Sub-micron Metallization Uniformity on Green Sheet Ceramic

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing screen printing methods for forming electrostatic chuck (ESC) components on green sheet ceramic lack the precision and uniformity required for semiconductor processing, leading to inconsistent thermal and electrical environments, which affects the quality and yield of microelectronic devices.

Innovation Solution

A method employing precision screen printing with sub-micron uniformity, utilizing a motorized actuator and encoder to control the squeegee gap and parallelism, and a symmetric ink printing technique to align the screen mask and squeegee with the heater trace center, ensuring consistent ink thickness and resistivity across the ESC puck.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional screen printing methods are used to form metallization materials on green sheet ceramic, then the manufacturing process is simple and fast, but the printing uniformity and dimensional precision are insufficient (greater than sub-micron variation)

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting uniformityVSAvoidprinting system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by mapping the printer bed at multiple locations before actual printing to identify non-uniformities. This pre-characterization of the printer bed allows the system to compensate for manufacturing variations through software correction, achieving sub-micron printing uniformity without requiring extremely precise mechanical hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by using the mapped printer bed data to modify the printer controller and compensate for non-uniformities in real-time during printing. The system continuously monitors and adjusts printing parameters based on the characterized bed variations, maintaining consistent metallization material thickness across the green sheet ceramic surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If conventional screen printing is used, then the process is easy to operate, but the thermal and electrical environment consistency is poor, affecting circuit quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal and electrical environment consistencyVSAvoidprinting process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical precision requirements with computational compensation. Instead of relying on mechanically perfect printer beds and squeegees, the system uses digital mapping and software-based correction to achieve consistent metallization material deposition, thereby ensuring reliable thermal and electrical environments in the final ESC components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes printing parameters dynamically based on the mapped printer bed characteristics. By adjusting deposition parameters according to location-specific non-uniformities identified during mapping, the system maintains consistent material properties across the entire printing area, ensuring reliable thermal and electrical performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If high precision screen printing with mapping and compensation is implemented, then sub-micron printing uniformity is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesub-micron printing uniformityVSAvoidmanufacturing cycle time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the time-consuming bed mapping operation once as a preliminary action, storing the characterization data for reuse. This initial investment in mapping time enables rapid compensation during subsequent printing operations, achieving sub-micron uniformity without repeating the full measurement and correction process for each production batch

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a digital copy or map of the printer bed's non-uniformities and uses this virtual model for compensation. This digital twin allows the system to correct printing variations through software without requiring physical adjustments or repeated measurements, maintaining high precision while improving manufacturing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS10410900B2Precision screen printing with sub-micron uniformity of metallization materials on green sheet ceramic

Publication Date: 2019.09.10 APPLIED MATERIALS INC

AI summary

Precision screen printing is described that is capable of sub-micron uniformity of the metallization materials that are printed on green sheet ceramic. In some examples, puck is formed with electrical traces by screen printing a paste that contains metal on a ceramic green sheet in a pattern of electrical traces and processing the printed green sheet to form a puck of a workpiece carrier. In some example, the printing includes applying a squeegee of a screen printer to the printed green sheet in a squeegeeing direction while the green sheet is on a printer bed of the screen printer. The method further includes mapping the printer bed at multiple locations along the squeegeeing direction, identifying non-uniformities in the printer bed mapping, and modifying a printer controller of the screen printer to compensate for mapped non-uniformities in the printer bed.