Electrostatic Chuck Assembly With Rotatable Backup Threads
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for assembling electrostatic chuck assemblies into vacuum chambers, which involve fastening with bolts or screws, can lead to deterioration of female threads, making assembly and disassembly challenging and reducing the service life of the electrostatic chuck assembly.
Innovation Solution
The electrostatic chuck assembly incorporates a disk-shaped cooling plate with an annular or arcuate internal space and an annular or arcuate internal fixation member that is rotatable within this space. The internal fixation member has multiple female threads that can be exposed through insertion holes on the back surface of the cooling plate, allowing for the sequential exposure of undeteriorated threads when others deteriorate, thereby extending the assembly's service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fastening with bolts or screws is employed to assemble the electrostatic chuck assembly into the vacuum chamber, then the assembly can be securely fixed, but the female threads may deteriorate over time, making assembly and disassembly challenging and reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The internal fixation member is segmented into multiple sets of female threads (first set, second set, third set, etc.) arranged at different angular positions around the central axis. This segmentation allows selective use of different thread sets, enabling the assembly to continue functioning even when some threads deteriorate, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal fixation member is designed to be rotatable relative to the cooling plate within the internal space. This dynamic capability allows the operator to rotate the internal fixation member to expose different sets of female threads through the insertion holes, making it easy to switch from deteriorated threads to functional threads and maintaining ease of operation throughout the service life.
2Reliability
If multiple sets of female threads are provided in the internal fixation member, then the service life is extended through multiplicative increase, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal fixation member serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical fixation through multiple sets of female threads, enables rotational adjustment to access different thread sets, and extends service life through redundant thread configurations. This multi-functionality justifies the increased complexity by delivering significant reliability improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal fixation member is nested within the cooling plate's internal space, with the female threads integrated into the structure of the internal fixation member itself. This nested configuration minimizes the increase in device complexity by utilizing the existing internal space rather than adding separate external components.
3Reliability
If the internal fixation member is made rotatable within the internal space, then undeteriorated threads can be exposed sequentially, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sets of female threads are pre-positioned at specific angular intervals around the central axis during manufacturing. This preliminary arrangement ensures that rotation by a predetermined angle will reliably expose the next set of undeteriorated threads through the insertion holes, maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling service life extension.
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 configuration allows for the multiplicative increase in the service life of the electrostatic chuck assembly by enabling the exposure of undeteriorated female threads, thus maintaining the assembly's functionality even after thread deterioration occurs.
Implementation Method 1
an annular or arcuate internal fixation member that is rotatable within this space
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an electrostatic chuck assembly including: an electrode-embedded ceramic plate; a cooling plate that supports a bottom surface of the ceramic plate and has an internal space of an annular or arcuate shape; an internal fixation member of an annular or arcuate shape accommodated in the internal space so as to be rotatable about a central axis of the cooling plate; female threads in a multiple of n, which is an integer of 2 or more, spaced apart from each other in the internal fixation member; and n insertion holes for insertion of bolts for being fixed to a chamber, the insertion holes each being provided at the bottom of the cooling plate such that one set of n female threads is exposed. Each of the female threads is disposed such that another set of n female threads is exposed in the insertion holes when rotated.