Electrostatic Chuck Mesa Coating for Wear-Resistant Refurbishment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrostatic chucks (ESCs) in semiconductor manufacturing experience wear and non-uniform mesa degradation, leading to variations in chucking force and temperature, resulting in substrate defects and increased manufacturing costs due to reduced yield and frequent refurbishment needs.
Innovation Solution
The method involves polishing and refurbishing the ESCs with deposited mesas comprising an adhesion layer, transition layer, and a coating layer with a hardness of at least 14 GPa, which reduces wear and extends the ESC's operational time between refurbishments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the standard refurbishment process removes mesas and 5-50 microns of dielectric material to recreate mesas, then the ESC can be refurbished, but the dielectric material becomes thinner allowing only a couple of refurbishments before high voltage punch through occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter by using a coating layer with hardness of at least 14 GPa (such as diamond-like carbon or cubic boron nitride) instead of traditional mesa materials. This extreme hardness reduces wear during substrate processing, allowing the ESC to withstand multiple refurbishment cycles without the dielectric layer becoming too thin, thereby preventing high voltage punch through while maintaining refurbishment capability.
2Reliability
If mesas are used to support substrate and allow backside gas flow, then thermal conductivity is controlled, but mesas wear down over time causing non-uniform wear and variation in chucking force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure where the mesa comprises multiple layers: an adhesion layer, a transition layer, and a coating layer with extreme hardness (at least 14 GPa). This composite material structure combines the benefits of thermal conductivity control through gas flow channels with enhanced wear resistance, preventing non-uniform wear and maintaining chucking force uniformity across the substrate surface.
3Manufacturing precision
If frequent ESC replacement is performed to maintain processing quality, then substrate defect rate is reduced, but processing chamber downtime increases and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wear resistance parameter by implementing a coating layer with hardness of at least 14 GPa on the mesa structure. This extreme hardness dramatically reduces wear during substrate processing, allowing the ESC to maintain processing quality and chucking force uniformity over extended periods, thereby reducing the frequency of ESC replacements and increasing processing chamber yield.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard mesa material is used on ESC, then manufacturing is simple, but wear from substrate processing reduces operational time between refurbishments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite mesa structure with an adhesion layer, transition layer, and a hard coating layer (at least 14 GPa hardness). While this multi-layer composite requires more complex manufacturing than simple monolithic mesas, the extreme hardness of the coating layer dramatically extends operational time between refurbishments by resisting wear from substrate processing, ultimately providing better long-term value.
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 decreases downtime and operating costs by reducing the frequency of ESC replacements and enhancing the yield of semiconductor processing chambers through improved durability and uniformity of the chucking force.
Implementation Method 1
depositing an adhesion layer on the polished surface of the body
Implementation Method 2
depositing a transition layer over the adhesion layer
Implementation Method 3
depositing a coating layer over the transition layer. The coating layer has a hardness of at least 14 GPa
Implementation Method 4
chucking electrode or electrodes within an ESC are driven within one or more voltages to generate a chucking force to hold a substrate to a surface of the ESC. The chucking force is a function of the potential between a voltage provided to the chucking electrode and the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A body of an electrostatic chuck comprises mesas disposed on a polished surface of the body. Each of the mesas comprises an adhesion layer disposed on the polished surface of the body, a transition layer disposed over the adhesion layer, and a coating layer disposed over the transition layer. The coating layer has a hardness of at least 14 GPa. The body further comprises a sidewall coating disposed over a sidewall of the body. A method for preparing the body comprises polishing the surface of the body and cleaning the polished surface. The method further comprises depositing the mesas by depositing the adhesion layer on the body, the transition layer over the adhesion layer, and the coating layer over the transition layer. Further, the method includes, polishing the mesas.