Static electricity dissipation ultrathin conformal coating in semiconductor process tool

Abstract

To provide a robot arm end effector coated with an electric dissipative material; a method for depositing a coating on the surface of the robot arm end effector; and a robot including a robot arm.SOLUTION: A robot arm end effector includes: an end effector main body; three or more contact pads on the end effector; and a coating deposited on the surface of the end effector main body. The coating includes an electric dissipative material; the electric dissipative material provides a dissipation path from the coating to the ground; and the coating has a thickness of approximately 20-approximately 500 nm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to coated semiconductor process tools (such as apparatus for transporting objects within a processing system), electrically dissipative coatings, and methods for depositing such coatings. In particular embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a robotic arm end effector coated with an electrically dissipative material. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacture of electronic devices, substrates (e.g., silicon-containing wafers, silicon-containing plates) may be moved within manufacturing facilities and manufacturing equipment tools by robots. The robots may include a robot arm having one or more end effectors coupled thereto that can contact and support the substrate during such transfer. The end effectors include contact pads thereon that provide elevated contact surfaces on which the substrate is supported. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In certain embodiments, the disclosure may be directed to a coated chamber component, including a chamber component and a coating deposited on a surface of the chamber component. In certain embodiments, the coating may include an electrically dissipative material. The electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and nonporous. The coating may have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm and a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0004] In certain embodiments, this disclosure may be directed to a method including depositing a coating on a surface of a chamber component using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process. The coating may include an electrically dissipative material. The electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and nonporous, with a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0005] In certain embodiments, this disclosure may be directed to an electrically dissipative coating comprising an electrically dissipative material. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and non-porous, with a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0006] In certain embodiments, this disclosure may be directed to an end effector for a robotic arm. The end effector may include an end effector body and a coating deposited on a surface of the end effector body. The coating may include an electrically dissipative material. The electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and non-porous. The coating may have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm. The coating may have a thickness of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0007] In certain embodiments, this disclosure may be directed to a method. The method may include depositing a coating on a surface of an end effector for a robotic arm using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process. The coating may include an electrically dissipative material. The electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and nonporous. The coating may have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm. The coating may have a surface roughness of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1x10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0008] In certain embodiments, this disclosure may be directed to a substrate processing system. The substrate processing system may include a chamber, a robot disposed within the chamber, and a robot arm connected to the robot. The robot arm may include an end effector body, a replaceable contact pad, and a coating. The replaceable contact pad may be disposed on the end effector body. The replaceable contact pad may include a contact pad head having a contact surface configured to contact the substrate, and a shaft coupled to the contact pad head and received within an aperture formed in the body of the end effector and extending into a recess. A coating may be deposited on a surface of the end effector body and a contact surface of the contact pad head. The coating may include an electrically dissipative material. The electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform and conformal.

[0009] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references represent similar elements. It should be noted that in this disclosure, different references to "an" or "one" embodiment are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one embodiment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an example of an end effector including one or more contact pads provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a side view of a coated end effector body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 2A is a partial cross-sectional view along section 2A-2A of FIG. 1 of a portion of an end effector including a replaceable contact pad, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an atomic layer deposition process that may be used to coat an end effector body for a robot arm or another chamber component, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary chamber for a chemical vapor deposition process that may be used to coat an end effector body for a robot arm or another chamber component, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a top schematic view of an electronic device manufacturing apparatus including a transfer robot having an end effector including replaceable contact pads that may be coated in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 shows an EDS line scan of a coating according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B shows a TEM image at a 50 nm scale of the coating depicted in FIG. 7A. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates the electrical surface / sheet resistance of a coating as a function of air pressure, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9A] 1 shows an image of the front surface of an exemplary end effector coated with a coating according to one embodiment. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 1. [Figure 9B]1 shows an image of the underside of an exemplary end effector coated with a coating according to one embodiment. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 1. [Figure 10A] 1 shows an image of the front surface of an exemplary bulk-doped ceramic end effector. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 2. [Figure 10B] 1 shows an image of the backside of an exemplary bulk-doped ceramic end effector. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In the manufacturing process of electronic devices, substrates (e.g., silicon wafers, silicon-containing plates, etc.) configured to produce electronic components (e.g., electronic chips or electronic subcomponents thereof) are moved through multiple manufacturing steps, often by using one or more robots. The robots include end effectors that support the substrate during such movements. Very rapid movement of the substrate can increase throughput and reduce manufacturing costs of the electronic components produced.

[0012] However, the rapid motion of the robot when transporting substrates can also create electrically charged particles that can collect on surfaces, potentially leading to substrate defects. Such substrate defects can be minimized by coating surfaces prone to charging (such as the end effector of a robot arm) with an electrically dissipative coating. The electrically dissipative coating can help bleed charge from the surface, allowing particles to be released from van der Waals forces and redispersed. The electrically dissipative coating supports electrostatic discharge and can avoid arcing and other sudden conductive events between charged chamber component surfaces (e.g., a charged end effector body) and / or the wafer thereon and other system components.

[0013] This disclosure encompasses various embodiments related to electrically-dissipative coatings, methods of depositing such electrically-dissipative coatings, chamber components coated with electrically-dissipative coatings, end effector bodies coated with electrically-dissipative coatings, and substrate processing systems utilizing components (e.g., chamber components and / or substrate handling components (such as end effectors)) coated with such electrically-dissipative coatings. In some embodiments, the electrically-dissipative coating is also a plasma-resistant coating.

[0014] The coating processes described herein can be advantageous and cost-effective because they can utilize bare chamber parts (e.g., end effector bodies), which are more readily available, face fewer manufacturing and yield challenges, have shorter lead times, etc. Furthermore, multiple chamber parts (e.g., end effector bodies) may be coated simultaneously (e.g., by inserting multiple end effector bodies into an ALD, CVD, PEALD, MOCVD, or MBE deposition chamber). The resulting coatings can also be more uniform, more conformal, less porous, stronger, maintain their integrity longer (even under extreme conditions such as vacuum, thermal shock, and thermal cycling), and have a narrower distribution of electrical surface / sheet resistance compared to chamber parts fabricated by other processes (e.g., bulk ceramic doping processes and slurry-based coating processes).

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosure may be directed to a component for transporting a substrate coated with a coating having specific properties. In one embodiment, the component for transporting a substrate may be an end effector for a robot arm. The coating may have electrically dissipative properties and may include an electrically dissipative material to provide a dissipative path from the coating to ground. The coating may be uniform, conformal, and nonporous. The coating may have a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 900 nm (e.g., from about 20 nm to about 500 nm). The coating may have a thickness ranging from about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of ohms / sq.

[0016] The body of the component for transporting a substrate may include an insulator or conductor, such as, but not limited to, ceramic, a conductive material (such as a metal), a polymer, or quartz. In one embodiment, the body of the component for transporting a substrate may include a material suitable for high-temperature processes, such as quartz. Quartz may be suitable for high-temperature processes due to its transparency, which allows radiation to pass through while minimizing thermal effects on the substrate being transported. A coating deposited on a component can preserve some of the properties of the material from which the component is made. For example, the coating may preserve the transparency of the underlying quartz component to maintain minimal thermal effects on the substrate. In certain embodiments, a coating deposited on a component may have certain properties that are independent of the material from which the component is made. For example, the resistive performance of the coating may be independent of the underlying component.

[0017] The coating may be a bilayer stack or a stack of multiple alternating layers. The coating may comprise a variety of materials, selected based on target properties of the final coating (e.g., electrical dissipation properties, transparency, thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, hardness, thermal shock resistance, thermal cycling resistance, vacuum resistance, scratch adhesion, wear rate, purity, roughness, conformality, etc.), among other factors. In certain embodiments, the coating may comprise a stack of alternating layers comprising a first material and a second material. The thickness ratio of the thickness of each layer comprising a first material to the thickness of each layer comprising a second material may range from about 50:1 to about 1:50. In one embodiment, the bilayer stack or alternating layer stack may comprise one or more of alumina and titania. The thickness ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer may range from about 10:1 to about 1:10.

[0018] In certain embodiments, the component for transporting the substrate being coated may be an end effector. The end effector body may include replaceable contact pads thereon to reduce and / or eliminate slippage of the substrate from the surface of the end effector during transport. In one embodiment, the replaceable contact pads, along with the end effector, may be coated with any of the coatings described herein using any of the coating methods described herein. Alternatively, or additionally, the replaceable contact pads may be composed of an electrically dissipative material.

[0019] The coatings described herein may be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes, plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) processes, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) processes, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) processes, and other similar chemical precursor deposition processes. Coatings including two or more layers and / or two or more metals may be deposited through sequential deposition, through co-deposition, or through co-administration of precursors.

[0020] ALD (and optionally CVD, PEALD, MOCVD, and / or MBE) may be the preferred deposition method in this disclosure due to its ability to uniformly and conformally coat parts with complex three-dimensional features, holes, large aspect ratios, etc. Additionally, using these coating processes, multiple bare, uncoated parts (e.g., end effectors) (e.g., bare bulk alumina not doped with titania) may be placed in a deposition chamber and coated simultaneously. Among other factors, inexpensive starting materials, the ability to coat multiple chamber parts simultaneously, and the flexibility and ability to optimize the coating process provide a more cost-effective process and, ultimately, more affordable coated parts.

[0021] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a wafer" includes a single wafer and two or more wafers taken together, reference to "metal" includes a single metal and two or more metals taken together, etc.

[0022] As used herein, the term "about" in connection with a measured quantity refers to normal variation in the measured quantity as would be expected by one of ordinary skill in the art when making the measurement and exercising a level of care commensurate with the purpose of the measurement and the precision of the measuring device. In certain embodiments, the term "about" includes the stated figure ±10%, such as "about 10" including 9 to 11.

[0023] The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually set forth herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "etc.") provided herein is intended merely to facilitate the description of particular materials and methods and is not limiting in scope. No language herein should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed materials and methods.

[0024] As used herein, the term "plasma resistant" means resistant to one or more types of plasma, as well as to the chemicals and radicals associated with one or more types of plasma.

[0025] Certain embodiments are discussed herein with reference to end effectors coated with electrically dissipative coatings. However, it should be understood that the electrically dissipative coatings described in the embodiments herein may also be used to coat other components, such as processing chambers, transfer chambers, factory interface chambers, load locks, load ports, slit valves, etc. Thus, the electrically dissipative coatings described herein can coat any component of an electronic device processing tool or system. Some examples of such components include substrate support assemblies, electrostatic chucks, gas distribution plates, lids, nozzles, liners, rings (e.g., process kit rings or single rings), bases, showerheads, gas lines, liner kits, shields, plasma screens, flow equalizers, cooling bases, chamber viewports, chamber lids, etc.

[0026] FIG. 1 depicts a first exemplary embodiment of a chamber component that can be coated with the electrically dissipative coating described herein. In FIG. 1, the exemplary chamber component is an end effector 100 configured to support a substrate 101 (portion of which is shown in dashed lines). The end effector 100 may be made of an end effector body 102 having a top surface 102T (FIG. 2) and a bottom surface 102B. The top surface 102T may include a planar surface including three spot surfaces that is elevated above an underlying planar surface 102PS of the end effector body 102. The end effector body 102 may be configured at its inner end 104I to be coupled or interconnected to a robot component, such as a robot arm (e.g., see FIG. 6, robot wrist 653). The coupling may involve fasteners (not shown) received through bores 105 to couple the end effector 100 to the robot arm (e.g., wrist 653). The connection may be made directly to the wrist member 653 or may be made through an intermediate component such as a mounting plate 654 (FIG. 6) to reduce cracking of the end effector 100 if the end effector 100 is made from a ceramic or glass material.

[0027] The outer end 104O of the end effector body 102 can include a first fork 107A and a second fork 107B, each of which can be configured to receive and support a contact pad 108 thereon. In some embodiments, the contact pads 108 are constructed from or coated with an electrically dissipative material. The contact pads 108 on the outer end 104O and a third contact pad 108 proximate the inner end 104I can provide a stable three-point contact for supporting the substrate 101 thereon (only a portion of the substrate 101 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The substrate 101 can be supported on the contact pads 108 of the end effector 100 between an inner shelf 109I, which can be an arc-shaped step of approximately the same radius as the substrate 101, and the outer shelf 109O. The spacing between the individual inner and outer shelves 109I, 109O can be slightly larger (e.g., a few mm) than the substrate 101, dimension 111 can be 300 mm in diameter or 450 mm in diameter or a diameter slightly larger than other dimensions of the substrate 101, etc. Other configurations of the end effector body 102 other than those shown can be used. The end effector 102 and / or contact pads 108 may be coated with an electrically dissipative coating in embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a side view of an exemplary end effector body 102, depicting a coating 200 deposited on the bottom surface 102B, top surface 102T, inner shelf 109I, outer shelf 109O, and top surface 102T. The dimensions of the end effector body 102 and coating 200 may not be to scale and are depicted in FIG. 2 for illustrative purposes only. Contact pads 108 are not depicted in FIG. 2. Although coating 200 is described herein as being deposited on the top surface (102T) of the end effector body 102, coating 200 may also be deposited on the top surfaces of other chamber components, even if not explicitly described herein. Exemplary chamber components that may be coated with the electrically dissipative coating 200 may include a transfer chamber, a factory interface chamber, a load lock, a load port, a slit valve, etc.

[0029] The end effector body 102 can be manufactured from a rigid material. In some embodiments, the end effector body 102 can be made from a stable, lightweight material that reduces deformation of the end effector under various chamber processing conditions, including pressure and temperature. Suitable, non-limiting materials for the end effector body 102 include insulating or conductive materials, such as, but not limited to, polymers, glass, quartz, ceramics, and conductive materials (e.g., metallic materials).

[0030] For example, ceramics such as bulk alumina can be used. In some embodiments, suitable ceramics can be semiconductive to facilitate the discharge of electrostatic charges that may build up on the substrate. Other semiconductive ceramic materials include, for example, alumina-SiC composites, SiC, silicon nitride, boron nitride, and boron. In certain embodiments, the coating 200 disclosed herein contributes to the semiconductive properties of the coated end effector body (or any coated chamber component). The semiconductive properties can avoid high conductance that could result in arcing between the coated chamber component (e.g., the end effector) and other system components. Such semiconductive properties can also be achieved by the coating 200, as described in more detail below.

[0031] Optionally, the end effector body 102 may comprise a conductive material such as a metal. Exemplary suitable conductive materials include, but are not limited to, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, copper, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, ruthenium, tungsten, or platinum. Other suitable metals or alloys (e.g., aluminum alloy Al6061) may also be used. A conductive end effector body (or another conductive chamber component) may also be coated with a coating 200 to create the coated end effector body (or another coated chamber component) with electrically dissipative properties, supporting electrostatic discharge and preventing arcing and sudden conductive events between the end effector (or other chamber component) and / or the wafer and / or other system components thereon.

[0032] The term "semiconductive" as used herein is meant to include bulk materials of a particular composition that exhibit semiconductive electrical properties, as well as conductive or non-conductive bulk materials that are considered semiconductive due to, for example, a coating of semiconductive material or other semiconductive electrical pathways, such as wires, layers, ribbons, lines, or other electrical channels, disposed thereon or therein. Similarly, the term "conductive" as used herein is meant to include conductive bulk materials, or semiconductive or non-conductive materials that are considered conductive due to a conductive coating or conductive electrical pathways formed therein or therein.

[0033] In some embodiments, the end effector 100 can be used at temperatures between 150°C and 650°C. In high-temperature thermal processes, there can be significant heat transfer between the end effector and wafer in close proximity. The thermal shock associated with heat transfer from an alumina end effector to a wafer can destroy the wafer. In contrast, the use of a transparent end effector, such as an end effector comprising quartz, does not impart such a dramatic thermal shock. The reduced thermal shock seen with quartz end effectors is believed to be due to the fact that quartz is not as thermally conductive as ceramics (such as alumina) and that quartz's transparency (compared to opaque ceramic materials such as alumina) allows radiation to pass through.

[0034] In certain embodiments, quartz may be used as a material of construction for end effectors used to transport substrates for high temperature thermal processes because quartz casts minimal thermal shadows (in other words, quartz has minimal thermal effect on wafers). Similarly, quartz may be used as a material of construction for other chamber components that benefit from its minimal thermal effect. In such embodiments, the coating may be transparent to preserve the advantageous properties of the quartz end effector, or any other quartz chamber component.

[0035] In certain embodiments, it may be advantageous for the coating to maintain similar properties (e.g., transparency) to those of the material of construction of the underlying component. In other embodiments, it may be advantageous for the coating to be independent of certain properties (e.g., resistance performance) from the material of construction of the underlying component.

[0036] Rapid robot movements can generate particles when transporting substrates. Electrostatic charges and the affinity of particles to collect on charged surfaces (e.g., the charged surface of the end effector body coupled to the robot arm) are believed to be one of the factors contributing to substrate defects. Coating the surface of the end effector body (or another chamber component exhibiting a similar phenomenon) with an electrically dissipative material such as coating 200 may allow charge to be dissipated from the surface of the end effector body (or other chamber component). This allows particles to be freed from van der Waals forces and redispersed. In other words, the electrically dissipative material may provide a dissipation path from the coating to ground. The ability to discharge charge may improve particle performance and substrate defect performance. Additionally, coating 200 and / or pad 108 may provide a dissipation path between the supported wafer and ground. Any residual charge on the wafer supported by end effector 102 may be discharged by passing through pad 108 and / or coating 200.

[0037] Coated end effector bodies (and other coated chamber components) may be fabricated with electrically dissipative material dopants to achieve the dissipative properties described above. However, fabricating doped components by bulk doping or slurry-based coatings can be costly due to a variety of factors, including limited supply, manufacturing and yield issues, and long lead times. Furthermore, doped components can result in brittle coatings with a wide range of electrical surface / sheet resistances distributed across the coating surface. This disclosure achieves the dissipative properties described above by depositing a coating 200 on the top surface of an end effector body (or another chamber component) by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process, some of which are described in further detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. These processes can be advantageous and cost-effective because bare chamber parts (e.g., bare end effector bodies) are more readily available, face fewer manufacturing and yield challenges, have short lead times, etc. Furthermore, multiple chamber parts (e.g., multiple end effector bodies) may be coated simultaneously (e.g., by inserting multiple end effector bodies into an ALD, CVD, PEALD, MOCVD, or MBE deposition chamber). The resulting coatings may also be more uniform across the coating surface, more conformal, less porous, stronger, maintain their integrity longer, and have a narrower distribution of electrical surface / sheet resistance compared to doped chamber parts (e.g., end effectors) or chamber parts (e.g., end effectors) coated by slurry-based coating processes.

[0038] The coating 200 may include an electrically dissipative material. In certain embodiments, the coating 200 may also include a corrosion-resistant material, which may be a plasma corrosion-resistant and / or erosion-resistant material.

[0039] In some embodiments, coating 200 may be a multi-layer coating in which at least one of the layers of the multi-layer coating is an electrically dissipative layer comprising one of the aforementioned electrically dissipative materials, and at least one other layer of the multi-layer coating is a plasma-resistant layer comprising a material that is resistant to plasma.

[0040] In some embodiments, the coating 200 is a multi-layer coating, and at least one layer of the multi-layer coating is made of aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, YAlO 12 , Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution, Y4Al2O9 and compounds containing Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution, HfO2, HfAlO x , HfZrO x , HfYO x , Hf-doped Y2O3, zinc oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, erbium oxide, gadolinium oxide, lanthanum oxide, praseodymium oxide, neodymium oxide, promethium oxide, samarium oxide, europium oxide, terbium oxide, dysprosium oxide, holmium oxide, thulium oxide, ytterbium oxide, or lutetium oxide.

[0041] In some embodiments, the coating 200 is a multi-layer coating, and at least one layer of the multi-layer coating is made of Y2O3 and a Y2O3-based ceramic, Y3Al5O 12 (YAG), Al2O3 (alumina), Y4Al2O9 (YAM), YF3, SiC (silicon carbide), ErAlO3, GdAlO3, NdAlO3, YAlO3, Si3N4 (silicon nitride), AlN (aluminum nitride), TiO2 (titania), ZrO2 (zirconia), TiC (titanium carbide), ZrC (zirconium carbide), TiN (titanium nitride), Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ), Er2O3 and Er2O3 based ceramics, Gd2O3 and Gd2O3 based ceramics, Er3Al5O 12 (EAG), Gd3Al5O 12(GAG), Nd2O3 and Nd2O3-based ceramics, ceramic compounds including Y4Al2O9 and Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solutions, ceramic compounds including Y2O3, Er2O3, ZrO2, Gd2O3 and SiO2, Hf-based oxides and solid solutions, lanthanide-based oxides and solid solutions, or any combination of the above.

[0042] In some embodiments, coating 200 is a multi-layer coating, and at least one layer of the multi-layer coating includes a solid solution formed by any of the aforementioned ceramics. Coating 200 may also include layers that may be multiphase materials, including a solid solution of one or more of the aforementioned materials and one or more additional phases.

[0043] Referring to a Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution, the layer of coating 200 may include Y2O3 in a concentration of 10-90 mole percent (mol %) and ZrO2 in a concentration of 10-90 mol %. In some examples, the Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution may include 10-20 mol% Y2O3 and 80-90 mol% ZrO2, 20-30 mol% Y2O3 and 70-80 mol% ZrO2, 30-40 mol% Y2O3 and 60-70 mol% ZrO2, 40-50 mol% Y2O3 and 50-60 mol% ZrO2, 60-70 mol% Y2O3 and 30-40 mol% ZrO2, 70-80 mol% Y2O3 and 20-30 mol% ZrO2, 80-90 mol% Y2O3 and 10-20 mol% ZrO2, etc.

[0044] Referring to the coating 200 layer including YAlO and YO-ZrO solid solutions, in one embodiment, the ceramic compound includes 62.93 mol % YO, 23.23 mol % ZrO, and 13.94 mol % AlO. In another embodiment, the ceramic compound can include 50-75 mol % YO, 10-30 mol % ZrO, and 10-30 mol % AlO. In another embodiment, the coating 200 can include 40-100 mol % YO, 0.1-60 mol % ZrO, and 0.1-10 mol % AlO. In another embodiment, the coating 200 layer can include 40-60 mol % YO, 35-50 mol % ZrO, and 10-20 mol % AlO. In another embodiment, a layer of coating 200 can include YO in the range of 40-50 mol%, ZrO in the range of 20-40 mol%, and AlO in the range of 20-40 mol%. In another embodiment, a layer of coating 200 can include YO in the range of 80-90 mol%, ZrO in the range of 0.1-20 mol%, and AlO in the range of 10-20 mol%. In another embodiment, a layer of coating 200 can include YO in the range of 60-80 mol%, ZrO in the range of 0.1-10 mol%, and AlO in the range of 20-40 mol%. In another embodiment, a layer of coating 200 can include YO in the range of 40-60 mol%, ZrO in the range of 0.1-20 mol%, and AlO in the range of 30-40 mol%. In other embodiments, other ratios can also be used for one or more layers of coating 200.

[0045] In one embodiment, coating 200 is a multi-layer coating, with at least one layer comprising or consisting of a ceramic compound including a combination of Y2O3, ZrO2, Er2O3, Gd2O3, and SiO2. In one embodiment, a layer of coating 200 can include Y2O3 in the range of 40-45 mol%, ZrO2 in the range of 0-10 mol%, Er2O3 in the range of 35-40 mol%, Gd2O3 in the range of 5-10 mol%, and SiO2 in the range of 5-15 mol%. In a first example, a layer of coating 200 includes 40 mol% Y2O3, 5 mol% ZrO2, 35 mol% Er2O3, 5 mol% Gd2O3, and 15 mol% SiO2. In a second example, the layers of coating 200 include 45 mol% Y2O3, 5 mol% ZrO2, 35 mol% Er2O3, 10 mol% Gd2O3, and 5 mol% SiO2. In a third example, the layers of coating 200 include 40 mol% Y2O3, 5 mol% ZrO2, 40 mol% Er2O3, 7 mol% Gd2O3, and 8 mol% SiO2.

[0046] Any of the aforementioned coating materials may contain trace amounts of other materials, such as ZrO2, Al2O3, SiO2, B2O3, Er2O3, Nd2O3, Nb2O5, CeO2, Sm2O3, Yb2O3, or other oxides.

[0047] In some embodiments, as discussed above, the coating 200 may include a stack of alternating layers including a first material and a second material. The layers including the first material may include a single metal or a metal alloy. Exemplary metals or metal alloys that can be used for the layers including the first material may include metals or metal alloys whose oxides are commonly used as ceramics in bulk. In some embodiments, the layers including the first material may include one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, or Si. The layers including the second material may be a resistivity modifier, such as, but not limited to, one or more of a transition metal, a rare earth, a main group metal, a semiconductor, or an alloy thereof. In some embodiments, the layers including the second material may include one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe-Co, or La-Ta.

[0048] In some embodiments, the layer including the first material and the layer including the second material may independently be an oxide, hydroxide, nitride, carbide, or metallic (i.e., little or no oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, or carbon). In one embodiment, the layer including the first material and the layer including the second material may both be in oxide, hydroxide, nitride, carbide, or metallic form. In another embodiment, the layer including the first material may have a different morphology than the layer including the second material. For example, the layer including the first material may be aluminum hydroxide (e.g., AlO 2.99 H 0.01 ), and the layer comprising the second material may be metallic Ti, TiN, SiC, metallic Al, etc.

[0049] In some embodiments, the layer including the first material can have a first target thickness, and the layer including the second material can have a second target thickness. The ratio of the first target thickness to the second target thickness can be in the range of about 50:1 to about 1:50, about 30:1 to about 1:30, about 20:1 to about 1:20, about 10:1 to about 1:10, about 10:1 to about 1:1, about 8:1 to about 1:1, about 5:1 to about 1:1, about 10:1 to about 2:1, about 8:1 to about 2:1, about 5:1 to about 2:1, or about 5:2 to about 1:1.

[0050] In one embodiment, coating 200 can be alumina. In one embodiment, coating 200 can be titania. In one embodiment, coating 200 can be a combination of alumina and titania, such as an alternating alumina-titania stack. In one embodiment, the electrically dissipative material is a stack of alternating layers of alumina and titania, where the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer in the stack ranges from about 10:1 to about 1:10. For example, the thickness ratio can be from about 8:1 to about 1:1, from about 5:1 to about 1:1, from about 10:1 to about 2:1, from about 8:1 to about 2:1, from about 5:1 to about 2:1, or from about 5:2 to about 1:1. In one embodiment, the electrically dissipative material can be a stack of alumina and metallic titanium, or a stack of aluminum hydroxide and metallic titanium, or the like.

[0051] For example, FIG. 7A depicts an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) line scan of a coating comprising a stack of alternating layers of alumina and titania, and FIG. 7B depicts a transmission electron microscope (TEM) image at a 50 nm scale of the coating depicted in FIG. 7A. In FIG. 7A, the atomic % of oxygen is depicted by graphical representation 730, the atomic % of aluminum is depicted by graphical representation 720, and the atomic % of titanium is depicted by graphical representation 710. FIG. 7A illustrates that the electrically dissipative coating comprises well-separated alternating layers of alumina and titania, evidenced in part by the wavy graphical representations 710 and 720 in the 30 nm to 130 nm range. The electrically dissipative coating depicted in FIGS. 7A and 7B comprises well-separated layers, with each alumina (AlO x ) layer has a thickness of about 5 nm, and each titania (TiO y The SiO2 layer has a thickness of approximately 2 nm. The ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer can be evidenced by the atomic percentage of aluminum compared to the atomic percentage of titanium in the EDS line scan of Figure 7A. The entire electrically dissipative coating has a thickness of approximately 100 nm. The electrically dissipative coating was deposited on the bulk alumina surface, as evidenced in the 140 nm to 280 nm range in the EDS line scan of Figure 7A.

[0052] The coating 200 may be crystalline or amorphous and may uniformly and conformally cover the chamber component (e.g., the end effector body) and any features thereon (such as the contact pads 102) with a substantially uniform thickness. In one embodiment, the coating 200 has conformal coverage of the underlying surface (including the coated surface features) coated with a uniform thickness that varies less than about ±20%, less than about ±10%, less than about ±5%, or even less when comparing the thickness of the coating at one location with the thickness of the coating at another different location (or when evaluating the standard deviation obtained from multiple thicknesses evaluated at multiple locations). The TEM image in FIG. 7B of an electrically dissipative coating according to an embodiment illustrates a coating of uniform thickness across the depicted surface.

[0053] Coating 200 may also have a substantially uniform electrical surface / sheet resistance, or in other words, a narrow distribution of electrical surface / sheet resistance across the surface of the coating. In some embodiments, coating 200 has a uniform electrical surface / sheet resistance that varies by less than about ±35%, less than about ±30%, less than about ±25%, less than about ±20%, less than about ±10%, less than about ±5%, or even less than about ±5% when comparing the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating at one location to the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating at another different location (or when evaluating the standard deviation obtained from multiple surface / sheet resistances evaluated at multiple locations).

[0054] 9A and 9B depict images of the front and back, respectively, of an exemplary end effector coated with a coating according to one embodiment. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 1 below. TIFF2025121899000002.tif172170

[0055] For comparison, Figures 10A and 10B depict front and back images, respectively, of an exemplary bulk-doped ceramic end effector. The sheet resistance values measured at each of the identified locations are summarized in Table 2 below. TIFF2025121899000003.tif177170

[0056] The standard deviations in Tables 1 and 2 are an indication of the uniformity of sheet resistance values at various locations on an end effector. The standard deviations in Table 2 indicate significant non-uniformity in sheet resistance across the surface of a bulk-doped ceramic end effector. By comparison, coating the end effector according to embodiments described herein improves the uniformity of sheet resistance across the surface of the end effector. This can be evidenced by the small standard deviations in Table 1 and the narrow distribution of electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coated surface.

[0057] Because the deposition processes described herein (ALD, CVD, PEALD, MOCVD, MBE) are highly conformal processes, the coating 200 can have a roughness that matches the roughness of the underlying surface being coated. In certain embodiments, the coating 200 can have a surface roughness that is within ±20% or less, ±10% or less, or ±5% or less compared to the surface roughness of the underlying surface being coated. The coatings described herein can be advantageous for parts with high aspect ratios (e.g., aspect ratios of about 3:1 to about 300:1, 20:1, 50:1, 100:1, 150:1, etc.), complex geometries, and three-dimensional structures because they uniformly and conformally coat the surface of the part, including all intricate features thereon.

[0058] For example, according to one embodiment, a 50 nm thick alumina-titania (ratio of each alumina layer thickness to each titania layer thickness is 5 nm:2 nm) has an electrical surface / sheet resistance of about 1.6×10 7Surface micrographs (not shown) of samples coated with the nanolaminate (according to ASTM D-257 method) showed that the coating was conformal, thin, crack-free, and conformed to the surface roughness of the underlying alumina substrate.

[0059] This was further supported by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images (not shown) of the top surface of an undoped bare alumina substrate and an alumina substrate coated with a nanolaminate. The roughness of the undoped bare alumina substrate was measured to be 51±13 microinches. The roughness of the nanolaminate coated alumina substrate was measured to be 49±6 microinches. The roughness measurements and two SEM images showed that the coating according to embodiments described herein, at a thickness of 200 nm, retained the features and roughness of the underlying substrate. This data indicates that the mechanical properties and features of the underlying substrate were retained at the submicron scale by the thin conformal coating described herein.

[0060] Coating 200 may be very dense and have very low porosity compared to other deposition techniques (such as e-beam IAD or plasma spray). For example, coating 200 may have a porosity of less than about 1.5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.5%, or about 0% (i.e., non-porous). As used herein, the term "non-porous" means the absence of any holes, pinholes, voids, or cracks throughout the entire depth of coating 200 as measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In contrast, with conventional e-beam IAD or plasma spray techniques or doping or slurry-based coatings, porosity may be 1-5%, and in some cases much higher. The TEM image in FIG. 7B of an electrically dissipative coating according to one embodiment illustrates the dense and low-porosity nature of the coating.

[0061] The end effector body 102 (or other chamber components) may be coated with a coating 200 comprising a corrosion-resistant material to withstand treatment with a corrosive plasma. Non-limiting examples of corrosive treatment gases include halogen-containing gases such as C2F6, SF6, SiCl4, HBr, NF3, CF4, CHF3, CH2F3, F, Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, and SiF4, among others, as well as other gases such as O2 or N2O.

[0062] The plasma resistance of the coating 200 can be measured by its "etch rate" (ER), which may have units of angstroms per minute (Å / min), throughout the operation of the coated part and the duration of exposure to the plasma. Plasma resistance may also be measured by its erosion rate, which has units of nanometers per radio frequency hour (nm / RFHr), where 1 RFHr represents 1 hour of treatment under the plasma treatment conditions. Measurements can be taken after various treatment times. For example, measurements can be taken before treatment, after 50 treatment hours, after 150 treatment hours, after 200 treatment hours, etc. For halogen plasmas, erosion rates of less than about 100 nm / RFHr are typical for corrosion-resistant coatings. Variation in the composition of the coating 200 deposited on the end effector body (or other chamber component) can result in different plasma resistance or erosion rate values. Additionally, a corrosion-resistant coating 200 of one composition exposed to various plasmas may have different plasma resistance or erosion rate values. For example, coating 200 may have a first plasma resistance or erosion rate for a first type of plasma and a second plasma resistance or erosion rate for a second type of plasma.

[0063] The electrical surface / sheet resistance of coating 200 is approximately 1×10, as measured using a surface / sheet resistance measurement system (such as a Prostat PRS-801 with Probe PRF-912) according to ASTM D-257 method. 4 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 12 Ω / sq., approximately 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×1011 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 11 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 10 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 9 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 8 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 7 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 6 Ω / sq., about 1×10 4 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 5 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 10 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 9 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 8 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 7 Ω / sq., about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 6 Ω / sq., about 1×10 6 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 11 Ω / sq., about 1×10 6 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 10 Ω / sq., about 1×10 6 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 9 Ω / sq., about 1×10 6 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 8 Ω / sq., about 1×10 6 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 7 Ω / sq., about 1×10 7 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 11 Ω / sq., about 1×10 7 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 10 Ω / sq., about 1×10 7 Ω / sq.~about 1×10 9 Ω / sq., about 1×10 7Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 8 Ω / sq., approximately 1×10 10 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 12 Ω / sq., approximately 1×10 10 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 It may be in the Ω / sq. range, or any other electrical surface / sheet resistance between these ranges.

[0064] In certain embodiments, the electrical surface / sheet resistance of coating 200 may remain unchanged after thermal cycling at temperatures ranging from about 150° C. to about 800° C., from about 200° C. to about 750° C., from about 300° C. to about 700° C., from about 400° C. to about 600° C., or at about 500° C. In certain embodiments, after thermal cycling, coating 200 may have an electrical surface / sheet resistance within about ±35%, within about ±30%, within about ±25%, within about ±20%, within about ±10%, or within about ±5% compared to the electrical surface / sheet resistance of coating 200 before thermal cycling.

[0065] In an embodiment in which coating 200 comprises a 100 nm thick nanolaminate coating of alumina and titania on silicon (the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer is about 5:2, and the coating was deposited using ALD at 200° C.), the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the as-deposited coating is about 9.53×10 6 After subjecting the coating to thermal cycling, the coating resistance was approximately 3.90×10 6 The thermal conductivity was Ω / sq. The coating was subjected to five thermal cycles in air at 400°C, each cycle lasting 1 hour. Specifically, the coating was subjected to the following thermal cycle profile: a) increasing the temperature from 30°C to approximately 400°C at a rate of 10°C / min, b) holding the coating at 400°C for approximately 1 hour, c) decreasing the temperature to 60°C, d) repeating the cycle from a) to c) four more times, and e) finally decreasing the temperature to 30°C.

[0066] The coating 200 may be resistant to thermal shock. Resistance to thermal shock can be assessed by comparing the number of cracks and electrical surface / sheet resistance of an as-deposited coating to the number of cracks and electrical surface / sheet resistance of a coating exposed to a thermal shock. The coating can be exposed to a thermal shock by exposing the coating to 200°C on a hot plate for about 10 minutes, then immersing the heated coating in cold water, followed by air drying. After the thermal shock, a coating that is resistant to thermal shock can have an electrical surface / sheet resistance within about ±35%, about ±30%, about ±25%, about ±20%, about ±10%, or about ±5% of the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating before the thermal shock. A thermal shock resistant coating can be a coating that is crack-free before the thermal shock and remains crack-free after exposure to the thermal shock.

[0067] For example, a 100-nm-thick nanolaminate coating with a 5:3 nm AlO:TiO ratio (i.e., a 5:3 ratio of alumina layer thickness to titania layer thickness) was deposited on a quartz coupon without an intermediate buffer layer between the quartz coupon and the coating. The as-deposited sheet resistance of this exemplary coating was 5.7 (±1.2) × E6 Ω / square. After subjecting the coated coupon to a 200°C shock test, the coating's sheet resistance was 7.3 (±1) × E6 Ω / square. This data demonstrates that the resistive performance of the illustrated coating was independent of the resistive performance of the underlying component (i.e., the substrate, which in this example was a quartz coupon). This data also demonstrates that the coating maintained its electrical surface / sheet resistance after the thermal shock within at least ±35% of the coating's electrical surface / sheet resistance before the thermal shock.

[0068] In an embodiment in which coating 200 comprises a 50 nm thick nanolaminate coating of alumina and titania (the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer is about 5:2), the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the as-deposited coating is about 1.6×10 7 After the coating was subjected to a heat treatment at 200°C, the coating resistance was about 1.90 x 10 Ω / sq., measured according to ASTM D-257 method. 8 It was Ω / sq.

[0069] Coating 200 may be vacuum-resistant. Vacuum resistance can be assessed by comparing the electrical sheet resistance of coating 200 outside a vacuum to that inside a vacuum. In a vacuum, a vacuum-resistant coating may have an electrical sheet resistance within about ±35%, about ±30%, about ±25%, about ±20%, about ±10%, or about ±5% of the electrical sheet resistance of the preceding coating outside a vacuum. In an embodiment where coating 200 comprises an alumina and titania nanolaminate coating (the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer is about 5:2, and the coating was deposited at 200° C.), the electrical sheet resistance of the coating in a vacuum at 298 K (or 500 K) is within about ±20% of the electrical sheet resistance of the coating outside a vacuum at 298 K (or 500 K), as can be seen in FIG. 8 .

[0070] Coating 200 is approximately 500 kg / mm 2 ~Approx. 1000kg / mm 2 , approximately 600 kg / mm 2 ~approx. 900kg / mm 2 , or approximately 700 kg / mm 2 ~approx. 800 kg / mm 2 The coating 200 may have a Vickers hardness in the range of about 100 GPa to about 300 GPa, about 120 GPa to about 250 GPa, or about 150 GPa to about 200 GPa.

[0071] In an embodiment where coating 200 comprises a nanolaminate coating of alumina and titania on silicon (the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer is 5:2, and the coating was deposited at 200° C.), the Vickers hardness value is about 791.88±50.55 kg / mm 2 The hardness and indentation rate are approximately 168.74±7.42 GPa. Hardness and indentation rate can be measured using a nanohardness tester at a temperature of approximately 21-23°C, with maximum forces of approximately 0.5 mN, 1.0 mN, 2.0 mN, and 5.0 mN, a loading time of approximately 15 seconds, an unloading time of approximately 15 seconds, and a rest time of approximately 10 seconds, with a Poisson's ratio of approximately 0.2 and an indenter ID of Berkovich Diamond.

[0072] In comparison, the Vickers hardness value of 100 nm alumina deposited by ALD at 120 °C is approximately 510 kg / mm 2 and the Vickers hardness value of 100 nm titania deposited by ALD at 120 °C is approximately 127 kg / mm 2 For α-alumina minerals, the Vickers hardness is approximately 1365 kg / mm 2 The elastic modulus is about 370 GPa. For anatase titania minerals, the Vickers hardness is about 980 kg / mm 2 and the elastic modulus is approximately 230 to 290 GPa.

[0073] Coating 200 may have a compositional purity of about 90% to about 100%, about 95% to about 99.9%, about 97% to about 99.8%, about 99% to about 99.7%, or about 99.5%, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

[0074] Suitable thicknesses for coating 200 can range from about 1 nm to 1000 nm. In embodiments, the coating can have a maximum thickness of about 750 nm, about 500 nm, about 400 nm, about 300 nm, about 250 nm, about 200 nm, about 150 nm, about 100 nm, 50 nm, 30 nm, 20 nm, or another maximum thickness. In embodiments, coating 200 can have a minimum thickness of 5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm, 25 nm, 35 nm, 50 nm, 100 nm, 150 nm, or another minimum thickness.

[0075] Referring back to FIG. 1 , the end effector 100 may include three contact pads 108. However, other embodiments may include other numbers of contact pads 108. The contact pads 108 may be included on the end effector body to minimize substrate sliding on the end effector body during transfer. To reduce substrate sliding, certain end effectors include integrally machined contact pads. The integrally machined contact pads may have dome-shaped contact surfaces with surface characteristics that contact and support the substrate and further reduce the tendency for sliding. Each integrally machined contact pad may have a machined contact surface with a particular dome-shaped profile and surface roughness, which can reduce the likelihood of substrate sliding on that contact pad. In some cases, wear on the contact pads of an integrally machined end effector and their contamination with silicon particles / dust can increase the tendency for the substrate to slide on the contact pads, thus limiting the useful life of the end effector. To prevent the substrate from sliding, the entire end effector may be replaced periodically. In some embodiments, the coating 200 covers the contact pads 180. In some embodiments, the contact pads 180 are constructed from an electrically dissipative material.

[0076] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide replaceable contact pads that can be quickly replaced and replaced as they wear. Thus, the overall ongoing cost of providing a low-sliding end effector can be dramatically reduced. An exemplary replaceable contact pad that can be disposed on the end effector body 102 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0077] As depicted in FIG. 3 , the bottom surface 102B of the end effector body 102 may include a recess 214 formed therein. The recess 214 may be circular and may extend from the bottom surface 102B to a depth HR into the end effector body 102. An aperture 215 may be formed in the end effector body 102 and may extend between the top surface 102T and the recess 214. The recess 214 may have, for example, a recess diameter DR of about 5 mm to about 10 mm and a recess height HR of about 1.1 mm to about 2.0 mm. The aperture 215 may have, for example, an aperture diameter DA of about 2.8 mm to about 4.8 mm and an aperture height HA of about 0.85 mm to about 1.1 mm. Other diameters, heights, and depths may be used. Each may be larger for use with a 450 mm diameter substrate.

[0078] The contact pad 108 may include a contact pad head 208H having a contact surface 210 that may be configured to contact the substrate 101. The contact surface 210 may include a dome-like shape. The contact surface 210 may have a surface roughness of about 45 μin Ra to about 65 μin Ra, as measured using a surface meter (such as a Surfcorder SE-2300 instrument conforming to JIS standards). The contact pad head 208H may have, for example, a contact pad height HP of about 1.0 mm to about 2.0 mm. The contact pad head 208H may have, for example, a contact pad diameter DP of 6.0 mm to 12.0 mm. Other suitable contact surface dimensions, shapes, radii, and surface roughnesses may be used.

[0079] The contact pad 108 may further include a shaft 212 coupled to the contact pad head 208H, and the shaft 212 may be received in the aperture 215. The contact pad head 208H and the shaft 212 may be integrally formed as one piece. The shaft 212 may further extend a certain distance from the underside 213 of the contact pad head 208H into the recess 214. The shaft 212 may include a shaft indent 216 formed therein. The shaft 212 should not extend below the bottom surface 102B of the end effector body 102 so as not to interfere with the placement of the substrate. The shaft indent 216 may be provided in the form of a groove and may be formed in the shaft 212 at a location between the underside 213 of the contact pad head 208H and the shaft end 212E of the shaft 212.

[0080] The axial indent 216 may include a surface contour having an arcuate bottom. A circular fastening member 218 may be received about the axial 212 and seated within the axial indent 216 to secure the contact pad 108 to the end effector body 102. When the circular fastening member 218 seats in the axial indent 216, the circular fastening member 218 contacts the seating surface 214S of the recess 214 and also at least a portion of the axial indent 216. In the depicted embodiment, the circular fastening member 218 includes an O-ring that is pressed against the seating surface 214S in an as-installed state. The O-rings may be made from elastomeric materials such as perfluoroelastomers available as KALREZ® from DUPONT PERFORMANCE ELASTOMERS, copolymers of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) and vinylidene fluoride (VDF or VF2) available as VITON® from The Chemours Company, and other suitable high temperature elastomers. Elastomeric O-rings can be used up to about 316°C.

[0081] Interchangeable contact pad 108 arrangements other than those shown may be used. For example, interchangeable contact pads configured for use at elevated temperatures, such as from about 250° C. to about 650° C., or greater than about 320° C., may be used. In alternative embodiments, the axial indents 216 may vary (e.g., in shape, and / or size, and / or location), the securing members 218 may vary (e.g., in shape, and / or size, and / or location, and / or material of construction), any of the dimensions of any portion of the contact pad may vary, the material of construction of the contact pad may vary, etc.

[0082] In certain embodiments, the contact pads 108 may be made of, include, or consist of any of the materials of construction listed above for the end effector body. For example, in some embodiments, the contact pads 108 may include glass, quartz, ceramic, or a conductive material (such as a metallic material). Exemplary ceramics may include bulk alumina, alumina-SiC composite, SiC, silicon nitride, boron nitride, and boron. Exemplary conductive materials may include stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, copper, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, ruthenium, tungsten, platinum, or other suitable metals or alloys (e.g., aluminum alloy Al6061).

[0083] The coating described above with respect to FIG. 2 can be deposited on the top surface of the end effector body (such as end effector body 102) and on the contact surfaces of the contact pad heads (such as 208H) of the contact pads deposited on the end effector body.

[0084] 4 depicts one embodiment of a deposition process by an ALD technique for depositing a coating on an article such as a chamber part (e.g., an end effector body, with or without contact pads). One or more chamber parts (e.g., one or more end effectors) to be coated with any of the coatings described herein can be placed in a controlled temperature-pressure deposition chamber prior to the initiation of a selected deposition process, such as ALD, CVD, PEALD, MOCVD, MBE, etc.

[0085] There are many different types of ALD processes, and the specific type can be chosen based on several factors, including the surface to be coated, the coating material, and the chemical interaction between the surface and the coating material. The general principle of the various ALD processes involves growing a thin film layer by repeatedly exposing the surface to be coated to pulses of gaseous chemical precursors that react chemically with the surface in a self-limiting manner.

[0086] FIG. 4 illustrates an article 110 having a surface. The article 110 can represent a chamber component (such as an end effector body similar to the end effector body 102 depicted in FIG. 1). In ALD, either the adsorption of a precursor onto a surface or the reaction of the adsorbed precursor with a reactant can be referred to as a "half-reaction." During the first half-reaction, a precursor 160 containing a first material (such as a metal-containing precursor) is injected / pulsed onto the surface of the article 110 for a period of time sufficient to fully adsorb the precursor onto the surface. The adsorption is self-limiting because the precursor adsorbs onto a finite number of available sites on the surface, forming a uniform, conformal, and continuous adsorbed layer 114 on the surface. Any sites that have already adsorbed a precursor become unavailable for further adsorption with the same precursor unless and / or until the adsorbed sites are subjected to a process that forms new available sites on the surface in a uniform, conformal, and continuous coating. Exemplary treatments may be plasma treatments, treatments by exposing the adsorbed layer to radicals, or the introduction of different precursors capable of reacting with the last layer adsorbed on the surface.

[0087] In some embodiments, two or more precursors are injected / pulsed together, simultaneously or sequentially, and adsorbed onto the surface of the article. Excess precursor is pumped / purged with an inert gas. A first reactant 165 (e.g., an oxygen-containing oxidation / hydroxylation reactant, a nitrogen-containing reactant, a carbon-containing reactant, etc.) is then injected / pulsed and reacts with the adsorbed layer 114 to form a layer 116 comprising a first material (e.g., a first metal oxide layer or a multi-metal oxide layer). The layer 116 comprising a first material can be uniform, continuous, conformal, and have low porosity. In some embodiments, the layer 116 can have a thickness of less than one atomic layer to a few atoms after a single ALD deposition cycle.

[0088] Multiple full ALD deposition cycles can be implemented to deposit thicker layer 116, with each full cycle (e.g., including introducing precursor 160, flushing / purging, introducing reactant 165, and flushing / purging again) adding an additional few atoms to several atoms in thickness. As shown, up to n full cycles can be performed to grow layer 116 until a first target thickness is achieved, where n is an integer value greater than 1. In embodiments, layer 116 can have a first target thickness of about 5 angstroms to about 100 angstroms, about 10 angstroms to about 80 angstroms, or about 20 angstroms to about 50 angstroms. In some embodiments, the first target thickness may be in the range of about 1 nm to about 1000 nm, about 20 nm to about 500 nm, about 20 nm to about 400 nm, about 20 nm to about 300 nm, about 20 nm to about 200 nm, about 20 nm to about 100 nm, about 50 nm to about 100 nm, or about 20 nm to about 50 nm.

[0089] Next, the article 110 having the layer 116 including the first material may be introduced to an additional precursor, such as a precursor 170 including a second material (e.g., a second metal-containing precursor), for a second duration to form a third half-reaction and / or until a second adsorbed layer 118 is formed. The article 110 may then be introduced to a second reactant 175 to react with the adsorbed layer 118 to form a fourth half-reaction and / or to grow a layer 120 including the second material. The layer 120 may be uniform, continuous, conformal, and have low porosity. The layer 120 may have a thickness of less than one atom to a few atoms (e.g., 2-3 atoms) after one complete cycle (e.g., including introducing the precursor 170, flushing / purging, introducing the reactant 175, and flushing / purging again). Multiple cycles may be implemented to deposit a thicker layer 120, with each cycle adding an additional few atoms to a few atoms in thickness. As shown, the complete cycle is repeated m times to cause layer 120 to have a second target thickness, where m is an integer value greater than 1. In embodiments, layer 120 may have a second target thickness of about 1 Angstrom to about 50 Angstroms, about 5 Angstroms to about 30 Angstroms, or about 10 Angstroms to about 20 Angstroms. In some embodiments, the second target thickness may be in the range of about 1 nm to about 1000 nm, about 20 nm to about 500 nm, about 20 nm to about 400 nm, about 20 nm to about 300 nm, about 20 nm to about 200 nm, about 20 nm to about 100 nm, about 50 nm to about 100 nm, or about 20 nm to about 50 nm.

[0090] The complete ALD deposition cycle can be repeated z times until the total target thickness for the coating is achieved. The number of cycles z can be expressed by a fraction or integer having a value greater than 1 (e.g., 2 to 50, 5 to 30, 7 to 17, and any other number, or range of numbers within these ranges). The total target thickness can range from about 1 nm to about 1000 nm, about 20 nm to about 500 nm, about 20 nm to about 400 nm, about 20 nm to about 300 nm, about 20 nm to about 200 nm, about 20 nm to about 100 nm, about 50 nm to about 100 nm, or about 20 nm to about 50 nm. The final coating can include a stack of alternating layers 116 including a first material and layers 120 including a second material.

[0091] The process described herein above for forming a stack of alternating layers may also be referred to herein as sequential deposition. Other ALD sequences, such as co-deposition or co-dosing, may also be used herein (e.g., co-injecting multiple metal-containing precursors or sequentially injecting multiple metal-containing precursors prior to introducing reactants into the ALD deposition chamber).

[0092] After the stack of alternating layers is formed, an annealing process may be performed to diffuse the alternating layers of different materials into one another, in some embodiments forming a composite coating having a single crystalline / amorphous phase or multiple crystalline / amorphous phases (e.g., a composite oxide, composite hydroxide, composite nitride, composite carbide, etc.). After the annealing process, the stack of alternating layers can become a single interdiffused coating layer (not shown in FIG. 4). For example, if the layers of the stack are YO, AlO, and ZrO, the resulting single interdiffused coating layer can be a ceramic compound including YAlO and a YO-ZrO solid solution.

[0093] The ratio of n cycles (for depositing layer 116 including the first material) to m cycles (for depositing layer 120 including the second material) can be designated as n:m. n:m can correspond to the ratio of the first target thickness of each layer 116 to the second target thickness of each layer 120. n:m can also correspond to the composition ratio of the first material to the second material in coating 200.

[0094] In one embodiment, coating 200 may be deposited on top surface 102T of the end effector body (or top surface of other chamber components) using an ALD process such as that described in FIG. 4. Coating 200 may include an electrically dissipative material that is a stack (which may also be referred to herein as a nanolaminate) of alternating nanolayers 116 and 120. The ratio of the thickness of each nanolayer 116 to the thickness of each nanolayer 120 in the stack may be in the range of about 50:1 to about 1:50, about 30:1 to about 1:30, about 20:1 to about 1:20, about 10:1 to about 1:10, about 10:1 to about 1:1, about 8:1 to about 1:1, about 5:1 to about 1:1, about 10:1 to about 2:1, about 8:1 to about 2:1, about 5:1 to about 2:1, or about 5:2 to about 1:1.

[0095] The first target thickness of the layer including the first material and the second target thickness of the layer including the second material may be different from one deposition cycle to another. For example, one layer including the first material may be 5 nm thick and another layer including the first material may be 7 nm thick. Similarly, one layer including the second material may be 2 nm thick and another layer including the second material may be 3 nm thick.

[0096] The deposition process temperature may correspond to the reactant composition in the coating 200. In other words, the deposition process temperature may determine the amount of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, etc., in the coating 200. ALD processes can be performed at various temperatures depending on the type of process. The optimal temperature range for a particular ALD process is referred to as the "ALD temperature window." Temperatures below the ALD temperature window may result in poor growth rates and non-ALD-type deposition. Temperatures above the ALD temperature window may result in reactions being overtaken by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) mechanisms. The ALD temperature window may range from about 80°C to about 500°C, from about 100°C to about 400°C. In some embodiments, the ALD temperature window is between about 100°C and 300°C, or is about 200°C.

[0097] The electrostatic dissipation of a chamber part (such as an end effector body) coated with coating 200 can be a function of the electrical surface resistance (or sheet resistance) of coating 200. The electrical surface / sheet resistance of coating 200 can be a function of the coating's composition (e.g., n:m ratio and reactant composition / components) and the coating's thickness (determined by the number of complete ALD cycles, i.e., z-value). For example, a 50 nm thick alumina-titania nanolaminate with an alumina to titania layer thickness ratio of 5 nm:2 nm, all measured according to the ASTM D-257 method, has a surface resistance of approximately 1.6×10 7 A 100 nm thick alumina-titania nanolaminate with an electrical sheet resistance of Ω / sq. and a ratio of alumina to titania layer thickness of 5 nm:2 nm has a resistance of approximately 9.4 × 10 6 A 100 nm thick alumina-titania nanolaminate with an electrical surface / sheet resistance of Ω / sq. and a ratio of alumina to titania layer thickness of 5 nm:1 nm has a surface / sheet resistance of approximately 7.5 × 10 7 The film had an electrical sheet resistance of Ω / sq.

[0098] As can be appreciated from the ALD processes described hereinabove, the coating 200 can be formed using an atomically precise, layer-by-layer approach to create a nanolaminate with a composition and thickness that can be controlled in the sub-nanometer range.

[0099] In one embodiment, layer 116 may be alumina and layer 120 may be titania. Exemplary aluminum-containing precursors that may be used to deposit an alumina layer include, but are not limited to, trimethylaluminum (TMA), diethylaluminum ethoxide, tris(ethylmethylamido)aluminum, aluminum sec-butoxide, aluminum tribromide, aluminum trichloride, triethylaluminum (TEA), triisobutylaluminum, trimethylaluminum, or tris(diethylamido)aluminum.

[0100] Exemplary titanium-containing precursors that can be used to deposit the titania layer include, but are not limited to, tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium, tetrakis(ethylmethylamido)titanium, titanium tetrachloride, titanium ethoxide, titanium isopropoxide, methylcyclopentadienyl titanium isopropoxide, titanium dimethylaminoethoxide isopropoxide variants, tris(dimethylamido)ethylcyclopentadienyl titanium, cycloheptatrienylcyclopentadienyl titanium, tris(methoxy)cyclopentadienyl titanium.

[0101] Depending on the composition of the coating 200, other metal-containing precursors may be used.

[0102] Yttrium-based coatings may be deposited by ALD using yttrium-containing precursors such as, but not limited to, tris(N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)amido)yttrium(III), yttrium(III) butoxide, tris(cyclopentadienyl)yttrium(III), and Y(thd)3 (thd=2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate).

[0103] Zirconium-based coatings may be deposited by ALD using zirconium-containing precursors such as, but not limited to, zirconium(IV) bromide, zirconium(IV) chloride, zirconium(IV) tert-butoxide, tetrakis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV), tetrakis(dimethylamido)zirconium(IV), or tetrakis(ethylmethylamido)zirconium(IV).

[0104] Hafnium-based coatings may be deposited by ALD using hafnium-containing precursors such as, but not limited to, HfCl4, TEMAHf, TDMAHf, HfCp variants, and ZrCp variants.

[0105] Erbium-based coatings may be deposited by ALD using erbium-containing precursors such as, but not limited to, tris-methylcyclopentadienyl erbium(III) (Er(MeCp)), erbium borane amide (Er(BA)), Er(TMHD), erbium(III) tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), and tris(butylcyclopentadienyl)erbium(III).

[0106] Exemplary oxidizing reactants that can be used in ALD processes include, but are not limited to, oxygen, oxygen radicals, water, ozone, alcohol reactants, etc. Other exemplary reactants that can be used in ALD processes to form electrically-dissipative layer stacks include, but are not limited to, reducing agents (H, H plasma, organometallic reagents such as aluminum hydride derivatives, silanes), nitriding agents (ammonia, amines, N), carburizing agents (alkanes), etc.

[0107] In some embodiments, coating 200 may be deposited on a surface of a chamber component (e.g., an end effector body, with or without contact pads) by a CVD process. An exemplary CVD system is illustrated in FIG. 5. The system includes a chemical vapor precursor delivery system 505 and a CVD reactor 510. The role of vapor precursor delivery system 505 is to generate vapor precursor 520 from starting material 515, which may be in solid, liquid, or gas form. The vapor may then be transported into CVD reactor 510 and deposited as coating 525 and / or 545 on a surface of article 530 (such as top surface 102T of the end effector body), which may be positioned on article holder 535.

[0108] The coating depicted in Figure 5 includes two layers, layer 525 and layer 545. While two layers are merely illustrated with respect to the CVD process, one skilled in the art will understand that multilayer coatings (such as stacks of two or more alternating layers) are also contemplated herein with respect to the CVD process. Multilayer coatings including stacks of alternating layers of alumina and titania deposited by CVD are contemplated herein in certain embodiments.

[0109] The CVD reactor 510 heats the article 530 to a deposition temperature using a heater 540. In some embodiments, the heater may heat the walls of the CVD reactor (also known as a "hot-wall reactor"), which may transfer heat to the article. In other embodiments, the walls of the CVD reactor may remain cool, and only the article may be heated (also known as a "cold-wall reactor"). It should be understood that the configuration of the CVD system is not to be construed as limiting. A variety of equipment is available for CVD systems, and the equipment is selected to provide optimal processing conditions that can provide a coating with uniform thickness, surface morphology, structure, and composition.

[0110] Various CVD techniques involve the following phases: (1) generating active gaseous reactant species (also known as "precursors") from starting materials; (2) delivering the precursors to a reaction chamber (also called a "reactor"); (3) absorbing the precursors onto a heated article; (4) engaging in a chemical reaction between the precursors and the article at the gas-solid boundary to form deposits and gaseous by-products; and (5) removing the gaseous by-products and unreacted gaseous precursors from the reaction chamber.

[0111] Suitable CVD precursors may be stable at room temperature, may have a low vaporization temperature, produce a stable vapor at low temperatures, have a suitable deposition rate (slow for thin film coatings, fast for thick film coatings), have relatively low toxicity, are cost-effective, and can be relatively pure. In some CVD reactions, such as pyrolysis reactions (also known as "thermal decomposition") or disproportionation reactions, the chemical precursor alone may be sufficient to complete the deposition.

[0112] CVD has many advantages, including its ability to deposit dense, pure coatings and to produce uniform films with good reproducibility and adhesion at reasonably fast deposition rates. In embodiments, layers deposited using CVD may have porosity less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or be non-porous (e.g., 0% porosity). Therefore, it can be used to uniformly coat parts with complex shapes and deposit conformal films with good conformal coverage (e.g., substantially uniform thickness). CVD can also be used to deposit films made from multiple components, for example, by feeding multiple chemical precursors into a mixing chamber at predetermined rates and then feeding the mixture into a CVD reactor system.

[0113] The CVD processes contemplated herein may utilize some of the precursors listed above for the ALD processes contemplated herein.

[0114] In certain embodiments, it may be preferable to deposit coating 200 using an ALD process rather than a CVD process.

[0115] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an electronic device processing tool 600 including a transfer robot 650 having an end effector 100 supporting a substrate 101 (shown in dotted lines for illustrative purposes), the substrate 101 being supported on contact pads (integral or replaceable). The end effector 100 (with or without contact pads deposited thereon) may be coated with an electrically dissipative material using an ALD, CVD, PEALD, or MBE process as described herein. The electronic device processing tool 600 may include multiple processing chambers 655 (shown in dotted lines) coupled to a transfer chamber 648. The transfer chamber 648 may house a transfer chamber (TC) robot 650. The TC robot 650 may have a first arm 651, a second arm 652, and a third arm 653 (e.g., a robot wrist). The end effector 100 is coupled to the third arm 653 via a mounting plate 654 or the like. The end effector 100 is capable of contacting and supporting a substrate 101 thereon (eg, a semiconductor wafer, a glass plate, etc.).

[0116] The transfer chamber 648 of the processing tool 600 may be connected to a factory interface 662 via one or more load lock chambers 656. The factory interface 662 may house a factory interface (FI) robot 661. The FI robot 661 may include an end effector (not shown, but substantially identical to the end effector 100) that can have replaceable contact pads 108 as described herein and that can be coated with an electrically dissipative material using an ALD or CVD process as described herein.

[0117] The substrate carrier 664 may be removably connected to the front wall of the factory interface 662, and the substrates 101 therein may be moved between the substrate carrier 664 and one or more load lock chambers 656 by the FI robot 661.

[0118] The processing tool 100 may be coupled to a controller 665. The controller 665 may control the movement of the substrate 101 and its processing. The controller 665 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), support circuits, and memory. In operation, the TC robot 650 operates under commands from the controller 665 to, for example, move the substrate 101 between various processing chambers 655 and load lock chambers 656 or between different processing chambers 655.

[0119] As the manufacturing process progresses, the FI robot 661 and the TC robot 650 can operate simultaneously to move the substrate 101 between the substrate carrier 664 and the processing chamber 655. Various electronic device assembly processes, such as semiconductor device manufacturing processes, such as oxidation, thin film deposition, etching, heat treatment, degassing, and cooling, can be performed in the processing chamber 655.

[0120] While the TC chamber robot 650 is described as having an end effector coated with an electrically dissipative coating, the FI robot 661 may additionally or alternatively include an end effector with an electrically dissipative coating.

[0121] In a first embodiment, a coated chamber component includes a chamber component and a coating deposited on a surface of the chamber component, the coating including an electrically dissipative material, the electrically dissipative material providing a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating having a thickness in the range of about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and the coating having a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11Coated chamber components are described, including a coating having an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the ohm / sq. range.

[0122] In a second embodiment, a coated chamber component of the first embodiment is described, wherein the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating remains unchanged after being subjected to thermal cycling at temperatures ranging from about 300°C to about 700°C.

[0123] In a third embodiment, the coated chamber component of the first embodiment is described, wherein the coating has a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 900 nm.

[0124] In a fourth embodiment, the coated chamber part of the first embodiment is described, wherein the chamber part comprises a conductive material, a ceramic, a polymer, or quartz.

[0125] In a fifth embodiment, the coating has a resistance of about 500 kg / mm 2 ~Approx. 1000kg / mm 2 A first embodiment of a coated chamber component is described having a Vickers hardness in the range of .

[0126] In a sixth embodiment, a coated chamber part of the first embodiment is described, wherein the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

[0127] In a seventh embodiment, the coated chamber component of the first embodiment is described, wherein the electrically dissipative material comprises a stack of alternating layers comprising a first material and layers comprising a second material.

[0128] In an eighth embodiment, the coated chamber component of the seventh embodiment is described, wherein the layer comprising the first material comprises a metal or metal alloy comprising one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, Si.

[0129] In a ninth embodiment, the coated chamber part of the seventh embodiment is described, wherein the layer comprising the second material comprises a transition metal, a rare earth, a main group metal, a semiconductor, or an alloy thereof.

[0130] In a tenth embodiment, the coated chamber part of the ninth embodiment is described, wherein the layer comprising the second material comprises one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe—Co, La—Ta.

[0131] In an eleventh embodiment, the coated chamber part of the seventh embodiment is described, wherein the ratio of the thickness of each layer comprising a first material to the thickness of each layer comprising a second material in the alternating stack is in the range of about 50:1 to about 1:50.

[0132] In a twelfth embodiment, the coated chamber part of the first embodiment is described, wherein the coating is resistant to corrosive plasma.

[0133] In a thirteenth embodiment, a method includes depositing a coating on a surface of a chamber component using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process, wherein the coating includes an electrically dissipative material, the electrically dissipative material providing a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and nonporous, the coating having a thickness in a range from about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and the coating having a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 A method is described that has an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the Ω / sq. range.

[0134] In a fourteenth embodiment, depositing a coating using an ALD process includes injecting a precursor including a first material into a deposition chamber including a chamber component to adsorb the precursor including the first material on a surface of the chamber component to form a first half-reaction; injecting a first reactant into the deposition chamber to form a second half-reaction; repeating the injecting of the precursor including the first material and the injecting of the first reactant one or more times until a first target thickness of a layer including the first material of the coating is achieved; and injecting a precursor including a second material into the deposition chamber to adsorb the precursor including the first material on a surface of the chamber component to form a second half-reaction. A thirteenth embodiment method is described that includes: injecting a precursor comprising a second material into the deposition chamber to adsorb the layer comprising the first material to form a third half-reaction; injecting a second reactant into the deposition chamber to form a fourth half-reaction; performing a deposition cycle that includes repeating the injecting of the precursor comprising the second material and the injecting of the second reactant one or more times until a second target thickness of the layer comprising the second material of the coating is achieved; and repeating the deposition cycle one or more times until a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm is achieved.

[0135] In a fifteenth embodiment, the method of the thirteenth embodiment is described, wherein the ratio of the first target thickness to the second target thickness ranges from about 50:1 to about 1:50.

[0136] In a sixteenth embodiment, the method of the thirteenth embodiment is described, wherein the first target thickness and the second target thickness may be different from one deposition cycle to another.

[0137] In a seventeenth embodiment, the coating is about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 A thirteenth embodiment method is described in which the coating has an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of Ω / sq., and the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

[0138] In an eighteenth embodiment, the method of the thirteenth embodiment is described, wherein the layer comprising the first material comprises a metal or metal alloy including one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, Si, and the layer comprising the second material comprises one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe-Co, La-Ta.

[0139] In a nineteenth embodiment, an electrically dissipative coating comprising an electrically dissipative material, wherein the coating is uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating has a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and the coating has a surface roughness of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 Electrically dissipative coatings are described that have electrical surface / sheet resistances in the ohm / sq. range.

[0140] In a twentieth embodiment, the electrically dissipative material comprises a stack of alternating layers comprising a first material and layers comprising a second material, wherein the layers comprising the first material comprise a metal or metal alloy including one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, Si, and the layers comprising the second material comprise one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe-Co, La-Ta, and the coating has a resistance of about 500 kg / mm 2 ~Approx. 1000kg / mm 2 A nineteenth embodiment of an electrically dissipative coating is described, wherein the coating has a Vickers hardness in the range of 0.05 to 0.15, and the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

[0141] In a twenty-first embodiment, an end effector for a robotic arm includes an end effector body and a coating deposited on a surface of the end effector body, the coating including an electrically dissipative material, the electrically dissipative material providing a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating having a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and the coating having a surface roughness of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 and a coating having an electrical resistivity in the range of ohms / sq.

[0142] In a twenty-second embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, wherein the electrical resistance of the coating remains unchanged after being subjected to thermal cycling at temperatures ranging from about 300°C to about 700°C.

[0143] In a twenty-third embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, wherein the coating has a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

[0144] In a twenty-fourth embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, wherein the end effector body comprises a conductive material, ceramic, or quartz.

[0145] In a twenty-fifth embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-fourth embodiment is described, wherein the end effector body comprises a conductive material that is a metal.

[0146] In a twenty-sixth embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, wherein the end effector body comprises a ceramic that is bulk alumina.

[0147] In a twenty-seventh embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-sixth embodiment is described, wherein the electrically dissipative material comprises an electrically conductive material, alumina, titania, or a combination thereof.

[0148] In a twenty-eighth embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-seventh embodiment is described, wherein the electrically dissipative material comprises alternating stacks of alumina and titania.

[0149] In a twenty-ninth embodiment, the method of the twenty-eighth embodiment is described, wherein in the stack of alternating alumina and titania, the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer ranges from about 10:1 to about 1:1.

[0150] In a thirtieth embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-fourth embodiment is described, wherein the end effector body comprises quartz and the coating is transparent.

[0151] In a thirty-first embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, wherein the coating is resistant to corrosive plasma.

[0152] In a thirty-second embodiment, the end effector of the twenty-first embodiment is described, further including a replaceable contact pad disposed on the end effector body, the replaceable contact pad including a contact pad head having a contact surface configured to contact a substrate, and a shaft coupled to the contact pad head, received within an opening formed in the body of the end effector, and extending into the recess.

[0153] In a thirty-third embodiment, the end effector of the thirty-second embodiment is described, wherein a coating is deposited on a surface of the end effector body and on a contact surface of the contact pad head.

[0154] In a thirty-fourth embodiment, a method includes depositing a coating on a surface of an end effector for a robotic arm using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process or a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, the coating including an electrically dissipative material, the electrically dissipative material providing a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating having a thickness in a range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and the coating having a surface area of about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 A method is described in which the electrical resistance is in the range of Ω / sq.

[0155] In a thirty-fifth embodiment, depositing a coating using an ALD process includes injecting a precursor including a first material into a deposition chamber including the end effector body to adsorb the precursor including the first material on a surface of the end effector body to form a first half-reaction; injecting a first reactant into the deposition chamber to form a second half-reaction; repeating injecting the precursor including the first material and injecting the first reactant one or more times until a first target thickness of a layer including the first material of the coating is achieved; and injecting a precursor including a second material into the deposition chamber to adsorb the precursor including the first material on a surface of the end effector body to form a second half-reaction. A method of a thirty-fourth embodiment is described that includes injecting a precursor comprising a second material into the deposition chamber to adsorb the layer comprising the first material to form a third half-reaction; injecting a second reactant into the deposition chamber to form a fourth half-reaction; performing a deposition cycle that includes repeating injecting the precursor comprising the second material and injecting the second reactant one or more times until a second target thickness of the layer comprising the second material of the coating is achieved; and repeating the deposition cycle one or more times until a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm is achieved.

[0156] In a thirty-sixth embodiment, the method of the thirty-fifth embodiment is described, wherein the coating comprises a stack of alternating alumina and titania, the precursor comprising the first material is an aluminum-containing precursor comprising at least one of trimethylaluminum (TMA), diethylaluminum ethoxide, tris(ethylmethylamido)aluminum, aluminum sec-butoxide, aluminum tribromide, aluminum trichloride, triethylaluminum (TEA), triisobutylaluminum, trimethylaluminum, or tris(diethylamido)aluminum, the precursor comprising the second material is a titanium-containing precursor comprising at least one of tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium, and the first reactant and the second reactant independently comprise at least one of water, ozone, alcohol, and oxygen.

[0157] In a thirty-seventh embodiment, the method of the thirty-sixth embodiment is described, wherein in the stack of alternating alumina and titania, the ratio of the thickness of each alumina layer to the thickness of each titania layer is in the range of about 10:1 to about 1:1.

[0158] In a thirty-eighth embodiment, a substrate processing system is described, comprising: a chamber; a robot disposed in the chamber; and a robot arm connected to the robot, the robot arm comprising: an end effector body; and a replaceable contact pad disposed on the end effector body, the replaceable contact pad comprising: a contact pad head having a contact surface configured to contact a substrate, the replaceable contact pad coupled to the contact pad head and received in an aperture formed in the body of the end effector and including a shaft extending into the recess; and a coating deposited on a surface of the end effector body and the contact surface of the contact pad head, the coating comprising an electrically dissipative material, wherein the electrically dissipative material provides a dissipative path from the coating to ground, and the coating is uniform and conformal.

[0159] In a thirty-ninth embodiment, the end effector body comprises a conductive material, ceramic, or quartz, and the coating is about 1×10 5 Ω / sq.~approx. 1×10 11 A thirty-eighth embodiment of a substrate processing system is described, wherein the coating has an electrical resistivity in the range of Ω / sq., the coating has a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and the coating is non-porous.

[0160] In a fortieth embodiment, the substrate processing system of the thirty-eighth embodiment is described, wherein the end effector body comprises bulk alumina and the electrically dissipative material comprises a stack of alternating alumina and titania.

[0161] In the foregoing description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as particular materials, dimensions, process parameters, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The words “example” or “exemplary” are used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the words “example” or “exemplary” is merely intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. As used in this disclosure, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless stated otherwise or clear from the context, “X includes A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X includes A, if X includes B, or if X includes both A and B, then “X includes A or B” is satisfied under any of the aforementioned cases. References throughout this specification to "an embodiment," "a particular embodiment," or "one embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "an embodiment," "a particular embodiment," or "one embodiment" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0162] The present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A coated chamber part comprising: a chamber component; a coating deposited on a surface of the chamber component, the coating comprising an electrically dissipative material, the electrically dissipative material providing a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating having a thickness in the range of about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and the coating having a surface area of about 1×10 ５ Ω / sq. ~Approx. 1×10 １１ coatings having electrical surface / sheet resistances in the range of Ω / sq. A coated chamber part comprising:

2. 10. The coated chamber part of claim 1, wherein the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating remains unchanged after thermal cycling at temperatures ranging from about 300.degree. C. to about 700.degree.

3. The coated chamber part of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 900 nm.

4. The coated chamber part of claim 1 , wherein the chamber part comprises a conductive material, a ceramic, a polymer, or quartz.

5. The coating has a resistance of about 500 kg / mm ２ ~Approx. 1000kg / mm ２ The coated chamber component of claim 1 having a Vickers hardness in the range of .mu.m.

6. 10. The coated chamber part of claim 1, wherein the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

7. The coated chamber component of claim 1 , wherein the electrically dissipative material comprises a stack of alternating layers comprising a first material and a second material.

8. 8. The coated chamber part of claim 7, wherein the layer comprising a first material comprises a metal or metal alloy comprising one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, Si.

9. The coated chamber part of claim 7 , wherein the layer comprising a second material comprises a transition metal, a rare earth, a main group metal, a semiconductor, or an alloy thereof.

10. 10. The coated chamber part of claim 9, wherein the layer comprising a second material comprises one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe—Co, La—Ta.

11. 8. The coated chamber part of claim 7, wherein in the alternating stack, the ratio of the thickness of each layer comprising a first material to the thickness of each layer comprising a second material ranges from about 50:1 to about 1:

50.

12. The coated chamber part of claim 1 , wherein the coating is resistant to corrosive plasma.

13. 1. A method comprising: Depositing a coating on a surface of a chamber component using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process, a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, or a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process, wherein the coating comprises an electrically dissipative material. Including, The electrically dissipative material provides a dissipative path from the coating to ground, the coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, the coating having a thickness in the range of about 10 nm to about 900 nm, and the coating having a thickness of about 1×10 ５ Ω / sq. ~Approx. 1×10 １１ Ω / sq. range of electrical surface / sheet resistance.

14. depositing the coating using the ALD process; injecting a precursor comprising a first material into a deposition chamber comprising the chamber component to cause the precursor comprising the first material to adsorb onto the surface of the chamber component to form a first half-reaction; injecting a first reactant into the deposition chamber to form a second half-reaction; repeating the injecting of the precursor comprising the first material and the injecting of the first reactant one or more times until a first target thickness of a layer comprising the first material of the coating is achieved; injecting a precursor comprising a second material into the deposition chamber to cause the precursor comprising the second material to adsorb onto the layer comprising the first material to form a third half-reaction; injecting a second reactant into the deposition chamber to form a fourth half-reaction; repeating the injecting of the precursor comprising the second material and the injecting of the second reactant one or more times until a second target thickness of the layer comprising the second material of the coating is achieved; performing a deposition cycle comprising: repeating the deposition cycle one or more times until a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm is achieved. Including, The method of claim 13.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ratio of the first target thickness to the second target thickness ranges from about 50:1 to about 1:

50.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first target thickness and the second target thickness may be different from one deposition cycle to another.

17. The coating is about 1×10 ５ Ω / sq. ~Approx. 1×10 １１ 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the coating has an electrical surface / sheet resistance in the range of Ω / sq., and the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

18. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the layer comprising a first material comprises a metal or metal alloy including one or more of Al, Zr, Y-Zr, Mg-Al, Ca-Al, Si, and the layer comprising a second material comprises one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe-Co, La-Ta.

19. 1. An electrically dissipative coating comprising an electrically dissipative material, said coating being uniform, conformal, and non-porous, said coating having a thickness in the range of about 20 nm to about 500 nm, and said coating having a surface roughness of about 1×10 ５ Ω / sq. ~Approx. 1×10 １１ Electrically dissipative coatings having electrical surface / sheet resistances in the range of Ω / sq.

20. the electrically dissipative material comprises a stack of alternating layers comprising a first material and a second material; the layer comprising the first material comprises a metal or metal alloy comprising one or more of Al, Zr, Y—Zr, Mg—Al, Ca—Al, and Si; the layer comprising a second material comprises one or more of Ti, Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, V, Y, Nb, In, Sn, Fe—Co, La—Ta; The coating has a resistance of about 500 kg / mm ２ ~Approx. 1000kg / mm ２ and has a Vickers hardness in the range of 20. The electrically dissipative coating of claim 19, wherein the electrical surface / sheet resistance of the coating is uniform as evidenced by a variation in electrical surface / sheet resistance across the coating of less than about ±35%.

Images