Wafer Placement Table Cooling Channels for Uniform Wafer Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer placement tables struggle to achieve sufficient thermal uniformity due to constant distances from the wafer placement surface to the cooling medium passage bases, which limits efficient heat management and increases manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A wafer placement table design featuring a cooling plate with varying distances and widths of the cooling medium passage, as well as optional fins, to match the thermal characteristics of the wafer placement surface, thereby improving thermal uniformity while reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the distance from the wafer placement surface to the cooling medium passage bases is kept constant, then the manufacturing process is simple, but thermal uniformity in the wafer is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is designed with locally varying passage depths - the first passage portion extends deeper than the second passage portion in specific regions. This creates non-uniform cooling characteristics that match the local thermal requirements of different wafer regions, improving overall thermal uniformity while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling medium passage is divided into multiple portions with different depths - a first passage portion and a second passage portion. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for specific thermal requirements, enabling better heat management without requiring complete redesign of the entire cooling system
2Temperature
If complex cooling plate structures with varying passage depths are used, then thermal uniformity improves, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of varying the cooling passage depth throughout the entire cooling plate, the invention applies deeper passages only to specific first regions where additional cooling is needed. This localized approach achieves thermal uniformity improvement while minimizing the complexity and cost of manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate uses a two-level passage depth design where the first passage portion extends deeper than the second passage portion. This partial variation in depth provides sufficient thermal management for high-temperature regions without the need for completely complex variable-depth structures throughout, balancing performance and manufacturability
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 varying passage dimensions and optional fins enhance thermal uniformity by optimizing heat exchange with the wafer, while the cost-effective manufacturing processes maintain affordability.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling plate made of a metal-ceramic composite and having a cooling medium passage
Implementation Method 2
a cooling medium passage which allows a cooling medium to flow therethrough
Implementation Method 3
The upper, middle, and lower substrates are then joined together by thermal compression bonding
Implementation Method 4
the plurality of plate portions metal-joined to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer placement table includes a ceramic plate having a wafer placement surface and an electrode, a cooling plate made of a metal-ceramic composite and having a cooling medium passage, and a joining layer configured to join the plates. A distance from the wafer placement surface to at least one of upper base or lower base of the cooling medium passage is not constant. The cooling plate has a plurality of plate portions including a first plate portion and a second plate portion, and has a structure in which the plurality of plate portions metal-joined to each other. The first plate portion has a first passage portion which is a through groove having the same shape as the cooling medium passage. The second plate portion has a second passage portion which is a bottomed groove disposed in at least part of a region facing the first passage portion.