Electrostatic Chuck Cooling Structure for Wafer Edge Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In plasma processing for semiconductor manufacturing, maintaining a uniform temperature, especially in the peripheral areas of substrates, is challenging due to difficulties in temperature control compared to the central areas.
Innovation Solution
An electrostatic chuck with a metal base plate featuring a coolant flow path and a ceramic puck bonded to its surface, where the metal base plate has a protruding portion on its peripheral area to enhance coolant flow and temperature control, is used. This design includes an outer coolant flow path with an expanded area adjacent to the protruding portion to improve temperature control of the substrate's peripheral area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional electrostatic chuck with uniform coolant flow path is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the temperature control precision of the peripheral area is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a protruding portion at the peripheral area of the metal base plate, which causes the coolant flow path to have a larger cross-sectional area in the peripheral region compared to the central region. This local modification allows enhanced coolant flow and heat dissipation specifically where needed (peripheral area), while maintaining a simpler uniform structure in the central area, thus resolving the contradiction between temperature control precision and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant flow path is segmented into different regions with different characteristics: a central region with standard cross-sectional area and a peripheral region with enlarged cross-sectional area due to the protruding portion. This segmentation allows independent optimization of coolant flow in different areas, enabling precise temperature control of the peripheral substrate area without complicating the entire coolant system.
2Temperature
If the coolant flow path area is increased in the peripheral area, then the temperature control of peripheral substrate area is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The metal base plate is designed with local quality variation through the protruding portion that extends upward only in the peripheral area. This creates a localized enlargement of the coolant flow path cross-sectional area at the periphery, allowing improved temperature control in that specific region without adding complexity to the entire base plate structure. The central area maintains its simple, flat structure.
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 electrostatic chuck effectively controls the temperature of the substrate's peripheral area, enhancing the precision and reliability of plasma processing by addressing the challenges of temperature uniformity in semiconductor manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant flow path formed in the metal base plate
Implementation Method 2
a ceramic puck bonded to an upper surface of the metal base plate
Implementation Method 3
an electrostatic chuck configured to support a substrate in a plasma processing apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an electrostatic chuck capable of precisely controlling the temperature of a peripheral area of a substrate and a plasma processing apparatus including the same. The electrostatic chuck configured to support a substrate in a plasma processing apparatus includes a metal base plate in which a coolant flow path formed and a ceramic puck bonded to an upper surface of the metal base plate. A bonded surface of the metal base plate has a protruding portion, and a bonded surface of the ceramic puck has a portion shaped corresponding to the protruding portion. The protruding portion is formed on a peripheral portion of the metal base plate so as to protrude farther upward than a central portion of the metal base plate. An outer coolant flow path adjacent to the protruding portion has an area expanding farther upward than a center-side coolant flow path located at the central portion.