Wafer Placement Table Sintered Conductor Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing wafer placement tables experience significant heat generation at the connection member due to limited contact area with the mesh electrode, leading to non-uniform heating of wafers during current flow, which impairs the heating process.
Innovation Solution
The wafer placement table incorporates a mesh electrode with mesh openings filled with a sintered conductor made of a conductive powder and ceramic raw material, increasing the contact area between the connection member and the mesh electrode, thereby reducing resistance and heat generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the connection member is in line contact with the mesh electrode, then the structure is simple, but the contact area is small leading to large heat generation
Solution Approach 1:
A sintered conductor is introduced as an intermediary material between the connection member and the mesh electrode. This sintered conductor has porous structure that increases the contact area significantly compared to line contact, while maintaining electrical conductivity. The intermediary layer resolves the contradiction by providing both adequate electrical connection and heat dissipation without complicating the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sintered conductor utilizes a porous material structure where conductive particles are sintered together to form a network with void spaces. This porous structure provides large surface area for contact with the mesh electrode while maintaining electrical conductivity, effectively increasing the contact area from line contact to surface contact and reducing heat generation.
2Temperature
If the contact area between connection member and mesh electrode is increased, then heat generation is reduced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process utilizes parameter changes during sintering - by controlling temperature, pressure, and atmosphere during the sintering process, the conductive powder transforms into a sintered conductor with desired porosity and conductivity. This parameter-based approach allows achieving increased contact area through a relatively simple one-step sintering process rather than complex multi-step assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The sintered conductor is formed as a composite material from conductive powder particles bonded together through sintering. This composite structure combines the benefits of porous structure (large surface area) with electrical conductivity, and can be manufactured in a single sintering step from powder mixture, avoiding complex assembly processes.
3Temperature
If a sintered conductor is used to fill mesh openings, then contact area is increased and heat generation is reduced, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sintered conductor merges multiple functions into a single component: it serves as the electrical connection medium, the structural filler for mesh openings, and the thermal management element. By combining these functions into one integrated component rather than separate parts, the actual device structure complexity is minimized while achieving the desired performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sintered conductor performs multiple functions simultaneously: providing electrical conductivity for current flow, maintaining structural integrity by filling mesh openings, and managing heat through its porous structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, thereby not increasing device complexity despite the advanced material usage.
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 heat generation at the connection member, enhancing the uniformity of heating on the wafer by minimizing resistance and preventing hot spots, while also matching thermal expansion coefficients to prevent crack formation.
Implementation Method 1
the mesh opening is filled with a sintered conductor being a sintered body of a mixture containing a conductive powder and a ceramic raw material
Implementation Method 2
the amount of heat generation adjacent to the connection member when a current flows into the mesh electrode from the external current-carrying member through the connection member is large
Implementation Method 3
The thermal expansion coefficients of the conductive powder and the mesh electrode are preferably similar to the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic member
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer placement table includes: a ceramic member having a wafer placement surface; a mesh electrode buried in the ceramic member; a conductive connection member in contact with the mesh electrode and exposed to outside from a surface of the ceramic member on the opposite side of the wafer placement surface; and an external current-carrying member joined to a surface of the connection member exposed to outside. The mesh electrode has a mesh opening in a region that faces the connection member, and the mesh opening is filled with a sintered conductor being a sintered body of a mixture containing a conductive powder and a ceramic raw material.