Nested Wafer Holder Sealing for Thermal Cycle Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer heaters in semiconductor manufacturing face issues with the damage of hermetic joining parts between the cylindrical member and the mounting table due to heating cycles and external stress, leading to potential leakage and reduced reliability.
Innovation Solution
A wafer holder design featuring a mounting table with a first and second cylindrical member, where the second cylindrical member is housed inside the first, both joined hermetically to the mounting table, disperses stress and ensures high hermeticity by using ceramic materials and a sealing mechanism, such as glass, to protect sensitive components like electrodes and temperature sensors from corrosive gases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cylindrical member is hermetically joined to the mounting table, then the structure is simple, but the hermetic sealing is vulnerable to damage from thermal cycles and external stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a second cylindrical member inside the first cylindrical member, both hermetically joined to the mounting table. This nested configuration creates redundant hermetic sealing paths, where the inner cylindrical member provides an additional barrier against gas leakage. The structure protects sensitive components like electrodes and temperature sensors by ensuring that even if one sealing interface is compromised, the other maintains hermetic integrity, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hermetic joining parts are used to protect sensitive components, then component protection is improved, but the joining parts are susceptible to damage from heating cycles and external stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by creating a nested dual-cylindrical structure that anticipates and mitigates the effects of thermal cycling and external stress. The redundant hermetic sealing configuration acts as a pre-established protective mechanism, where the second cylindrical member provides a backup sealing path that cushions against potential failures of the first sealing interface. This resolves the contradiction by ensuring component protection while enhancing the durability of the joining parts through redundant design.
3Reliability
If a robust hermetic sealing structure is implemented, then leakage prevention is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing a second cylindrical member inside the first cylindrical member, both hermetically joined to the mounting table. This nested configuration creates redundant hermetic sealing paths, where the inner cylindrical member provides an additional barrier against gas leakage. The structure protects sensitive components like electrodes and temperature sensors by ensuring that even if one sealing interface is compromised, the other maintains hermetic integrity, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer holder includes a mounting table that has a mounting surface for a workpiece at a top, a supporting member that supports the mounting table from a lower side, a first cylindrical member one end of which is joined hermetically to a lower surface of the mounting table, and a second cylindrical member that is provided inside the first cylindrical member and one end of which is joined hermetically to the lower surface of the mounting table.