Disc-Shaped Heater Terminal Collection for Temperature Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disc-shaped ceramic heaters face challenges in evenly distributing temperature across a wafer due to an increasing number of temperature singular points caused by the growing number of resistance heating elements and their terminals, leading to difficulty in temperature equalization.
Innovation Solution
A disc-shaped heater design with a reduced number of terminal collection regions on the bottom surface, where each pair of terminals is connected to a single collection region, reducing temperature singular points and facilitating temperature equalization across the top surface, and a heater-cooling-plate assembly with through holes matching the terminal collection regions to minimize heat extraction differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the number of heating elements is increased to cover more zones, then the heating coverage is improved, but the number of temperature singular points increases making temperature equalization difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple terminal groups are merged into a single terminal collection region. Instead of having separate terminals for each heating element distributed across the base, all terminals are collected and connected through a single region on the bottom surface, reducing the number of temperature singular points while maintaining the ability to control multiple heating zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal connections are moved from the top surface (where heating elements are located) to the bottom surface of the base. This dimensional relocation allows terminals to be collected in a concentrated region without interfering with the top-surface heating zones, thereby reducing temperature singular points on the heating surface.
2Adaptability or versatility
If each heating element has independent terminals, then the control flexibility is improved, but the number of holes in the base increases creating more temperature singular points
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple independent terminal groups are merged into a single terminal collection region on the bottom surface. This consolidation reduces the number of holes needed in the base while maintaining the ability to independently control each heating element through the collected terminals, thus reducing temperature singular points without sacrificing control flexibility.
3Reliability
If terminals are connected through multiple holes in the base, then the connection reliability is improved, but the number of temperature singular points increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple terminal connection paths through separate holes are merged into a single terminal collection region with fewer holes. This reduces the number of temperature singular points created by holes in the base while maintaining reliable electrical connections for all terminals through the consolidated connection region.
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
The design effectively reduces temperature singular points and enhances temperature uniformity across the disc-shaped heater's surface, even with an increased number of heating elements, by minimizing the number of terminal collection regions and optimizing their layout and connection methods.
Implementation Method 1
resistance heating elements are embedded in a ceramic base
Implementation Method 2
a cooling plate that is joined to a bottom surface of the disc-shaped heater
Data Source
AI summary
An electrostatic chuck heater includes a disc-shaped ceramic base and a plurality of heating elements embedded in the ceramic base. A top surface of the electrostatic chuck heater, which serves as a wafer mounting surface, is divided into multiple zones. The heating elements, which each include terminals that are embedded in the ceramic base in the respective zones. Terminal collection regions are provided on a bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck heater. The number of terminal collection regions is smaller than the total number of heating elements. The terminals of each of the heating elements are connected to one of the terminal collection regions through the ceramic base.