Wafer and Focus Ring Table Structure to Prevent Cracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor manufacturing apparatus members with integrated wafer and focus-ring placement tables are prone to cracking due to stress, and the internal spaces within these members are not effectively controllable from the outside.
Innovation Solution
A member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is designed with a conductive base substrate, separate insulating wafer and focus-ring placement tables, a ring-shaped internal space, and a communication path that allows external control of the internal space, thereby reducing stress and enabling effective space management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If an integrated holding member with wafer placement table and focus-ring placement table is used, then structural compactness is improved, but cracks occur in the connection part due to stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the previously integrated holding member into separate components: the wafer placement table and the focus-ring placement table are now independent tables that can be adjusted separately. This segmentation eliminates the connection part that was prone to cracking while maintaining structural compactness through coordinated positioning of the separate tables.
2Temperature
If an internal space is created between the wafer-placement-table support and the holding member, then thermal isolation is improved, but the internal space cannot be effectively controlled from the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gas supply system as an intermediary to control the internal space. Gas can be supplied into the internal space through the base substrate to adjust pressure and thermal properties, enabling effective control of the thermal isolation environment from the outside without direct mechanical access to the internal space.
3Reliability
If the wafer placement table and focus-ring placement table are made separate and joined to different supports, then stress-induced cracks are suppressed, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions for the wafer placement table and focus-ring placement table into a coordinated system. Both tables are independently adjustable but work together as an integrated assembly, reducing operational complexity despite the separate structural components. The base substrate serves as a common platform that simplifies the overall integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, includes: a base substrate that has a wafer-placement-table support and a focus-ring-placement-table support; a focus-ring placement table that is joined to the focus-ring-placement-table support; a wafer placement table that is separate from the focus-ring placement table, that overlaps an inner peripheral portion of the focus-ring placement table in plan view, and that is joined to the inner peripheral portion of the focus-ring placement table and to the wafer-placement-table support; an internal space that is surrounded by a lower surface of the wafer placement table, an outer peripheral surface of the wafer-placement-table support, an inner peripheral surface of the focus-ring placement table, and an upper surface of the focus-ring-placement-table support; and a communication path that is provided at the base substrate and that causes the internal space and an outside of the base substrate to communicate with each other.