Sample Holder With Porous Ceramic Insulation for Plasma Arcing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sample holders, such as electrostatic chucks, face challenges in preventing plasma from reaching the support body during semiconductor manufacturing, leading to potential arcing and reduced reliability due to inadequate insulation and plasma containment.
Innovation Solution
A sample holder design featuring a ceramic base body, a metal support body joined by a resin layer, a porous member within a through hole, and an insulating tubular member to enhance plasma containment and reduce arcing risks, utilizing a ceramic porous member with controlled porosity and a glass or fluorine resin joining layer for improved plasma resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a through hole is provided for cooling the wafer, then cooling efficiency is improved, but plasma can reach the support body causing arcing and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a porous member (such as porous ceramic or porous metal) to fill the through hole. This porous structure allows cooling gas to flow through while physically blocking plasma particles, thus maintaining cooling efficiency while preventing plasma from reaching the support body and causing arcs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (porous material or insulating material) within the through hole that mediates between the cooling requirement and plasma protection. This intermediary allows thermal management while providing plasma containment, resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and arc resistance.
2Temperature
If the through hole is made larger for better cooling, then cooling performance is improved, but the insulation distance is reduced allowing plasma to reach the support body
Solution Approach 1:
By using porous materials with controlled pore sizes and distributions, the patent achieves effective cooling through the material while maintaining an outer dimensional structure that preserves adequate insulation distance. The porous structure provides internal cooling pathways without requiring a larger external hole that would compromise insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the porous member is placed inside the through hole, creating multiple layers of protection. This nested arrangement allows the through hole to maintain its insulating function while the inner porous structure provides cooling, effectively nesting the cooling function within the insulation structure.
3Reliability
If a porous member is added to block plasma, then plasma containment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses porous materials that can be directly formed or sintered into the required shape, eliminating the need for additional complex components. The porous member itself serves as both the plasma barrier and the cooling medium pathway, combining multiple functions in a single element and thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent may use composite materials that combine insulating and porous properties in a single material system, or composite structures integrating the porous member with the base body through specialized joining layers. This reduces the number of discrete parts and simplifies the overall device structure while maintaining plasma containment functionality.
4Ease of manufacture
If a resin joining layer is used to join ceramic and metal, then joining ease is improved, but plasma resistance is reduced leading to arcing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a resin joining layer as an intermediary between the ceramic base body and metal support body, facilitating easy manufacturing and joining. The resin layer serves as a mediator that enables bonding while the overall design (including porous members and geometric features) compensates for its lower plasma resistance, maintaining system-level reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent may modify the resin material parameters (such as selecting specialized plasma-resistant resins, adjusting curing conditions, or controlling layer thickness) to enhance plasma resistance while maintaining ease of manufacture. By changing material parameters and processing conditions, the resin joining layer achieves improved performance without sacrificing manufacturing advantages.
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
The design effectively prevents plasma from reaching the support body, reducing arcing and enhancing the long-term reliability of the sample holder by increasing insulation distances and ensuring smooth gas flow, thereby improving operational stability in plasma-rich environments.
Implementation Method 1
a porous member located inside the first through hole and joined to the lower face of the base body via a second joining layer
Implementation Method 2
a first joining layer which joins the lower face of the base body and the upper face of the support body together
Data Source
AI summary
A sample holder includes: a base body including a ceramic material; a support body including a metal material; a first joining layer which joins a lower face of the base body and an upper face of the support body together; a first through hole extending from a lower face of the support body through the first joining layer to the upper face of the base body, a part of the first through hole located within the base body being at least partly narrower than a part of the first through hole located within the support body and a part of the first through hole located within the first joining layer; and a porous member located inside the first through hole and joined to the lower face of the base body via a second joining layer.