Ceramic Cooling Base With Internal Channels for Thermal Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor fabrication, there is a need for precise and efficient substrate processing as integrated circuits scale to smaller features and increased aspect ratios, particularly in maintaining thermal uniformity and reducing material mismatch and contamination during substrate processing.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing techniques to create substrate supports with a cooling base made from the same ceramic material as the electrostatic chuck, incorporating cooling channels, conductive zones, and thermal isolation structures, bonded with a metallic material to ensure thermal matching and reduce contamination, while allowing for complex geometries and internal features that traditional methods cannot achieve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional manufacturing methods are used to create substrate supports, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but thermal control precision and material matching are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling base and electrostatic chuck are merged into a single monolithic ceramic component manufactured via additive manufacturing. This integration eliminates the need for separate bonding processes and ensures perfect thermal matching between components, directly resolving the contradiction by achieving superior thermal control precision through unified material composition while the additive manufacturing process handles the complexity automatically
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from traditional subtractive or assembly methods to additive manufacturing with controlled internal cooling channels. This parameter change enables precise thermal control by embedding cooling pathways directly within the ceramic structure, achieving the required thermal precision while the additive process manages the manufacturing complexity
2Ease of manufacture
If different materials are used for cooling base and electrostatic chuck, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but CTE mismatch and contamination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling base and electrostatic chuck are made from the same ceramic material with identical coefficients of thermal expansion. This homogeneity eliminates CTE mismatch between components and prevents contamination at material interfaces, directly addressing the harmful factors while the additive manufacturing process provides the flexibility to manufacture this homogeneous structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite ceramic structure with integrated cooling channels, where the base material and structural features are unified. This composite approach maintains material homogeneity to prevent CTE mismatch while the additive manufacturing process provides the flexibility typically associated with multiple material selections
3Manufacturing precision
If complex internal features are added to cooling base, then thermal control capability is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adds internal cooling channels and thermal isolation structures within the three-dimensional volume of the ceramic body. This dimensional approach to thermal control embeds cooling pathways throughout the structure, achieving superior thermal management capability while additive manufacturing handles the complexity of creating these internal features without increasing manufacturing difficulty
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances thermal control, reduces material costs, and extends the lifespan of substrate supports by enabling precise temperature control, minimizing CTE mismatch, and reducing contamination, thereby improving processing accuracy and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
one or more cooling channels embedded within the cooling base and configured to facilitate refrigerant flow within the cooling base
Implementation Method 2
bonded with a metallic material to ensure thermal matching
Implementation Method 3
one or more thermal isolation structures integrally formed within the cooling base and oriented to control thermal uniformity across the cooling base
Data Source
AI summary
Substrate supports and related components including additive manufacturing processes are disclosed. One substrate support assembly includes an electrostatic chuck; and a cooling base having a first surface that is bonded to a first surface of the electrostatic chuck with a metallic bonding material, the cooling base comprising: a ceramic body having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially the same as the electrostatic chuck; one or more cooling channels formed within the ceramic body; and one or more conductive zones extending through the ceramic body from the first surface to a second surface on an opposite side of the cooling base.