Perforated Electrostatic Chuck Electrode for Lower Substrate Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrostatic chucks apply excessive chucking voltage, causing substrate damage such as indentations, scratching, and material buildup, which can lead to contamination and adverse effects in subsequent processing operations.
Innovation Solution
The electrostatic chuck incorporates a ceramic puck with mesas on its top surface and a perforated or screened chucking electrode beneath the mesas, reducing clamping force and minimizing damage by distributing the electrostatic clamping force more evenly across the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrostatic chucks apply high chucking voltage to securely clamp substrates, then substrate holding reliability is improved, but substrate damage (indentations, scratching, material buildup) increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chucking electrode is segmented into multiple regions with different chucking voltages applied to different zones. This segmentation allows the electrode to provide strong clamping force in some areas while reducing force in others, preventing substrate damage while maintaining secure holding.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the chucking electrode are assigned different electrical properties or voltage levels to create localized quality variations. This enables tailored clamping force distribution across the substrate surface, applying higher force where needed and lower force to prevent damage in sensitive areas.
2Ease of operation
If uniform electrostatic clamping force is applied across the substrate, then ease of operation is improved, but substrate damage increases due to excessive force in certain areas
Solution Approach 1:
The chucking electrode is divided into multiple independent voltage zones, allowing non-uniform voltage distribution. This segmentation enables the system to maintain simple operation (single electrode structure) while achieving differentiated clamping forces to prevent substrate damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical parameter (voltage) of the chucking electrode is varied across different spatial regions. By changing the voltage parameter locally rather than uniformly, the system achieves appropriate clamping force distribution that prevents substrate damage while maintaining operational simplicity.
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 design reduces substrate damage and particle contamination, enabling more accurate processing and increasing system throughput by maintaining substrate integrity during processing operations.
Implementation Method 1
an electrostatic clamping field can be generated to chuck a substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic puck including a plurality of mesas configured to support a substrate. The electrostatic chuck further includes an electrode disposed within the ceramic puck. The electrode is configured to electrostatically clamp the substrate to the ceramic puck responsive to being energized with a clamping voltage. The electrode includes a plurality of perforations. At least one perforation of the plurality of perforations is disposed beneath at least one mesas of the plurality of mesas.