Reduced diameter carrier ring hardware for substrate processing system

Abstract

To provide a substrate support table which prevents accumulation of process materials, and minimizes the influence on a process performed on a substrate even when accumulation of materials occurs.SOLUTION: In a processing chamber 200 for a substrate processing system, a substrate support pedestal 204 includes a base plate 212, a ceramic layer 216 disposed on the base plate, and a carrier ring 208 disposed on the ceramic layer. The ceramic layer has a first outer diameter 228. The carrier ring has a second outer diameter 232 that is smaller than the first outer diameter. The ceramic layer includes a shoulder 240 that extends from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter of the carrier ring. The shoulder slopes downwardly toward the first outer diameter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 862,814, filed June 18, 2019. The above application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an edge ring for a substrate support pedestal in a substrate processing system. [Background technology]

[0003] The description of the background art provided herein is intended to provide a general background to the present disclosure. The inventors' work within the scope of this description, and aspects of the description that may not otherwise be admitted as prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted, explicitly or implicitly, as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0004] Substrate processing systems may be used to perform processes, such as film deposition and film etching, on substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. Examples of processes that may be performed on the substrate include, but are not limited to, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), conductor etching, and / or other etching, deposition, or cleaning processes. The substrate may be placed on a substrate support, such as a pedestal or electrostatic chuck (ESC), in a processing chamber of the substrate processing system. During deposition, the substrate may be placed on the substrate support and one or more precursor gases may be supplied to the processing chamber during one or more process steps. During etching, a gas mixture containing one or more precursors may be introduced into the processing chamber and a plasma may be used to initiate a chemical reaction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to certain embodiments, the present disclosure discloses a substrate support for a substrate processing system, the substrate support comprising: a base plate; a ceramic layer disposed on the base plate; and a carrier ring disposed on the ceramic layer. The ceramic layer has a first outer diameter. The carrier ring has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter. The ceramic layer includes a shoulder extending from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter of the carrier ring.

[0006] In some embodiments, the shoulder slopes downwardly from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter. In some embodiments, the shoulder includes a sloped portion and a non-sloped portion. The sloped portion extends from the second outer diameter to the non-sloped portion and the non-sloped portion extends from the sloped portion to the first outer diameter. In some embodiments, the non-sloped portion extends from the second outer diameter to the sloped portion and the sloped portion extends from the non-sloped portion to the first outer diameter.

[0007] In some embodiments, the shoulder slopes at an angle between 10 degrees and 45 degrees. In some embodiments, the ceramic layer is configured to support a 200 mm substrate. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the carrier ring is smaller than the diameter of the substrate. In some embodiments, the ceramic layer includes a downward step at the second outer diameter of the carrier ring. And, in some embodiments, the ceramic layer has a shoulder that slopes downwardly from the downward step to the first outer diameter.

[0008] According to certain embodiments, a substrate processing chamber includes the substrate support pedestal and a showerhead having a third outer diameter smaller than the second outer diameter. In some embodiments, the third outer diameter is greater than an inner diameter of the carrier ring. In some embodiments, a bottom outer edge of the showerhead is radiused.

[0009] According to certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides a substrate support for a substrate processing system, the substrate support comprising: a base plate, a ceramic layer, and a carrier ring disposed on the ceramic layer. The ceramic layer has a first outer diameter. The carrier ring has a second outer diameter that is smaller than the first outer diameter. The ceramic layer includes a shoulder that extends from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter of the carrier ring.

[0010] In some embodiments, the shoulder slopes downwardly from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter. In some embodiments, the shoulder includes a sloped portion and a non-sloped portion. In some embodiments, the ceramic layer is configured to support a 200 mm substrate. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the carrier ring is less than a diameter of the substrate. In some embodiments, the ceramic layer includes a downward step at the second outer diameter of the carrier ring. In some embodiments, the downward step is at least 50% of a thickness of the ceramic layer.

[0011] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. It is to be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary substrate processing system in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary substrate support pedestal including a carrier ring, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary substrate support pedestal including a carrier ring and a sloped shoulder, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B illustrates an exemplary substrate support pedestal including a carrier ring and a sloped shoulder, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary substrate support pedestal including a carrier ring and a stepped shoulder, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates an exemplary substrate support pedestal including a carrier ring and a stepped shoulder, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] In the drawings, the same reference numbers may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A substrate support in a substrate processing system may include an edge ring. For example, the substrate support may include a ceramic layer arranged to support a substrate. The edge ring is arranged around an outer portion of the ceramic layer (e.g., outside and / or adjacent to an outer periphery of the ceramic layer). The edge ring may be configured to confine plasma to a volume above the substrate and / or protect the substrate support from erosion due to exposure to the plasma and other process materials. In some examples, the edge ring may correspond to a carrier ring configured to support an outer edge of the substrate.

[0019] When a carrier ring is installed, the characteristics of the carrier ring (e.g., the width of the carrier ring, the dimensions of the carrier ring relative to the substrate, the substrate support pedestal, and / or the outer diameter of the carrier ring, etc.) may affect the outcome of various substrate processes performed on the substrate. In some examples, material (e.g., oxide material) may accumulate on the carrier ring over time, which may cause failure of the substrate processed on the substrate support pedestal. In other examples, the dimensions of the carrier ring may affect plasma characteristics such as arcing of the plasma towards the substrate and envelopment of the plasma around the outer diameter of the showerhead or substrate support pedestal. A substrate support pedestal configured to process a 200 mm substrate may, for example, have a diameter of 15.0 inches (381 mm). The carrier ring may also have a diameter of 381 mm. The showerhead may have a diameter of 9.0 inches (228.6 mm).

[0020] The carrier ring according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure has a reduced outer diameter relative to the outer periphery of the substrate support. The reduced diameter of the carrier ring according to the principles of the present disclosure (e.g., 11.0 inch or 279.4 mm diameter) provides desirable plasma characteristics and prevents material buildup. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the shoulder of the substrate support may slope downward from the reduced outer diameter of the carrier ring to the outer diameter of the substrate support. Thus, if material buildup does occur, it will accumulate on this sloped shoulder, minimizing the impact on the process being performed on the substrate. In some examples, increasing the radius of the bottom outer edge of the showerhead (e.g., from 0.15 inch (0.381 mm) to 0.19 inch (4.826 mm)) reduces the electric field sensitivity at the bottom outer edge.

[0021] 1, an exemplary substrate processing system 100 is shown. The substrate processing system 100 may be used to perform RF plasma etching and / or other suitable substrate processing. The substrate processing system 100 includes a processing chamber 102 that houses the other components of the substrate processing system 100 and contains the RF plasma. The substrate processing chamber 102 includes an upper electrode 104 and a substrate support 106, such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC). In operation, a substrate 108 is disposed on the substrate support 106. It is noted that although the substrate processing system 100 and chamber 102 are shown in FIG. 1, the principles of the present disclosure may be applied to other types of substrate processing systems and chambers, such as substrate processing systems that generate plasma in situ or that generate and deliver a remote plasma (e.g., using a plasma tube or microwave tube).

[0022] In some embodiments, the upper electrode 104 may include a gas distribution device, such as a showerhead 109, for introducing and distributing process gases. The showerhead 109 may include a stem including one end configured to receive process gases. A base has a generally cylindrical shape and extends radially outward from the opposite end of the stem away from the top surface of the processing chamber 102. In some embodiments, a substrate-facing surface or faceplate of the base of the showerhead 109 includes a number of holes through which process or purge gases pass. In some embodiments, the upper electrode 104 may include a conductive plate, or the process gases may be introduced in another manner.

[0023] 1, the substrate support pedestal 106 includes a conductive base plate 110 that functions as a bottom electrode. The base plate 110 supports a ceramic layer 112. In some examples, the ceramic layer 112 may comprise a heating layer, such as a ceramic multi-zone heating plate. The base plate 110 may include one or more coolant channels 116 for channeling coolant through the base plate 110.

[0024] The RF generation system 120 generates and outputs an RF voltage to one of the upper electrode 104 and the lower electrode (e.g., the base plate 110 of the substrate support pedestal 106). The upper electrode 104 and the base plate 110 may be DC grounded, AC grounded, or floating. In some embodiments, the RF generation system 120 may include an RF voltage generator 122 that generates an RF voltage that is supplied to the upper electrode 104 or the base plate 110 by a match distribution network 124. In some embodiments, the plasma may be inductively or remotely generated. It is noted that although the RF generation system 120 is illustrated herein as corresponding to a Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP) system, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in other suitable systems, such as, by way of example only, a Transformer Coupled Plasma (TCP) system, a CCP cathode system, or a remote microwave plasma generation and supply system.

[0025] According to certain embodiments, the gas delivery system 130 of FIG. 1 includes one or more gas sources 132-1, 132-2, . . . 132-N (collectively referred to as gas sources 132), where N is an integer greater than zero. The gas sources provide one or more precursors and mixtures thereof. The gas sources 132 may provide a purge gas. In some embodiments, vaporized precursors may be used. The gas sources 132 are connected to a manifold 140 by valves 134-1, 134-2, . . . 134-N (collectively referred to as valves 134) and mass flow controllers 136-1, 136-2, . . . 136-N (collectively referred to as mass flow controllers 136). The output of the manifold 140 is provided to the process chamber 102. In some embodiments, the output of the manifold 140 is provided to the showerhead 109.

[0026] According to certain embodiments, the temperature controller 142 is connected to a plurality of heating elements 144, such as thermal control elements (TCEs), disposed within the ceramic layer 112. For example, the heating elements 144 may include, but are not limited to, macro heating elements corresponding to respective zones of a multi-zone heating plate and / or an array of micro heating elements disposed across multiple zones of a multi-zone heating plate. In some embodiments, the temperature controller 142 is configured to control the plurality of heating elements 144 to control the temperature of the substrate support pedestal 106 and the substrate 108.

[0027] In some embodiments, the temperature controller 142 is configured to communicate with the coolant assembly 146 to control the flow of coolant through the passages 116. For example, the coolant assembly 146 may include a coolant pump and a reservoir. In some embodiments, the temperature controller 142 operates the coolant assembly 146 to selectively direct coolant through the passages 116 to cool the substrate support pedestal 106.

[0028] 1, according to certain embodiments, valves 150 and pumps 152 are configured to evacuate reactants from the processing chamber 102. In some embodiments, a system controller 160 is configured to control components of the substrate processing system 100. A robot 170 may be used to place and remove substrates on the substrate support 106. For example, the robot 170 may transfer substrates between the substrate support 106 and a load lock 172. Although the temperature controller 142 and the system controller 160 are illustrated as separate controllers, the temperature controller 142 may be implemented within the system controller 160.

[0029] 1, the substrate support pedestal 106 includes a carrier ring 180. The carrier ring 180 is disposed on the ceramic layer 112 and surrounds the substrate 108. The carrier ring 180 extends below an outer edge of the substrate 108. In other words, the outer diameter of the substrate 108 is greater than the inner diameter of the carrier ring 180. The carrier ring 180 according to the principles of the present disclosure has a reduced diameter, as described in more detail below.

[0030] 2 illustrates a processing chamber 200 including a substrate support pedestal 204 with a reduced diameter carrier ring 208, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate support pedestal 204 includes a conductive base plate 212 that supports a ceramic layer 216. A substrate 220 is disposed on top of the ceramic layer 216. In some embodiments, the substrate 220 is a 200 mm substrate. A gas distribution apparatus, such as a showerhead 224, is disposed above the substrate support pedestal 204 to supply and distribute process gases into the processing chamber 200, as described above.

[0031] The outer diameter 228 of the substrate support 204 (e.g., ceramic layer 216) may be approximately 15.0 inches (e.g., 381 mm ± 5 mm). The carrier ring 208 has an outer diameter 232 that is reduced relative to the outer diameter 228 of the ceramic layer 216. For example, the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208 may be approximately 11.0 inches (e.g., 279.4 mm ± 5 mm). In other examples, the outer diameter 232 may be between 10.0 inches and 13.0 inches (e.g., 254.0 mm to 330.2 mm). The inner diameter 236 of the carrier ring 208 may be smaller than the diameter of the substrate 220. For example, the difference between the inner diameter 236 of the carrier ring 208 and the diameter of the substrate 220 may be between 0.025 inches and 0.150 inches (e.g., 0.635 mm to 3.81 mm). In other words, the inner diameter 236 may be between 7.72 inches and 7.85 inches (e.g., between 196.19 mm and 199.365 mm). In some examples, the carrier ring 208 has a thickness of about 0.167 inches (e.g., 4.25 mm + / - 10.5 mm). In other examples, the thickness of the carrier ring 208 is about 0.101 inches (e.g., 2.57 mm + / - 0.5 mm). In some examples, the showerhead 224 may have a diameter of about 9.0 inches (e.g., 228.6 mm + / - 5 mm). In certain embodiments, the diameter of the showerhead 224 may be greater than the diameter of the substrate 220 and the inner diameter 236 of the carrier ring 208, and less than the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208.

[0032] In some embodiments, the shoulder 240 of the ceramic layer 216 slopes downwardly from the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208 to the outer diameter 228 of the substrate support pedestal 204. In some embodiments, the shoulder 240 slopes downwardly at an angle between 10 degrees and 45 degrees. The angle may depend on the difference between the outer diameter 228 and the outer diameter 232. In some examples, the ceramic layer 216 may include a downward step 244 below and adjacent (e.g., within 4 mm) of the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208, as shown in FIG. 1, from which the shoulder 240 slopes downwardly.

[0033] The reduced outer diameter 232, downward slope of the shoulder 240, and step 244 allow plasma generated in the volume between the showerhead 224 and the substrate 220 to wrap around the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208 toward the shoulder 240. Thus, arcing of the plasma toward the substrate 220 and material buildup on the carrier ring 208 are reduced. For example, the downward slope causes material buildup to occur on the shoulder 240 instead of the carrier ring 208. Additionally, the downward step 244 promotes plasma containment at the outer diameter 232 of the carrier ring 208. In some examples, the bottom outer edge 248 of the showerhead 224 has a radius of about 0.19 inches (e.g., 4.826 mm ± 1.0 mm), which reduces electric field sensitivity at the bottom outer edge 248.

[0034] 3A and 3B, a processing chamber 300 includes a substrate support pedestal 304 with a reduced diameter carrier ring 308 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate support pedestals 304 each include a conductive base plate 312 that supports a ceramic layer 316. A substrate 320 is disposed on the ceramic layer 316. A showerhead 324 is disposed above the substrate support pedestal 304 to supply and distribute process gases into the processing chamber 300 as described above.

[0035] In these examples, the shoulder 340 of the ceramic layer 316 includes a sloped portion 352 that slopes downwardly from the outer diameter 332 of the carrier ring 308 to the outer diameter 328 of the substrate support pedestal 304, and a non-sloped (e.g., horizontal) portion 356. As shown in FIG. 3A, in some embodiments, the sloped portion 352 slopes downwardly from the step 344 to the non-sloped portion 356, which extends from the sloped portion 352 to the outer diameter 328. As shown in FIG. 3B, in other embodiments, the non-sloped portion 356 extends from the downward step 344 to the sloped portion 352, which extends from the non-sloped portion 356 to the outer diameter 328.

[0036] Shoulder 340 includes a generally horizontal non-sloped portion 356 as shown, although in other examples, this portion 356 may have a different slope (e.g., a slope that is greater or less than the slope of sloped portion 352) than the slope of sloped portion 352. In other examples, shoulder 340 may have a step (e.g., a downward vertical step) between sloped portion 352 and non-sloped portion 356.

[0037] 4A and 4B, a processing chamber 400 includes a substrate support pedestal 404 with a reduced diameter carrier ring 408 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate support pedestals 404 each include a conductive base plate 412 that supports a ceramic layer 416. A substrate 420 is disposed on the ceramic layer 416. A showerhead 424 is disposed above the substrate support pedestal 404 and provides and distributes process gases into the processing chamber 400 as described above.

[0038] In these examples, the shoulder 440 of the ceramic layer 416 does not slope from the outer diameter 432 of the carrier ring 408 to the outer diameter 428 of the substrate support pedestal 404. Rather, the shoulder 440 of the ceramic layer 416 is generally horizontal. As shown in FIG. 4A, the ceramic layer 416 includes a downward step 444 below and adjacent (e.g., within 4 mm) the outer diameter 432 of the carrier ring 408. The shoulder 440 extends from the step 444 to the outer diameter 428. The step 444 may be larger (i.e., taller) than the steps 244 and 344 described in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. For example, the step 444 may be larger than 50% of the thickness of the ceramic layer 416, which promotes plasma envelopment on the outer diameter 432 of the carrier ring 408 and reduces material buildup on the carrier ring 408. As shown in FIG. 4B, in some embodiments, the shoulder 440 is not sloped and the ceramic layer 416 does not include a step 444 at the outer diameter 432 of the carrier ring 408.

[0039] The above description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses in any way. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Thus, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, other variations will become apparent from a detailed examination of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims, and the true scope of the present disclosure should not be limited thereto. Furthermore, although each embodiment has been described as having specific features, any one or more of these features described in relation to any embodiment of the present disclosure may be included in and / or combined (even if not explicitly stated) with any feature of any other embodiment. That is, the above-described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and one or more embodiments may be substituted for one another within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless expressly stated as "directly," when a relationship between a first element and a second element is described in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship where there are no other intervening elements between the first element and the second element, or an indirect relationship where there are one or more intervening elements (spatial or functional) between the first element and the second element. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logic (A or B or C) with a non-exclusive logical OR, and not to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0041] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system, which may be part of the examples described above. Such systems may include semiconductor processing equipment including one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more processing platforms, and / or specific processing components (such as a wafer pedestal and gas flow systems). These systems may be integrated with electronics to control the operation of the system before, during, and after processing of a semiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to as a "controller" and may control various components or subparts of one or more systems. The controller may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein depending on the processing requirements and / or type of system. These processes may include supply of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow settings, fluid supply settings, position and motion settings, wafer loading and unloading from the tool, and wafer loading and unloading from other transfer tools and / or load locks connected or associated with the particular system.

[0042] Broadly, a controller may be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software to receive instructions, send instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. Integrated circuits may include chips as firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicated to the controller as various individual settings (or program files) that define operational parameters for performing a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or for a system. In some embodiments, the operational parameters may be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to accomplish one or more processing steps in the manufacture of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or wafer dies.

[0043] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer, where the computer is integral to the system, coupled to the system, or otherwise networked with the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may reside on the "cloud" or in all or part of a fab host computer system. This allows remote access of wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the progress of a manufacturing process, examine past manufacturing process history, or examine trends or performance indicators from multiple manufacturing processes, change parameters of a current process, set up a process step following a current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a process recipe may be provided to the system from a remote computer (e.g., a server) over a network, where the network may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that allows for input or programming of parameters and / or settings. These parameters and / or settings are then communicated from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions as data, where the data specifies parameters for each process step to be performed in one or more operations. It should be understood that these parameters may be specific to the type of process being performed and the type of tool the controller is configured to cooperate with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by having one or more individual controllers that are networked together and work toward a common goal, such as the process and control described herein. One example of a distributed controller for such a purpose includes one or more integrated circuits mounted in the chamber that communicate with one or more integrated circuits located remotely (e.g., at the platform level or as part of a remote computer).These integrated circuits work together to control the process in the chamber.

[0044] Non-limiting examples of systems include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a CVD chamber or module, an ALD chamber or module, an Atomic Layer Etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing system related to or usable in the manufacturing and / or production of semiconductor wafers.

[0045] As described above, depending on one or more process steps being performed by the tool, the controller may communicate with one or more of other tool circuits or tool modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, nearby tools, tools located throughout the factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport to and from wafer containers to tool locations and / or load ports within a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

Claims

1. 1. A substrate support for a substrate processing system, comprising: A base plate; a ceramic layer disposed on the base plate and having a first outer diameter; a carrier ring disposed over the ceramic layer and having a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter; the ceramic layer includes a shoulder extending from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter of the carrier ring, the shoulder sloping downwardly toward the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

2. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, the shoulder slopes downwardly from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

3. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, the shoulder portion includes a sloped portion and a non-sloped portion; Substrate support stand.

4. 4. The substrate support according to claim 3, the tapered portion extends from the second outer diameter to the non-tapered portion, and the non-tapered portion extends from the tapered portion to the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

5. 4. The substrate support according to claim 3, the non-tapered portion extends from the second outer diameter to the tapered portion, and the tapered portion extends from the non-tapered portion to the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

6. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, The shoulder is inclined at an angle between 10 degrees and 45 degrees. Substrate support stand.

7. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, The ceramic layer is configured to support a 200 mm substrate. Substrate support stand.

8. 8. The substrate support according to claim 7, an inner diameter of the carrier ring is smaller than a diameter of the substrate; Substrate support stand.

9. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, the ceramic layer includes a downward step adjacent the second outer diameter of the carrier ring. Substrate support stand.

10. 10. The substrate support of claim 9, the shoulder slopes downwardly from the downward step to the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

11. 13. A processing chamber including the substrate support pedestal of claim 1, further comprising a showerhead having a third outer diameter smaller than the second outer diameter. Processing chamber.

12. 12. The processing chamber of claim 11, The third outer diameter is greater than an inner diameter of the carrier ring. Processing chamber.

13. 12. The processing chamber of claim 11, The bottom outer edge of the showerhead is rounded. Processing chamber.

14. 1. A substrate support for a substrate processing system, comprising: A base plate; a ceramic layer disposed on the base plate and having a first outer diameter; a carrier ring disposed over the ceramic layer and having a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter; the ceramic layer includes a shoulder extending from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter of the carrier ring. Substrate support stand.

15. 15. The substrate support of claim 14, the shoulder slopes downwardly from the second outer diameter to the first outer diameter. Substrate support stand.

16. 15. The substrate support of claim 14, the shoulder portion includes a sloped portion and a non-sloped portion; Substrate support stand.

17. 15. The substrate support of claim 14, The ceramic layer is configured to support a 200 mm substrate. Substrate support stand.

18. 20. The substrate support of claim 17, an inner diameter of the carrier ring is smaller than a diameter of the substrate; Substrate support stand.

19. 2. The substrate support of claim 1, the ceramic layer includes a downward step adjacent the second outer diameter of the carrier ring. Substrate support stand.

20. 20. The substrate support of claim 19, the downward step is at least 50% of the thickness of the ceramic layer; Substrate support stand.

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