Electrostatic Puck Trench Electrode Layout for Uniform Clamping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrostatic chucks (E-pucks) manufactured with embedded electrodes exhibit thickness non-uniformities, cracks, and pores, leading to inconsistent electrostatic forces and thermal profile issues during semiconductor processing.
Innovation Solution
A method involving forming trenches in a ceramic substrate, depositing an electrode material within these trenches, removing excess material to form a flat electrode, and securing an upper substrate without hot pressing, ensuring the electrode is coplanar with the surface and embedded within the ceramic substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screen printing method is used to form electrode, then manufacturing process is simple, but electrode thickness uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Trenches are formed in the ceramic substrate before electrode deposition. This preliminary structuring confines the electrode material within defined boundaries, ensuring uniform thickness and preventing lateral spreading during deposition, thereby resolving the thickness uniformity issue while maintaining process simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional screen printing method is replaced with a deposition process into pre-formed trenches. This substitution eliminates the mechanical variability of screen printing by using a more controlled deposition method within confined geometric structures, achieving better thickness control
2Strength
If hot pressing is used to secure substrates, then bonding strength is improved, but thermal profile uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding process parameters are changed by eliminating hot pressing entirely. Instead, substrates are secured through alternative methods (such as mechanical clamping or low-temperature bonding) that do not subject the entire assembly to high temperatures, thereby maintaining bonding strength while preserving thermal profile uniformity during subsequent operation
3Reliability
If sintering process is used to form ceramic structure, then ceramic density is improved, but electrode properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct stages: ceramic substrate formation through sintering, followed by trench formation, and finally electrode deposition. This segmentation allows the ceramic to be fully sintered for optimal density before the electrode is added, preventing the sintering process from degrading electrode properties since the electrode is introduced after sintering is complete
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 results in a uniform electrode thickness and improved electrostatic force, reducing dishing and enhancing the thermal stability of the E-puck, thereby improving semiconductor processing consistency.
Implementation Method 1
depositing an electrode material onto the upper surface of the lower substrate and into the at least one trench
Implementation Method 2
an electrostatic force is generated between an external electrode, e.g., the semiconductor wafer, and the electrode embedded inside the E-puck
Data Source
Figure 1~2C
Figure 2D~2J
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A method of constructing an E-puck includes forming at least one trench into a lower substrate, depositing an electrode material onto the lower substrate and into the at least one trench, removing excess electrode material from the lower substrate to leave the electrode material within the at least one trench to form an electrode, and forming a dielectric on the lower substrate and the electrode such that the electrode is between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. Forming the at least one trench into the lower substrate forms at least one standoff portion adjacent to the at least one trench and the at least one standoff portion reduces dishing of the electrode material during removal of the excess electrode material from the lower substrate.