigerant or gas) and absorb heat from the disk above the bottom disk. Two or more disks can be bonded using a bonding layer comprising a melting point depressing layer (MDL), which can be applied to the bottom surface of the top disk and / or the top surface of the bottom disk. The MDL layer may include, for example, Ni, Ti, C, and / or Si. The bonding layer may also include a metal interlayer, such as a flexible graphite layer, an organic synthetic rubber, Al, In, Ni, Ti, and / or an alloy comprising Ni-Ti, Mo-Mg, Cu-Ag, or Al alloys.

[0023] Additionally, two or more disk plates can be mechanically bonded such that the bottom surface of the first disk plate may include a convex mating member, and the top surface of the second disk plate may include a concave mating member connected to the convex mating member. In some embodiments, the top surface of the second disk plate may include a convex mating member, and the bottom surface of the first disk plate may include a concave mating member. The convex mating member may include a protrusion along the circumference of the first disk plate, and the concave mating member may include a groove along the circumference of the second disk plate. Alternatively or additionally, the convex mating member may include one or more protrusions, and the concave mating member may include one or more recesses that mate with one or more protrusions. Examples of materials that can be used to form two or more disk plates include niobium, alumina, aluminum nitride, single-crystal alumina, or sapphire. For example, one or more disk plates may be formed using a hot press, a hot isostatic press, a green sheet, gel casting, or a sol-gel process.

[0024] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a method for evaluating the thermal response of a substrate support assembly and modifying one or more plates forming the electrostatic assembly to improve its performance. The substrate support assembly may be fully or partially assembled, and then thermal testing may be performed to measure the thermal response. Alternatively, individual plates to be used in the substrate support assembly may be thermally tested to measure their thermal response. The design of the substrate support assembly may be modified in response to the testing. Alternatively, one or more plates may be altered, such as by polishing or planing one or more plates, to adjust the thermal response of one or more plates, and thus adjust the thermal response of the entire substrate support assembly.

[0025] Embodiments of this disclosure also include techniques for adjusting the thermal performance of heating elements in a substrate support assembly by arranging heating elements in parallel and / or series. The total resistance of the group of heating elements can be increased by arranging them in series. Similarly, the total resistance of the group of heating elements can be decreased by arranging them in parallel. Heating elements arranged in series and / or parallel can be positioned at the same level or spacing within the plate, at different levels or spacing within the same plate, and / or within different plates.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a processing chamber 100 having a substrate support assembly 150 disposed therein. The processing chamber 100 can be any type of processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, etching chamber, oxidation chamber, implantation chamber, etc. Although in some embodiments the substrate support assembly 150 is described as an electrostatic chuck assembly or a heater assembly, the substrate support assembly can be replaced by other types of substrate support assemblies, such as vacuum chuck assemblies, deposition heater assemblies, etc. In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 150 includes a disk assembly 166 having an upper disk plate bonded to a lower disk plate, as will be discussed in more detail below. The substrate support assembly 150 may additionally include more than two plates, each of which may include zero or more different functional elements of the substrate support assembly (e.g., clamping electrodes, radio frequency (RF) electrodes, main heating electrodes, auxiliary heating electrodes, cooling channels, etc.). The disk assembly 166 may be coupled to a cooling plate by a plurality of fasteners, as discussed in more detail below. The disk assembly 166 can also be bonded to the cooling plate by means of metal bonding parts, organic bonding parts, polymer bonding parts, etc.

[0027] The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102 and a cover 104, which enclose an internal volume 106. The chamber body 102 may be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or other suitable materials. The chamber body 102 typically includes sidewalls 108 and a bottom 110. An outer liner 116 may be disposed adjacent to the sidewalls 108 to protect the chamber body 102. The outer liner 116 may be made and / or coated with a plasma-resistant or halogen-containing gas-resistant material. In one embodiment, the outer liner 116 is made of alumina. In another embodiment, the outer liner 116 is made or coated with yttrium trioxide, yttrium alloys, or oxides thereof.

[0028] The exhaust port 126 may be defined within the chamber body 102 and may be coupled to the internal volume 106 to the pump system 128. The pump system 128 may include one or more pumps and throttle valves for evacuating and regulating the pressure of the internal volume 106 of the processing chamber 100.

[0029] A cover 104 may be supported on a sidewall 108 of the chamber body 102. The cover 104 may be opened to allow access to the internal volume 106 of the processing chamber 100 and may provide a seal to the processing chamber 100 when closed. A gas panel 158 may be coupled to the processing chamber 100 to supply process and / or cleaning gases to the internal volume 106 via a gas distribution assembly 130 or nozzles that may be part of the cover 104. Examples of process gases that can be used for processing in the processing chamber include halogenated gases such as C2F6, SF6, SiCl4, HBr, NF3, CF4, CHF3, CH2F3, Cl2, and SiF4, as well as other gases such as O2 or N2O. Examples of carrier gases include N2, He, Ar, and other gases that are inert to process gases (e.g., non-reactive gases). The gas distribution assembly 130 may have a plurality of holes 132 on its downstream surface to guide gas flow to the surface of the substrate 144. Alternatively, the gas distribution assembly 130 may have a central hole through which gas is supplied via a ceramic gas nozzle. 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 halogen-containing chemicals, thereby preventing corrosion of the gas distribution assembly 130.

[0030] In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 150 is disposed within the internal volume 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 118 may be coated on the periphery of the substrate support assembly 150. The inner liner 118 may be a halogen-resistant gas-resistant material, such as those discussed with reference to the outer liner 116. In one embodiment, the inner liner 118 may be made of the same material as the outer liner 116.

[0031] In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 150 is part of a larger assembly 148, which includes the substrate support assembly 150 and a mounting plate 162 for a support base 152. In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 150 also includes a thermally conductive substrate, referred to herein as a cooling plate 164, coupled to a disk assembly (also referred to as a disk plate assembly) 166. The cooling plate 164 may be coupled to the disk assembly 166 by a plurality of fasteners and / or by a bonding layer. In embodiments, the substrate support assembly 150 described herein may be used with Johnson-Labeck and / or Coulomb electrostatic clamping. The substrate support assembly 150 may additionally or alternatively serve as a heater, such as a deposition heater configured to heat the supporting substrate 144 during the deposition process.

[0032] In one embodiment, a protective ring 146 is disposed on a portion of the disk assembly 166 at the outer periphery of the disk assembly 166. In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 (or one or more plates of the disk assembly 166) is coated with a protective layer 136. Alternatively, the disk assembly 166 may be exempt from the protective layer 136 coating. The protective layer 136 may be ceramic, such as Y₂O₃ (yttrium trioxide or yttrium oxide), Y₄Al₂O₉ (YAM), Al₂O₃ (aluminum oxide), Y₃Al₅O₂, etc. 12 YAG, YAlO3 (YAP), quartz, SiC (silicon carbide), Si3N4 (silicon nitride), aluminum nitride, AlN (aluminum nitride), AlON (aluminum oxynitride), TiO2 (titanium dioxide), ZrO2 (zirconia), TiC (titanium carbide), ZrC (zirconia carbide), TiN (titanium nitride), TiCN (titanium carbonitride), Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ), etc. The protective layer can also be a ceramic composite, such as Y3Al5O3 distributed in an Al2O3 matrix. 12 The protective layer can be a Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ solid solution or a SiC-Si₃N₄ solid solution. It can also be a ceramic composite containing a yttrium oxide (also known as yttrium trioxide and Y₂O₃) solid solution. For example, the protective layer can be composed of the compound Y₄Al₂O₉ (YAM) and the solid solution Y₂-xZr. x Ceramic composites composed of O3 (Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution). It should be noted that pure yttrium oxide and yttrium oxide-containing solid solutions may be doped with one or more of ZrO2, Al2O3, SiO2, B2O3, Er2O3, Nd2O3, Nb2O5, CeO2, Sm2O3, Yb2O3, or other oxides. It should also be noted that pure aluminum nitride and aluminum nitride doped with one or more of ZrO2, Al2O3, SiO2, B2O3, Er2O3, Nd2O3, Nb2O5, CeO2, Sm2O3, Yb2O3, or other oxides may be used. Alternatively, the protective layer may be sapphire or MgAlON.

[0033] In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 includes an upper disk plate (not shown) and a lower disk plate (not shown) bonded by metal and / or organic bonding portions. The disk assembly 166 may also include more than two plates. The upper disk plate and / or one or more other plates may be made of a monolithic dielectric material or electrically insulating material (e.g., having a dielectric content greater than 100 kJ / m²) suitable for semiconductor processes at temperatures of 150°C and above. 14 The resistivity (Om M-M) is used to form the disk assembly. In one embodiment, the upper disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates are composed of a material usable at temperatures from about 20°C to about 500°C. In one embodiment, the upper disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates are AlN or other ceramics. The AlN upper disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates may be undoped or doped. For example, AlN may be doped with samarium oxide (Sm2O3), cerium oxide (CeO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), or transition metal oxides. In one embodiment, the upper disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates are Al2O3. The Al2O3 upper disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates may be undoped or doped. For example, Al2O3 may be doped with titanium dioxide (TiO2) or transition metal oxides. In some embodiments, each of the plates in the disk assembly 166 may be formed of the same ceramic. In other embodiments, the different plates of the disk assembly 166 may be formed of different ceramics.

[0034] The lower disc plate and / or one or more other plates may have a coefficient of thermal expansion that matches or is close to that of the upper disc plate. In one embodiment, the lower disc plate and / or (or) other plates are porous SiC bodies permeated with an AlSi alloy (referred to as AlSiSiC). Alternatively, the lower disc plate and / or (or) other plates may be AlN or Al2O3 or other ceramic materials or combinations thereof (e.g., aluminum nitride (ALON)). In one embodiment, the lower disc plate and / or (or) other plates are undoped AlN or undoped Al2O3. In one embodiment, the lower disc plate and / or (or) other plates are composed of the same material as the upper disc plate. AlSiSiC, AlN, or Al2O3 can be used, for example, in reactive etching environments or inert environments.

[0035] In one embodiment, the lower disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates are molybdenum. For example, molybdenum can be used if the disk assembly 166 will be used in an inert environment. Examples of inert environments include environments where inert gases such as Ar, O2, and N flow. For example, molybdenum can be used if the disk assembly 166 will be clamped onto a substrate for metal deposition. Molybdenum can also be used for the lower disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates for applications in corrosive environments (e.g., etching applications). In such embodiments, after the lower disk plate is bonded to the upper disk plate, the exposed surfaces of the lower disk plate and / or (multiple) other plates may be coated with an anti-plasma coating. Plasma coating can be performed using a plasma spraying process. The anti-plasma coating may cover, for example, the sidewalls of the lower disk plate and the exposed horizontal levels of the lower disk plate. In one embodiment, the anti-plasma coating is Al2O3. Alternatively, the anti-plasma coating may be Y2O3 or Y2O3-containing oxides. Alternatively, the anti-plasma coating may be any of the materials described with reference to protective layer 136.

[0036] Mounting plate 162 is coupled to the bottom 110 of chamber body 102 and includes channels for routing utilities (e.g., fluid, power lines, sensor leads, etc.) to cooling plate 164 and disk assembly 166. Cooling plate 164 and / or disk assembly 166 may include one or more optional embedded heating elements 176, optional embedded thermal isolators 174, optional conduits 168, 170 for controlling the lateral temperature distribution of substrate support assembly 148, and / or other functional elements. In embodiments, different functions of disk assembly 166 may be divided across multiple plates. For example, one plate may include RF electrodes, one plate may include main heating electrodes, one plate may include auxiliary heating electrodes, etc. In some embodiments, multiple functions are provided by a single plate. For example, one plate of disk assembly 166 may include both RF electrodes and clamping electrodes. In one embodiment, thermal pads 138 and / or O-rings are disposed on at least a portion of cooling plate 164.

[0037] Conduits 168 and 170 are fluidly coupled to a fluid source 172, which circulates temperature-regulating fluid through conduits 168 and 170. In one embodiment, an embedded thermal isolator 174 may be disposed between conduits 168 and 170. An embedded heating element 176 is regulated by a heater power supply 178. The embedded heating element 176 may be included in a plate of the disk assembly 166. Conduits 168 and 170 and the embedded heating element 176 may be used to control the temperature of the disk assembly 166, which may heat and / or cool the disk assembly 166 and the substrate being processed (e.g., a wafer). In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 includes two separate heating regions that can maintain different temperatures. In another embodiment, the disk assembly 166 includes four different heating regions that can maintain different temperatures. In other embodiments, the disk assembly 166 includes more than four heating regions (e.g., pixelated heating regions of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 216, etc.). The temperatures of the disk assembly 166 and the thermally conductive substrate 164 can be monitored using multiple temperature sensors 190, 192, which can be monitored using a controller 195. The temperature sensors 190, 192 may be included in one plate and / or multiple plates of the disk assembly 166, and these one and / or multiple plates may be the same as or different from the plates(multiple) containing the heating element 176.

[0038] The disk assembly 166 may also include multiple gas channels, such as recesses, mesas, and other surface features that may be formed in the upper surface of the topmost plate of the disk assembly 166. The gas channels may be fluidly coupled to a heat-transferring (or back-side) gas source, such as He, through holes drilled in the plate of the disk assembly 166. In operation, back-side gas may be supplied to the gas channels under controlled pressure to enhance heat transfer between the disk assembly 166 and the substrate 144.

[0039] In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 includes at least one clamping electrode 180 controlled by a clamping power supply 182. The clamping electrode 180 may be included in a plate of the disk assembly 166. The clamping electrode 180 (also referred to as a clamping electrode) may also be coupled via a matching circuit 188 to one or more RF power supplies 184, 186 for maintaining plasma formed by process and / or other gases within the processing chamber 100. In one embodiment, different RF electrodes or a group of electrodes are connected to one or more RF power supplies 184, 186 for maintaining plasma. The RF electrodes (multiple) may be included in a plate of the disk assembly 166. The one or more RF power supplies 184, 186 may be capable of generating RF signals with frequencies from about 50 kHz to about 3 GHz and power up to about 10,000 watts. In one embodiment, the RF signal is applied to a metal substrate, alternating current (AC) is applied to a heater, and direct current (DC) is applied to the clamping electrode 180.

[0040] Figure 2 An exploded view of one embodiment of component 148 is depicted. Component 148 depicts an exploded view of a substrate support assembly 150 including a disk assembly 166 and a base 152. The substrate support assembly 150 includes the disk assembly 166 and a cooling plate 164 attached to the disk assembly 166. As shown, an O-ring 240 or gasket may be vulcanized to the cooling plate 164 along the periphery of the top side of the cooling plate 164. Alternatively, the O-ring or gasket may be disposed on the top side of the cooling plate 164 without being vulcanized thereto. Alternatively, an O-ring or gasket may not be used at the interface between the cooling plate 164 and the disk assembly 166. Some embodiments are discussed herein with reference to O-rings and gaskets vulcanized to at least a portion of the cooling plate 164. However, it should be understood that O-rings and / or gaskets may alternatively be vulcanized to the lower disk plate. Alternatively, O-rings and / or gaskets may not be vulcanized to any surface. In one embodiment, the O-ring 240 or washer is a perfluoropolymer (PFP) O-ring or a polyimide O-ring or washer. Alternatively, other types of high-temperature O-rings may be used. In one embodiment, a heat-insulating high-temperature O-ring or washer is used. The O-ring 240 or washer may be a stepped O-ring or washer having a first thickness and a second thickness. This promotes uniform tightening of the fastener by causing the amount of force used to tighten the fastener to increase sharply after the compression set amount of the O-ring 240 or washer.

[0041] Additional O-rings (not shown) or washers may also be vulcanized to the top side of the cooling plate 164 around the hole 280 at the center of the cooling plate 164 through which the cable extends. Other smaller O-rings or washers may also be vulcanized to the cooling plate 164 around other openings, around lifting pins, etc. For example, washers (e.g., PFP washers or polyimide washers) may be vulcanized to the top side of the cooling plate 164. Examples of PFPs that can be used for washers or O-rings 240 are DuPont™'s ECCtreme™, DuPont's KALREZ®, and Daikin®'s DUPRA™. The O-rings 240 or washers can provide a vacuum seal between the internal volume of the chamber and the internal volume within the substrate support assembly 150. The internal volume within the substrate support assembly 150 may include open spaces within the base 152 for conduit routing and wiring.

[0042] In one embodiment, the cooling plate 164 further includes a plurality of features 242 through which fasteners are inserted. If washers are used, the washers may have cutouts at each of the features 242. Fasteners may extend through each of the features 242 and be attached to additional portions of the fastener (or additional fasteners) that are inserted into additional features formed in one or more plates of the disc assembly 166. For example, bolts may extend through features 242 in the cooling plate 164 and be screwed into nuts provided in features of the plates of the disc assembly 166. Each feature 242 in the cooling plate 164 may be aligned with similar features (not shown) in the lower disc plate 232 or other plates of the disc assembly 166.

[0043] In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 has a disk-like shape with an annular periphery that substantially matches the shape and size of the substrate 144 positioned thereon. The upper surface of the disk assembly 166 may have an outer ring 216, a plurality of mesa 206, 210, and channels 208, 212 located between the mesa 210. In one embodiment, the disk assembly 166 includes an upper disk plate 230 bonded to the lower disk plate 232 by metal bonding portions, ceramic bonding portions, organic bonding portions, polymer bonding portions, or other types of bonding portions. In one embodiment, the bonding portions have different thermal conductivity in different directions. For example, the bonding portions may have different thermal conductivity in the x, y, and / or z directions. In some embodiments, the bonding portions comprise ceramic with metal fillers (e.g., ellipsoidal particles). The metal fillers can alter the thermal conductivity of the bonding portions in a target direction. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of the bonding portion can be customized in one or more directions or planes, resulting in isotropic or anisotropic heat transfer properties. In one embodiment, the upper disc plate 230 may be made of an electrically insulating ceramic material. Suitable examples of ceramic materials include aluminum nitride (AlN), alumina (Al2O3), and the like.

[0044] In one embodiment, the material for the lower disk 232 may be suitably selected such that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the lower disk 232 material substantially matches the CTE of the electrically insulating upper disk 230 material, in order to minimize CTE mismatch and avoid thermomechanical stresses that could damage the disk 166 during thermal cycling. In one embodiment, the lower disk 232 is molybdenum. In one embodiment, the lower disk is alumina. In one embodiment, the lower disk is AlN or Al2O3. In embodiments, the lower disk may be composed of the same material as the upper disk, but may have different purity levels, different grain sizes, different amounts of dopants, etc., to provide the lower disk with different material properties than the upper disk.

[0045] In one embodiment, a conductive metal matrix composite (MMC) material is used for the lower disk plate 232. The MMC material includes a metal substrate and reinforcing materials embedded and dispersed throughout the substrate. The metal substrate may include a single metal or two or more metals or metal alloys. Suitable metals include, but are not limited to, aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), titanium (Ti), cobalt (Co), cobalt-nickel alloy (CoNi), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), silver (Ag), or various combinations thereof. Reinforcing materials may be selected to provide better structural strength of the MMC, and may also be selected to provide better values ​​for other properties of the MMC, such as thermal conductivity and CTE. Examples of suitable reinforcing materials include silicon (Si), carbon (C), or silicon carbide (SiC), but other materials may also be used.

[0046] The MMC material used for the lower disk plate 232 is preferably selected to provide better conductivity and substantially match the CTE of the upper disk plate 230 material within the operating temperature range of the substrate support assembly 150. In one embodiment, the temperature can be in the range of about 20°C to about 500°C. In one embodiment, the CTE matching is based on the selection of the MMC material such that the MMC material includes at least one material also used in the upper disk plate 230 material. In one embodiment, the upper disk plate 230 includes AlN. In one embodiment, the MMC material includes a SiC porous body permeated with an AlSi alloy.

[0047] The composition materials and percentages of MCC can be selected to provide an engineered material with superior properties. For example, by appropriately selecting the MCC material to closely match the CTE of the lower disc plate 232 and the upper disc plate 230, the thermomechanical stress at the interface between the lower disc plate 232 and the upper disc plate 230 is reduced.

[0048] The cooling plate 164 attached below the disk 166 may have a disk-shaped main portion 224 and an annular flange extending outward from the main portion 224 and positioned on the base 152. In one embodiment, the cooling plate 164 may be made of a metal (such as aluminum or stainless steel) or other suitable material. Alternatively, the cooling plate 164 may be made of a composite ceramic, such as aluminum-silicon alloy-infiltrated SiC or molybdenum, to match the coefficient of thermal expansion of the disk 166. The cooling plate 164 should provide good strength and durability as well as heat transfer properties.

[0049] Figure 3 A cross-sectional side view of one embodiment of a substrate support assembly 150 is depicted. The substrate support assembly 150 includes a disk assembly 166 composed of an upper disk plate 230 and a lower disk plate 232 bonded together by bonding portions 350, which may be metal bonding portions, organic bonding portions, polymer bonding portions, ceramic bonding portions, or other types of bonding portions. The substrate support assembly 150 may alternatively have more than two plates, such as three plates, four plates, five plates, etc. Different techniques can be used to bond multiple plates. One technique that can be used for bonding is metal bonding. Polymer bonding, diffusion bonding, organic bonding, etc., can also be performed to bond the plates together. In some embodiments, the same bonding technique is used to bond all plates. In some embodiments, different bonding techniques are used for different plates. In one embodiment, diffusion bonding is used as a method for metal bonding the plates of the substrate support assembly 150 together. In one embodiment, the upper disk plate 230 and the lower disk plate 232 comprise a material including aluminum (e.g., AlN or Al2O3).

[0050] The bonding portion 350 may be a metallic bonding portion 350, which may include an "interlayer" of aluminum foil or other metal foil placed in the bonding region between the upper disk plate 230 and the lower disk plate 232. Pressure and heat may be applied to form diffusion bonding portions between the aluminum foil and the upper disk plate 230 and between the aluminum foil and the lower disk plate 232. In another embodiment, other interlayer materials selected based on the materials used for the upper disk plate 230 and the lower disk plate 232 may be used to form the diffusion bonding portions. In another embodiment, the upper disk plate 230 may be directly bonded to the lower disk plate 232 using direct diffusion bonding, wherein no interlayer is used to form the bonding portions. Organic bonding portions, ceramic bonding portions, polymer bonding portions, or other types of bonding portions may also be formed to bond the plates together.

[0051] In one embodiment, an O-ring 345 is used to protect the bonding portion 350. In this embodiment, the plasma- and high-temperature resistant O-ring 345 may be made of a perfluoropolymer (PFP) or polyimide. In one embodiment, the O-ring 345 may be a PFP with inorganic additives such as SiC. The O-ring may be replaceable. When the O-ring 345 degrades, it can be removed, and a new O-ring can be stretched onto the upper disk plate 230 and placed at the periphery of the disk 166 at the interface between the upper disk plate 230 and the lower disk plate 232. The O-ring 345 protects the metal bonding portion 350 from plasma erosion. In some embodiments, no O-ring is used to protect the bonding portion 350.

[0052] The upper disc plate 230 includes a platform 210, a channel 212, and, if appropriate, an outer ring 216. In one embodiment, the upper disc plate 230 includes functional elements such as a clamping electrode 180 and / or one or more heating elements 176. Alternatively, the clamping electrode 180 and / or heating element 176 may be disposed in a different plate (e.g., the heating element and / or clamping electrode may be disposed in the lower disc plate 232). In some embodiments, the lower disc plate 232 may include one or more functional elements 320 (e.g., heating elements, clamping electrodes, and / or RF electrodes). The clamping electrode 180 may be coupled to a clamping power supply 182 and / or an RF plasma power supply 184 and / or an RF bias power supply 186 via a matching circuit 188. The upper disc plate 230, the lower disc plate 232, and / or other plates may additionally include a gas delivery port (not shown) through which a gas supplier 340 pumps a backside gas, such as He. Additionally, the upper disc plate 230, the lower disc plate 232, and / or other plates may include one or more cooling holes (not shown) for cooling fluid to flow through.

[0053] The upper disc plate 230 and / or the lower disc plate 232 may have a thickness of about 1-25 mm or greater. In one embodiment, the upper disc plate 230 has a thickness of about 3 mm. The clamping electrode 180 may be located about 0.25 mm from the upper surface of the upper disc plate 230, and the heating element 176 may be located about 1 mm below the clamping electrode 180. In some embodiments, the heating element 176 may be a screen-printed heating element having a thickness of about 10-200 micrometers. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the heating element may be a resistance coil using the upper disc plate 230 with a thickness of about 1-3 mm. In such embodiments, the upper disc plate 230 may have a minimum thickness of about 5 mm. In one embodiment, the lower disc plate 232 has a thickness of about 1-25 mm. In some embodiments, the upper disc plate and / or the lower disc plate have a thickness ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm, 2 mm to 8 mm, or other thicknesses. In an embodiment, the different disk plates may have the same or different thicknesses, which may range from, for example, 1 to 25 mm. In an embodiment, the interface layer between the disk plates may have a thickness of about 25 micrometers to about 1 mm (e.g., 1-14 mils).

[0054] Heating element 176 is electrically connected to heater power supply 178 for heating upper disc plate 230. Upper disc plate 230 may comprise an electrically insulating material such as AlN. Lower disc plate 232 and upper disc plate 232 (and / or one or more other plates) may be made of the same and / or different materials. In one embodiment, lower disc plate 232 is made of a different material than that used for upper disc plate 230. In one embodiment, lower disc plate 232 is composed of a metal matrix composite material. In one aspect, the metal matrix composite material includes aluminum and silicon. In one embodiment, the metal matrix composite material is a SiC porous body permeated with an AlSi alloy.

[0055] The lower disc plate 232 is coupled to and in thermal communication with a cooling plate 164, which has one or more conduits 170 (also referred to herein as cooling channels) in fluid communication with a fluid source 172. In one embodiment, the cooling plate 164 is coupled to the disc assembly 166 by a plurality of fasteners 305. The fasteners 305 may be threaded fasteners, such as nuts and bolt pairs. As shown, in some embodiments, the lower disc plate 232 (or another plate of the disc assembly 166) includes a plurality of features 330 for receiving the fasteners 305. The cooling plate 164 may also include a plurality of features 332 for receiving the fasteners 305. In one embodiment, the feature is a bolt hole with a countersunk hole. As shown, the feature 330 is a through feature extending through the lower disc plate 232 and / or one or more other disc plates of the disc assembly 166. Alternatively, the feature 330 may not be a through feature. In one embodiment, feature 330 is a groove for receiving a T-bolt head or rectangular nut, which can be inserted into the groove and then rotated 90 degrees. In one embodiment, the fastener includes a washer, grafoil, aluminum foil, or other load-distributing material to evenly distribute the force from the fastener head across the feature. In some embodiments, the fastener is not used to connect the disc assembly 166 to the cooling plate 164. In some embodiments, a bonding portion is used to secure the disc assembly 166 to the cooling plate 164.

[0056] In one embodiment (as shown), the O-ring 310 is vulcanized to the cooling plate 164 at the periphery (or otherwise disposed on the cooling plate). Alternatively, the O-ring 310 may be vulcanized or attached to the underside of the cooling plate 232. Alternatively, a washer may be used. In some embodiments, the fastener 305 may be tightened to compress the O-ring 310 or the washer. The fastener 305 may be tightened with substantially the same force so that the spacing 315 between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164 is substantially the same (uniform) across the entire interface between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164. This ensures that the heat transfer properties between the cooling plate 164 and the disk assembly 166 are uniform. In one embodiment, the spacing 315 is about 2-10 mils or greater. For example, if the O-ring 310 is used without a grafoil layer, the spacing may be 2-10 mils. If the grafoil layer is used in conjunction with the O-ring 310, the spacing can be approximately 10-40 mils. A larger spacing reduces heat transfer and allows the interface between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164 to act as a thermal resistance. In one embodiment, a conductive gas can flow into the spacing 315 to improve heat transfer between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164. In some embodiments, no O-ring or gasket is used between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164. In some embodiments, the spacing 315 between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164 minimizes the contact area between them.

[0057] In some embodiments, one or more plates of the disk assembly 166 are not bonded together. In such embodiments, fasteners may be used to couple the plates of the disk assembly 166 together. For example, two adjacent plates may each include features for receiving threaded inserts and / or in front of threaded fasteners. The threaded fasteners may then extend between the two plates and be tightened against the threaded inserts in the adjacent plates. In some embodiments, the plates include holes that allow threaded shafts to extend through the plates to reach threaded inserts in another plate of the disk assembly 166. For example, the top plate of the disk assembly 166 may include threaded inserts, and threaded fasteners (e.g., bolts) may extend from a cooling plate through a lower disk plate 232 and / or one or more other plates and be threaded to a threaded insert in an upper disk plate 230 to tighten the entire disk assembly 166 against each other and against the cooling plate 164. Alternatively, some plates may be bonded, while others may be attached by threaded fasteners.

[0058] In one embodiment (not shown), a grafoil layer or other flexible graphite layer is disposed between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164. The flexible graphite may have a thickness of approximately 10-40 mils. Fasteners 305 may be tightened to compress the flexible graphite layer and the O-ring 310 or washer. The flexible graphite may be thermally conductive and may improve heat transfer between the disk assembly 166 and the cooling plate 164.

[0059] In one embodiment (not shown), the cooling plate 164 includes a base. In one embodiment, an O-ring 310 may be vulcanized to the base. In one embodiment, the cooling plate 164 includes a spring-loaded internal radiator connected to the base by one or more springs. The springs apply force to press the internal radiator against the disk 166. The surface of the radiator may have a predetermined roughness and / or surface features (e.g., a tabletop) that control the heat transfer properties between the disk 166 and the radiator. Additionally, the material of the radiator may affect the heat transfer properties. For example, an aluminum radiator will transfer heat better than a stainless steel radiator. In one embodiment, the radiator includes a grafoil layer on the upper surface of the radiator.

[0060] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a disk plate assembly in a substrate support assembly 400 according to one embodiment is depicted. The substrate support assembly 400 may include one or more disk plates 420-430. Some or all of the disk plates may include one or more functional elements. Examples of functional elements include clamping electrodes, area heaters, pixelation heaters, radio frequency (RF) electrodes, gas channels, air bags, etc.

[0061] In one embodiment, the top disk plate 420 may include one or more clamping electrodes 406 that can generate electrostatic forces to hold the substrate in place. The clamping electrodes 406 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 420. The top disk plate 420 may additionally or alternatively include one or more RF electrodes 408, which, in one embodiment, may be positioned along the circumference of the top disk plate 420. The RF electrodes 408 can be used to generate plasma for material handling in processes such as RF plasma etching and RF sputtering. The RF electrodes 408 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 420.

[0062] The intermediate disc plate 422 may include one or more heating electrodes 412. The heating electrodes 412 may be in the form of zone heaters and / or pixelated heaters. The surface of the substrate support assembly 400 may be divided into multiple regions, such as an inner region, a middle region, and an outer region. Each region may include a single heating electrode from a set of heating electrodes, and the temperature of each region may be individually controlled. The pixelated heaters may include a number of small sub-regions within the main region of the substrate support assembly 400. The pixelated heaters may include different heating elements for each of the sub-regions, which can be used to fine-tune the temperature distribution within the region. The pixelated heaters may include, for example, 16, 32, 64, 128, 216, or other numbers of individually controllable heating elements or electrodes. The heating electrodes 412 may provide controlled heating to the substrate. The heating electrodes 412 may include resistive elements or a set of resistive elements that generate heat when current passes through them. By applying current to the heating electrodes 412, the temperature of the substrate can be increased and maintained at a specific level. The heating electrodes 412 may also help manage thermal stress during temperature changes. By gradually heating or cooling the substrate, the thermal stress difference can be minimized, thereby reducing the likelihood of substrate damage. In some embodiments, one board may include a smaller number of main heater electrodes, while another board may include a larger number of auxiliary or pixelated heater electrodes. In some embodiments, the main heater electrodes may be configured to handle greater power than the auxiliary heater electrodes.

[0063] The disks 420 and 422 may be bonded using bonding layers comprising one or more melting point lowering layers (MDLs) (such as Ni, Ti, C, or Si), which may be applied to the bottom surface of the top disk 420 and / or the top surface of the bottom disk 422. The bonding layers may also include a metal interlayer 436, which may be placed between the upper and lower MDL layers. The metal interlayer 436 may include a flexible graphite layer, an organic synthetic rubber, Al, In, Ni, Ti, or an alloy comprising Ni-Ti, Mo-Mg, Cu-Ag, or Al alloys.

[0064] For example, the top disc plate 420 can also be bonded to the intermediate disc plate 422 by a mechanical clamp. For example, the bottom surface of the top disc plate 420 may include a convex fitting member 432 that engages with a concave fitting member 434 formed on the top surface of the intermediate disc plate 422. The convex fitting member 432 may include a platform or projection, while the concave fitting member 434 may include a groove or channel. The platform and channel may be formed along the circumference of the disc plates such that when they are bonded together, the convex fitting member 432 fits snugly into the concave fitting member 434. Although the top disc plate 420 is illustrated as having a convex fitting member 432 on its bottom surface and the intermediate disc plate 422 is illustrated as having a concave fitting member 434, the fitting members are interchangeable, such that the top disc plate 420 has a concave fitting member 434 and the intermediate disc plate 422 has a convex fitting member 432 to achieve the same result. Examples of materials that can be used to form the disk plates include niobium, alumina, aluminum nitride, single-crystal alumina, or sapphire. One or more disk plates can be formed using a hot press, hot isostatic press, green sheet casting, gel casting, or sol-gel process.

[0065] The intermediate disc plate 424 may include additional heating electrodes 414. Heating electrodes 414 may be in the form of area heaters and / or pixelated heaters. Heating electrodes 414 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the disc plate 424. In some embodiments, heating electrodes 414 may be connected in series or in parallel with heating electrodes 412 in the disc plate 422. Heating electrodes 412 and 414 may be perpendicularly offset from each other in the XY plane and / or offset by a designed amount. This allows one or more disc plates to be used as diffusers with increased heat distribution.

[0066] The additional intermediate disc plate 426 may include one or more RF filters 418 to ensure that interference and noise in the electrical signals applied to the heating element are minimized, thereby reducing the impact on the substrate. The RF filter 418 may include one or more inductors and one or more capacitors that can be connected in parallel. In one embodiment, the RF filter 418 may be connected in series or in parallel with the heating electrode 412 and / or the heating electrode 414. The RF filter 418 may be configured to control the flow of radio frequency power in the electrostatic chuck and prevent it from interfering with surrounding devices. The RF filter 418 may be connected to an RF power supply that generates an AC voltage of a specific frequency applied to the electrodes within the substrate support assembly. When RF power is applied to the electrodes, harmonics and noise may be generated due to various factors such as impedance mismatch, parasitic capacitance, and nonlinear behavior of the chuck and surrounding components. The RF filter 418 may include various components such as capacitors, inductors, and resistors. These components may be strategically placed within the circuit to attenuate or suppress unwanted harmonics and noise. Capacitors may be used to create a low-impedance path for the target RF frequency, thereby allowing RF power to flow through these capacitors. However, such capacitors act as high impedance to high-frequency noise and prevent its passage. Inductors can be used to block the flow of high-frequency signals while allowing the target RF frequency to pass. Such inductors store energy in a magnetic field, which may help isolate harmonics and noise. Resistors can be used to suppress or dissipate unwanted signals by converting them into heat. Resistors help reduce the amplitude of any harmonics and noise that may be present. In some embodiments, the filtered RF signal through RF filter 418 can be applied to the clamping electrodes 406 and / or heating electrodes 412, 414 of the substrate support assembly 400 to ensure that interference and noise are minimized.

[0067] In implementations, the RF filter is a functional element integrated into one or more boards of the disk assembly. Traditionally, the RF filter is an RC filter, not part of the chuck heater, and is connected to the heater or chuck. Therefore, RF filtering is conventionally performed externally to the heater or chuck. By integrating the RF filter into the disk assembly, a reduction in waveform factor size is achieved.

[0068] Clamping electrode 406, RF electrode 408, heating electrodes 412, 414, and RF filter 418 can be connected to one or more power sources (not shown) via wires 416, which may be routed through or include through-holes 432 formed in each of the disk plates 422, 424, 426. In some embodiments, one or more disk plates may include a wiring layer. The wiring layer may have terminals to which wires (e.g., wires 416) from other plates and / or layers are connected. The wiring plate may additionally connect to one or more power sources or provide routing to one or more power sources. In some embodiments, the wiring layer may be below other electrical functional elements (e.g., heating elements, RF electrodes, RF filters, etc.). In some embodiments, the wiring layer may be above one or more other electrical functional elements. This allows through-holes to extend upward from the electrical functional elements to the wiring layer, which can then connect to additional through-holes extending below the wiring layer (and below the other electrical functional elements). By having a wiring layer above the electrical functional components, the routing and design options for the layout of the electrical functional components can be increased, for example, allowing for a higher density of electrodes in one or more boards.

[0069] The substrate support assembly 400 may further include a cooling plate 430, which may be mounted on a shaft 402. The shaft 402 may have a hollow body 436, allowing wires 438 extending from the substrate support assembly 400 to be routed to one or more power sources. The cooling plate 430 may include a cooling circuit 404 that circulates a cooling fluid, such as a coolant or refrigerant, or water, or air, or a combination thereof. The cooling circuit 404 may be connected to a heat sink 450 to receive heat from the cooling plate 430 and pump the cold fluid back to the cooling plate 430. Alternatively, one or more disc plates may include cooling channels and may serve as cooling plates. Disc plates 420-430 may be bonded to adjacent disc plates using bonding layers such as metallic bonding layers, organic bonding layers, ceramic bonding layers, etc. In one embodiment, one or more bonding layers include one or more melting point lowering layers (MDLs), such as Ni, Ti, C, or Si, which may be applied to the bottom surface of the disk plate and / or the top surface adjacent to the disk plate. The bonding layers may also include interface layers, which may be placed between the MDL layers. The interface layers may include flexible graphite layers, organic synthetic rubber, Al, In, Ni, Ti, or alloys including Ni-Ti, Mo-Mg, Cu-Ag, or Al alloys.

[0070] Intermediate disc plates can also be bonded to another intermediate disc plate using mechanical clamps. For example, the bottom surface of one disc plate may include a convex fitting 432 that engages with a concave fitting 434 formed on the top surface of another intermediate disc plate. The convex fitting 432 may include a platform or projection, while the concave fitting 434 may include a groove or channel. The platform and channel may be formed along the circumference of the disc plates such that when they are bonded together, the convex fitting 432 fits snugly into the concave fitting 434. Alternatively or as described above, threaded fasteners may be used to secure the disc plates together.

[0071] Examples of materials that can be used to form the disk plates include niobium, alumina, aluminum nitride, single-crystal alumina, or sapphire. One or more disk plates can be formed using a hot press, hot isostatic press, green sheet casting, gel casting, or sol-gel process.

[0072] In some embodiments, one or more disk plates 420-430 include a barrier feature having a diameter larger than the rest of the disk plate. In these embodiments, the barrier feature shields the lower disk plate from exposure to plasma.

[0073] It should be noted that, for illustrative purposes only, a board assembly comprising five boards 420-428 is shown. More or fewer boards may be used than shown. The functional elements in one or more boards may be the same as or different from those shown in the example.

[0074] Figure 5A A cross-sectional side view depicting an embodiment of the disk plate assembly 500 is shown. In some embodiments, the top disk plate 502 may include one or more clamping electrodes 506 and one or more RF electrodes 508 (similar to...). Figure 4 The disk 502 (disc plate 420) can be bonded to another disk 504 using a metal bonding layer that also serves as a heating electrode 510. The heating electrode 510 may include a bonding material and a coating material applied to the bonding material. The heating electrode may include a pattern of heating elements in a plane between the top disk 502 and the bottom disk 504. For example, a patterned bonding layer may be used as the heating electrode 510. The coating material may have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) different from (e.g., greater than) the CTE of the disks 502 and 504 and different from (e.g., less than) the CTE of the bonding material to ensure proper bonding, prevent material failure due to thermal stress, and maintain the dimensional stability of the structure. Materials such as metals typically have higher CTE values, meaning they expand more with temperature changes. On the other hand, materials such as ceramics or certain polymers have lower CTE values, indicating less expansion or contraction with temperature. The substrate support assembly 500 may also include a hollow shaft 512 (similar to...). Figure 4The hollow shaft 402 can be used to transfer heat from the disc plate assembly to the radiator 514.

[0075] Figure 5B A cross-sectional side view depicts an embodiment of the disk plate in the electrostatic chuck assembly 550. In some embodiments, a single disk plate may include multiple functional elements. For example, disk plate 552 may include a heating element 554, which may be connected in parallel to one or more RF filters 558. RF filters 558 may include one or more inductors 556, which may be connected in parallel to one or more capacitors 560.

[0076] Figure 6 A cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of the disk plate assembly 600 is depicted. In some embodiments, the top disk plate 602 may include one or more clamping electrodes 606 and one or more RF electrodes 608 (similar to...). Figure 4 (Disk plate 420 in the example). However, disk plate 602 can be bonded to another disk plate 604 using a conductive bonding layer 612. The conductive bonding layer 612 may include a bonding material and a coating material applied to the bonding material. The coating material may have a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is different from (e.g., greater than) the CTE of disk plates 602 and 604 and different from (e.g., less than) the CTE of the bonding material to ensure proper bonding, prevent material failure due to thermal stress, and maintain the dimensional stability of the structure.

[0077] The disc plate 602 may also include one or more heating electrodes 622 (similar to...) Figure 4 The heating electrodes 412 and 414 in the disk plate 604 may include one or more RF filters 610, which may be coupled in series with the RF electrodes 608, such that the heating electrodes 622 are surrounded by the RF electrodes 608, forming a floating shield around the heating electrodes 622 to ensure that interference and noise are minimized, thereby reducing the impact on the substrate. The RF electrodes 608 may be coupled to the RF filters 610 via terminals 616, which may be used to select the disk plates using vias 614 formed in the conductive bonding layer 612. The electrostatic chuck assembly 600 may also include a hollow shaft 612 (similar to...). Figure 4 The hollow shaft (402) can be used to transfer heat from the disk plate assembly to the heat sink 618. In some embodiments, the resonant frequencies of one or more RF filters may be different from (e.g., greater than) the frequencies of one or more heating elements. One or more RF filters may be co-located with one or more heating elements having the same disk plate. Alternatively or additionally, one or more RF filters may be located in separate disk plates.

[0078] In embodiments, multiple heating electrodes may be arranged in series and / or parallel to tune the thermal behavior of the heating electrodes. Multiple heating electrodes may be positioned with the same spacing, with different spacing, in the same plate, and / or in different plates. The resistance of the heating element (e.g., coil, screen-printed pattern of electrodes, etc.) may be based on the coil diameter and / or wire / trace thickness. Different heating electrodes may have different cross-sectional sizes (e.g., different thicknesses and / or wire diameters). Alternatively or additionally, a single electrode may have varying cross-sectional sizes (e.g., varying thicknesses and / or wire diameters) to adjust the resistance and thus the heating performance of the heating element.

[0079] In some cases, heating elements in different planes may be spatially aligned completely or partially, or not spatially aligned at all. Heating elements can be arranged in parallel to reduce net resistance. Generally, the resistance of a heating electrode is increased by increasing its length, but reducing its resistance is challenging (if possible). For example, reducing the length of a heating electrode reduces its resistance, but also reduces its heating area. Therefore, reducing the resistance of the heating electrode is usually a problem. By placing the heating electrodes in parallel, the net resistance is reduced. P=V 2 / R, where P is power, V is voltage, and R is resistance. Therefore, increasing the denominator (R) reduces the net available power for heating. However, by reducing R based on connecting multiple heating electrodes in parallel, the total power can be increased, and thus the heating capacity can be increased.

[0080] The substrate support assembly may include full-area heaters and / or multi-area heaters. Four-area heaters and / or multi-area heaters can provide radial control in the temperature distribution of the substrate support assembly. Pixelated heaters may be used additionally or alternatively to address azimuth thermal inhomogeneities.

[0081] In some embodiments, heating elements in different planes are connected in series to increase resistance. In other embodiments, the placement of one or more layers of series-arranged heating elements can be designed to provide a pixelated heater. In some embodiments, multiple connection paths are provided between different heating elements and / or ground and / or power supply. A switch may be included in one or more paths and can be used to dynamically control whether two or more heating electrodes are connected in parallel, in series, or not connected. A controller may be connected to the switch and can change whether the different heating electrodes are connected in series, in parallel, or not connected at all based on one or more temperature readings. This can provide the functionality of a pixelated heater in some embodiments.

[0082] In one example, multiple heating elements can be connected in series to form a large heat source. In one embodiment, the resistance of the disk assembly in the central region or area of ​​the substrate support assembly can be increased by having a series resistance (of the multiple heating electrodes). In this embodiment, the series connection can be permanently configured or dynamically controllable.

[0083] Historically, different power sources have been used for the main heater, auxiliary heater, and / or pixelated heater. In implementations, heating electrodes (e.g., the main heater, auxiliary heater, four-zone heater, pixelated heater, etc.) may be connected in series and / or in parallel to the same power source.

[0084] Historically, heating elements have been formed in a single green sheet (e.g., in a single monolithic ceramic disk) in the same plane. In implementations, the resistance of the design is increased or decreased by arranging heating elements in parallel and / or series on adjacent plates. More uniform thermal uniformity can be provided by intentionally offsetting the heating elements at different vertical spacings (e.g., different distances from the supporting substrate).

[0085] Traditionally, wire routing is in a downward direction toward the cooling plate. However, in implementations, top-side routing may be used alternatively, meaning that the wire can be routed upwards or the via can be routed upwards to the wire layer and then downwards.

[0086] Figures 7A to 7E Cross-sectional side views of various embodiments of a disk plate assembly in an electrostatic chuck assembly or substrate support assembly are depicted, illustrating different arrangements of heating electrodes connected in series or parallel in different planes. Disk plates 702 and 704 may each include one or more heating electrodes 708 and 710. For example, heating electrodes 708 and 710 may be in the form of zone heaters and / or pixelated heaters. Heating electrodes 708 and 710 can provide controlled heating to the substrate. Heating electrodes 708 and 710 may include a resistive material or a set of resistive elements that generate heat when current passes through them. By applying current to heating electrodes 708 and 710, the temperature of the substrate can be increased and maintained at a specific level. Heating electrodes 708 and 710 can also help manage thermal stress during temperature changes. By gradually heating or cooling the substrate, thermal stress differences can be minimized, thereby reducing the likelihood of substrate damage.

[0087] exist Figure 7AIn the illustrated assembly 700, the heating electrode 708 in disk 702 may be coupled in parallel with the heating electrode 710 in disk 704. Disk plates 702 and 704 may be bonded using a bonding layer 706. The bonding layer may include one or more melting point lowering layers (MDLs), such as Ni, Ti, C, or Si, which may be applied to the bottom surface of the top disk 702 and / or the top surface of the bottom disk 704. In another embodiment, the bonding layer comprises a combination of sputtering and a metal or metal alloy foil. The metal layer (e.g., pure metal Al or multi-metal Ni-Al) may be sputtered to the bottom surface of the top disk 702 and / or the top surface of the bottom disk 704. The thin metal foil may comprise a high-purity metal or alloy. The bonding layer 706 may include one or more through holes 722 to allow terminals from the heating electrodes 708, 710 to pass between the disk plates 702, 704 and terminate on the substrate support surface and / or bottom surface of the assembly 700.

[0088] exist Figure 7B In the illustrated component 720, the heating electrode 708 in disk plate 702 can be coupled in series with the heating electrode 710 in disk plate 704. The bonding layer may also include a metal interlayer, which may be placed between the MDL layers. The metal interlayer may include a flexible graphite layer, organic synthetic rubber, Al, In, Ni, Ti, or an alloy including Ni-Ti, Mo-Mg, Cu-Ag, or Al alloys. Examples of materials that can be used to form the disk plates include niobium, alumina, aluminum nitride, single-crystal alumina, or sapphire. One or more disk plates can be formed using a hot press, hot isostatic press, green sheet casting, gel casting, or sol-gel process.

[0089] exist Figure 7C In the illustrated disk plate 740, the heating electrode 708 is coupled in series with the heating electrode 710 within the same disk plate 740. Similarly, in Figure 7D In the disc plate 760 shown, the heating electrode 708 is coupled in parallel with the heating electrode 710 in the same disc plate 740.

[0090] Figure 7E Another embodiment is illustrated, wherein a single disk plate 780 includes two or more heating electrodes 708, 710 that can be connected in series. The heating electrodes 708, 710 may be in the form of area heaters and / or pixelated heaters. The heating electrodes 708, 710 may extend over a portion of or the entire area of ​​the disk plate 780. In some embodiments, the terminal leads 712, 714 of the heating electrodes 708, 710 may be routed upward toward the wafer side or the substrate support surface 716 rather than the bottom surface 718 of the substrate support assembly. In another embodiment, the terminal lead 712 may be routed toward the wafer side, and the terminal lead 714 may be routed toward the bottom surface of the substrate support assembly.

[0091] exist Figures 7A to 7E In the illustrated embodiments, the substrate support assembly may include heaters in multiple planes for one or more regions. In one embodiment, one region may have heating electrodes distributed on two or more disc plates, and another region may have heating electrodes in the same disc plate. In some embodiments, the heating electrodes in different planes may have different temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR). For example, one disc plate of the substrate support assembly may have a positive TCR, and another disc plate of the substrate support assembly may have a negative TCR. In some embodiments, the heating electrodes may be offset from each other, and in some embodiments, the heating electrodes may be parallel to each other.

[0092] In one embodiment, the substrate support assembly may have a body comprising one or more disc plates. The substrate support assembly may include a heating electrode (e.g., electrode 708) in a first heating region of the body and another heating electrode (e.g., electrode 710) in the same region. Figure 7A and Figure 7B As shown, the heating electrodes can be connected in series or in parallel. Series connection between heating electrodes increases the net resistance of the heating electrode assembly, while parallel connection between heating electrodes decreases the net resistance of the heating electrode assembly. In one example, one heating electrode may be in a first plane of the substrate support assembly (e.g., disk plate 702), and a second heating electrode may be in a second plane of the substrate support assembly (e.g., disk plate 704) that is perpendicularly offset from the first plane. Figure 7E As shown, one or more terminal wires 712, 714 may be disposed above the heating electrodes in the body of the substrate support assembly. One or more through holes 722 may be formed in the body, which may connect at least one of the heating electrodes 708, 710 to the one or more terminal wires 712, 714. In one embodiment, one or more additional through holes (not shown) may be used to connect one or more terminal wires to at least one of a power connection or a ground connection (not shown) below the heating electrodes 708, 710. In one example, a first heating electrode (e.g., electrode 708) may include a main heating electrode, and a second heating electrode (e.g., electrode 710) may include an auxiliary heating electrode. In one embodiment, the main heating electrode and the auxiliary heating electrode may be connected to the same power supply or different power supplies. In one example, the heating electrodes 708, 710 may be mounted in the central heating region of the substrate support assembly. In one example, the heating electrodes 708, 710 may be mounted in the peripheral heating region of the substrate support assembly. The heating electrodes 708, 710 may be connected in parallel, such as... Figure 7A As shown, or those that can be connected in series, such as Figure 7BAs shown. In another example, the substrate support assembly may include heating electrodes in alternating heating regions (e.g., peripheral regions) of the body of the substrate support assembly, such heating electrodes may be placed in the same plane or different planes. The heating electrodes in the alternating heating regions may be connected in parallel, such as... Figure 7A As shown, or connected in series, such as Figure 7B As shown.

[0093] Figure 8 A cross-sectional side view depicting another embodiment of the disk plate assembly in the substrate support assembly 800 is shown. The substrate support assembly 800 may include disk plates 802 and 804. The top disk plate 802 may include one or more clamping electrodes 806 that can generate electrostatic forces to hold the substrate in place. The clamping electrodes 806 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 802. The top disk plate 802 may also include one or more RF electrodes 808 that may be positioned along the circumference of the top disk plate 802. The RF electrodes 808 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 802. The bottom disk plate 804 may include one or more heating electrodes 810. The heating electrodes 810 may be in the form of area heaters and / or pixelated heaters. The heating electrodes 810 can provide controlled heating to the substrate. The heating electrode 810 may include a resistive material or a set of resistive elements that can generate heat when current passes through them.

[0094] The disk plate 802 may include one or more clamping electrodes 812 (also referred to as clamping electrodes or clamping plates) that are responsible for generating an electrostatic force to securely hold the disk plate 804 in place. The disk plate 804 may include a clamping electrode 814 for creating an e-chuck between the clamping electrodes 812 and the clamping electrode 814. When a potential is applied between the clamping electrodes 812 and the clamping electrode 814, an electric field is established therebetween. This electric field induces a charge on the bottom surface of the top disk plate 802. The induced charge generates an electrostatic force that attracts and holds the disk plate 802 against the clamping surface of the disk plate 804. The clamping electrodes 812 ensure a uniform and reliable clamping force across the entire surface of the disk plate 802. Similarly, the clamping electrodes 814 ensure a uniform and reliable clamping force across the entire surface of the disk plate 804.

[0095] In some embodiments, the disc plate 802 serves as a carrier for the substrate and can move together with the substrate. For example, a robotic arm can pick up and place the plate 802 while it supports the substrate.

[0096] In some embodiments, the clamping electrode 812 and / or the locking electrode 814 are configured to provide maximum residual charge, such that the plate 802 remains locked to the plate 804 for an extended period of time, even after no power has been applied to the locking electrode 814 and / or the clamping electrode 812. In some embodiments, the plate 802 and / or the plate 804 include alignment features that enable the plate 802 to align with the plate 804 at a target alignment location.

[0097] The disc plate 804 can be mounted on a hollow shaft having a hollow body, allowing wires extending from the electrostatic chuck assembly 800 to be routed to a power source. The disc plate 804 may include a cooling circuit 820 that circulates a cooling fluid, such as a coolant or refrigerant, or water, or air, or a combination thereof. The cooling circuit 820 may be connected to a radiator 818 to receive heat from the disc plate 804 and pump the cooled fluid back to the disc plate 804.

[0098] Figure 9 A cross-sectional side view depicting another embodiment of the disk plate assembly in an electrostatic chuck assembly 900 is shown. In some embodiments, the electrostatic chuck assembly 900 may include a portable carrier 904 removably fitted onto a top disk plate 902. The portable carrier 904 may be configured to receive a semiconductor wafer 920. In some embodiments, the portable carrier 904 may be made of a polymeric material, including but not limited to amides. The portable carrier 904 may also include a halogen-resistant material, including at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), sapphire, high-purity small-grained alumina, or high-purity hot isostatic pressing or hot-pressed alumina. The portable carrier 904 may also include one or more functional elements 926, 928. The top disk plate 902 may include one or more clamping electrodes 906 that can generate an electrostatic force to hold the substrate in place. The clamping electrode 906 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 902. The top disk plate 902 may also include one or more RF electrodes 908, which may be positioned along the circumference of the top disk plate 902. The RF electrodes 908 may extend over a portion or the entire area of ​​the top disk plate 902. The disk plate 902 may also include one or more heating electrodes 910. The heating electrodes 910 may be in the form of area heaters and / or pixelated heaters. The heating electrodes 910 may provide controlled heating to the substrate. The heating electrodes 910 may include a resistive material or a set of resistive elements that generate heat when current passes through them.

[0099] Functional elements 926 and 928 may include at least one of a clamping electrode, a zone heater, a pixelated heater, a radio frequency (RF) electrode, a gas channel, or an air bag. In some embodiments, the disk plate 902 may include a first electrode pattern, and the portable carrier 904 may include a second electrode pattern. The first and second electrode patterns are operatively coupled to a power source for generating an electromagnetic force between the disk plate 902 and the portable carrier 904.

[0100] Figure 10A A cross-sectional side view depicting an embodiment of the disk plate 1020 in an electrostatic chuck assembly 1000 is shown. The disk plate 1020 may include one or more RF electrodes 1008. The RF electrodes 1008 may be in the same plane, or may extend along the thickness direction of the ceramic plate. The RF electrodes 1008 may be connected to RF matching and power supplies to ensure that interference and noise are minimized, thereby reducing the impact on the substrate. The RF power supply generates an AC voltage of a specific frequency, which is applied to the electrodes within the electrostatic chuck. When RF power is applied to the electrodes, harmonics and noise may be generated due to various factors such as impedance mismatch, parasitic capacitance, and nonlinear behavior of the chuck and its surrounding components. The RF filter may include various components such as capacitors, inductors, and resistors. These components may be strategically placed within the circuit to attenuate or suppress unwanted harmonics and noise. The filtered RF signal through the RF electrodes 1008 can affect the plasma density in the processing chamber.

[0101] Figure 10B A cross-sectional side view depicting an embodiment of the disk plate 1030 in the electrostatic chuck assembly 1050 is shown. The disk plate 1030 may include one or more RF electrode grids 1010. The RF electrode grids 1010 may have a first thickness 1012 at a first location and a second thickness 1014 at a second location along the length of the RF electrode grid. The RF electrode grids 1010 may be wholly or partially surrounded by sub-electrodes (not shown). The sub-electrodes may be parallel to the main RF electrode grids 1010. Potential may or may not be applied to the surrounding sub-electrodes. The sub-electrodes are used for the purpose of tuning the electromagnetic field around the substrate support and thus altering the etching or deposition properties.

[0102] Traditional substrate supports (e.g., heaters and electrostatic chucks) are monolithic ceramic bodies. Therefore, if a substrate support fails to meet one or more criteria associated with compliance, it is scrapped and cannot be restored. However, in some embodiments, since the substrate support assembly consists of multiple plates, if the substrate support assembly fails a compliance test, one or more plates can be modified by planing (multiple) plates, and / or another plate can be used to replace the one or more plates that caused the assembly to fail the compliance test. In some embodiments, the top plate is planed or polished in one or more areas to modify the heat distribution and / or temperature distribution of the substrate support assembly. In some embodiments, one or more other plates may be planed or polished to modify the heat distribution and / or temperature distribution of the substrate support assembly.

[0103] Figure 11 The illustration depicts one embodiment of a process 1100 for evaluating the thermal response of an electrostatic chuck assembly and modifying one or more plates forming the electrostatic assembly to improve its performance. At block 1102, a disk plate assembly is attached to a cooling plate to form a substrate support assembly (e.g., an electrostatic chuck assembly). At block 1104, the substrate support assembly is exposed to an operating temperature range, for example, between 0°C and 200°C. The operating temperature can vary by a fixed amount, for example, 10°C at a time, or by a variable amount. At block 1106, the thermal response of the substrate support assembly at each of the different operating temperatures is recorded. In one example, the temperature on the top surface of the top disk plate can be read at one or more locations. In one example, the temperature can be read at one or more locations along the circumference of the top disk plate and / or other disk plates of the substrate support assembly. At block 1108, it can be determined that the thermal response to at least one operating temperature (e.g., the temperature read at one or more locations) is outside a predetermined threshold response (e.g., above or below a threshold temperature range), which may be based on, for example, an established benchmark. When the thermal response to at least one operating temperature is outside a predetermined threshold response, one or more disk plates forming the disk plate assembly may be removed at block 1110. Alternatively, if the thermal response to at least one operating temperature is within a predetermined threshold response, then the disk plate assembly does not need to be modified at block 1112.

[0104] The method at frame 1110 may also include removing the disk plate assembly from the cooling plate and adjusting or replacing one or more disk plates in the disk plate assembly. In one example, adjusting the disk plates may involve polishing one or more areas of the disk plates. In one example, adjusting the disk plates may involve reducing the thickness of the disk plates in one or more areas. This method may also include reattaching one or more disk plates to other disk plates after polishing to reassemble the disk plate assembly, or changing the order of the disk plates to form a new disk plate assembly. In one example, one or more new disk plates may be introduced to form a completely new disk plate assembly. Additionally, one or more disk plates forming the disk plate assembly may be removed, and the thermal response may be reassessed individually. In one example, the thermal response of each of the disk plates may be evaluated individually to determine the overall thermal response of the disk plate assembly. This method may also include forming a new disk plate assembly and attaching the new disk plate assembly to the cooling plate to form a new substrate support assembly. As described above, the updated substrate support assembly can be exposed to different operating temperatures, and the thermal response of the updated substrate support assembly at different operating temperatures can be measured. One advantage of performing the iterative process described above is that the thermal response can be customized based on the end application, and the disk plate assembly can be modified to suit a specific end application.

[0105] Figure 12The illustration depicts one embodiment of a process 1200 for evaluating the thermal response of an electrostatic chuck assembly and modifying one or more plates forming the electrostatic assembly to improve its performance. At block 1202, method 1200 includes determining the thermal properties of one or more disk plates forming the disk plate assembly. In one example, determining the thermal properties may include a temperature range in which the plates can operate normally. In another example, determining the thermal properties may include reading the temperature at one or more locations on the top and / or bottom surfaces of the disk plates. Temperature readings may be recorded at a single operating temperature or multiple operating temperatures. In one example, determining the thermal properties may involve attaching the disk plate to a cold plate and exposing the disk plate to one or more operating temperatures, and measuring the thermal response of the disk plate at the operating temperatures. In one example, determining the thermal properties may involve modeling the thermal properties of one or more disk plates. For example, a computer program (e.g., a simulation program) may be used to simulate the performance of one or more disk plates. At block 1204, based on the thermal properties of the disk plates, method 1200 may include determining one or more adjustments to one or more disk plates. At frame 1206, adjustments can be made to one or more disk plates to improve their performance. For example, at frame 1206, it can be determined that a region in the disk plate is not receiving sufficient cooling from the cooling plate. In response, the thickness of the disk plate can be reduced at one or more locations. In another example, it can be determined that a region in the disk plate is receiving excessive cooling from the cooling plate. In response, the thickness of the disk plate can be increased at one or more locations to improve its performance. Other examples may include changing the order of the disk plates in a disk plate assembly to improve the performance of the substrate support assembly. At frame 1208, modified disk plates can be assembled in the same or different order to form a new disk plate assembly. In another example, the modified disk plates can be combined with one or more new plates that may have properties different from the modified disk plates.

[0106] The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of this disclosure can be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in a simple block diagram format to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this disclosure. Therefore, the specific details set forth are merely illustrative. Specific embodiments may differ from these illustrative details and are still contemplated as falling within the scope of this disclosure.

[0107] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the term "or" is intended to indicate an inclusive rather than an exclusive "or." When the terms "about" or "approximately" are used herein, this is intended to indicate that the presented nominal values ​​are exactly within ±10%.

[0108] Although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a specific order, the order of the operations can be changed so that some operations can be performed in reverse order, or that some operations can be performed at least partially concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, the instructions or sub-operations of different operations can be intermittent and / or alternating. In one embodiment, multiple metal bonding operations are performed in a single operation.

[0109] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

Claims

1. A substrate support assembly, the substrate support assembly comprising: A first disk plate, the first disk plate comprising one or more first functional elements; A second disk plate, the second disk plate including one or more second functional elements; and An interface layer that at least partially bonds the first disk plate to the second disk plate.

2. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more first functional elements and the one or more second functional elements comprise at least one of a clamping electrode, a region heater, a pixelated heater, a radio frequency (RF) electrode, a gas channel, or an air bag.

3. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the interface layer comprises at least one of flexible graphite, organic synthetic rubber, Al, In, Ni, Ti, or an alloy including Ni-Ti, Mo-Mg, Cu-Ag, or Al alloys.

4. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the first disc plate includes a first of a convex fitting member or a concave fitting member, and the top surface of the second disc plate includes a second of the convex fitting member or the concave fitting member.

5. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the second disk plate includes one or more heating elements operatively coupled to one or more RF filters, wherein at least one of the following: a) The resonant frequency of the one or more RF filters is different from the frequency of the one or more heating elements; b) The one or more RF filters and the one or more heating elements are co-located in the second disc plate; or c) The one or more RF filters are located in a third disk plate, which is different from the second disk plate.

6. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate support assembly further comprises: A third disk plate, the third disk plate including electrodes for connecting at least one of the one or more first functional elements or the one or more second functional elements to a power source.

7. The substrate support assembly of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first disk plate, the second disk plate, or the third disk plate includes one or more through holes, the one or more through holes providing electrical connection between the electrode of the third disk plate and at least one of the one or more first functional elements of the first disk plate or the one or more second functional elements of the second disk plate.

8. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the interface layer comprises a bonding material and a coating material applied to the bonding material, wherein the coating material has a CTE that is different from the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the first disk plate and the second disk plate and different from the CTE of the bonding material.

9. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the interface layer comprises one or more heating elements.

10. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more first functional elements include a first group of heating elements, wherein the one or more second functional elements include a second group of heating elements, and wherein the first group of heating elements and the second group of heating elements are connected in series or in parallel.

11. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more second functional elements include a first group of heating elements and a second group of heating elements, and wherein the first group of heating elements and the second group of heating elements are connected in series or in parallel.

12. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the first disk plate and the second disk plate each comprise at least one of niobium, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, single-crystal aluminum oxide, sapphire, or a nitride, oxide, or oxynitride of a metal, or a semiconductor.

13. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the substrate support assembly further comprises: A removable third disk plate, which is removably attached to the first disk plate, includes one or more electrodes for electrostatically fastening the substrate, wherein the removable third disk plate is electrostatically fastened to the first disk plate.

14. The substrate support assembly of claim 13, wherein the removable third disk plate is a portable carrier, the portable carrier comprising a halogen-resistant material, the halogen-resistant material comprising at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or sapphire or high-purity hot isostatic pressing or hot-pressed alumina.

15. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more second functional elements include one or more heating elements operatively coupled to one or more radio frequency (RF) filters, wherein the one or more RF filters include an RF mesh having a first thickness at a first location and a second thickness at a second location.

16. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the first disk plate and the second disk plate comprise at least one of: a) identical materials having the same purity, b) different materials having the same grain size, c) the identical materials having different purity, d) the identical materials having different grain sizes, or e) different materials having different grain sizes.

17. A method comprising: The thermal response of a first substrate support assembly at one or more operating temperatures is measured, the first substrate support assembly including a first disk plate assembly coupled to a cooling plate, the first substrate support assembly being exposed; Determine whether the thermal response of the first substrate support assembly meets one or more thermal response criteria; and In response to determining that the thermal response fails to meet one or more thermal response criteria, one or more disks of the first disk plate assembly are adjusted or replaced to modify the thermal response of the first substrate support assembly.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting or replacing the one or more disc plates comprises: Polish the one or more disc plates in one or more areas.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: Before polishing the one or more disk plates, remove the one or more other disk plates from the first disk plate assembly; and After the polishing is performed, the one or more disk plates are reattached to the one or more other disk plates to reassemble the first disk plate assembly.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting or replacing the one or more disc plates comprises: Remove the one or more disk plates from one or more other disk plates of the first disk plate assembly; and One or more second disk plates are attached to the one or more other disk plates to form a second disk plate assembly.

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