Low Thermal Conductivity Heat Shield for Semiconductor Heater
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor processing apparatus face inefficiencies due to frequent cleaning needs, which disrupt production and lead to corrosion and depletion of components, particularly the heater surfaces, resulting in reduced workpiece production rates and increased consumables usage.
Innovation Solution
Employment of a high-performance heat shield with low thermal conductivity, which redirects heat back to the heater, reducing power consumption and minimizing unwanted depositions on chamber components, combined with a pedestal assembly cooling mechanism for faster cooldown and purge gas paths to prevent gas entry into the pedestal assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frequent cleaning is performed to remove unwanted depositions, then deposition quality and apparatus reliability are improved, but productivity decreases and component life is reduced due to corrosion and etching
Solution Approach 1:
The heat shield converts the harmful waste heat that would otherwise contribute to unwanted depositions and require frequent cleaning into a beneficial resource by redirecting it back to the heater, reducing the heater's power consumption and minimizing the conditions that lead to deposition formation, thereby reducing cleaning frequency and maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The heat shield acts as an intermediary component between the heater and the chamber environment, intercepting waste heat and redirecting it to where it is needed, while also serving as a barrier that prevents direct thermal pathways that would cause unwanted depositions on chamber components
2Manufacturing precision
If frequent cleaning is performed to remove unwanted depositions, then deposition quality is improved, but component life is reduced due to corrosion and etching of heater surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The heat shield transforms waste heat into a useful resource that reduces the heater's operating power requirements, thereby reducing thermal stress and operational wear on the heater, extending its service life while maintaining deposition quality through reduced cleaning needs
Solution Approach 2:
The heat shield recovers waste heat that would otherwise be discarded, redirecting it back to the heater to reduce power consumption, and simultaneously reduces the formation of unwanted depositions that would require cleaning and accelerate heater degradation
3Temperature
If heater power is increased to maintain workpiece temperature, then heating efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases and waste heat causing unwanted depositions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat shield creates a thermal feedback loop by capturing waste heat and redirecting it back to the heater, allowing the system to maintain workpiece temperature with reduced power input, as the recycled heat supplements the heater's output and reduces the need for additional energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The heat shield enables the heating system to serve itself by recycling its own waste heat back into the heating process, reducing external energy requirements and creating a self-sustaining thermal management system that maintains temperature efficiency
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 solution significantly reduces cleaning time, increases workpiece production rates, and extends the life of components by minimizing etching and deposition-related damage, while also lowering power consumption and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a high performance heat shield is employed in conjunction with a heater and workpiece platen assembly where the heat shield insulation has low conductivity over a wide range of temperatures so that a significant amount of heat is redirected from the heat shield back to the heater
Implementation Method 2
pedestal assembly cooling mechanism for faster cooldown
Data Source
AI summary
A heat shield employed in semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a high performance insulation that has low thermal conductivity, such as, below the thermal conductivity of still air over a wide range of temperatures utilized in operation of the apparatus. As an example, the thermal conductivity of the insulation may be in the range of about 0.004 W/m·h to about 0.4 W/m·h over a temperature range of about 0° C. to about 600° C. or more. The deployment of the high performance heat shield reduces the power consumption necessary for the heater by as much as 20% to reach a desired processing temperature as compared to a case of heater power consumption required to reach the same desired temperature without the shield. Further, the heat shield significantly reduces the amount of undesired depositions from gas-entrained constituents on components in the chamber of the apparatus, particularly below or beyond the heat shield, by as much as 90% since the temperature drop is as much as ten orders of magnitude difference.