Yttria-Coated Ceramic Components for Semiconductor Vacuum Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor material processing apparatuses face challenges with corrosive process gases and plasma causing erosion and contamination in vacuum chambers, necessitating components that are resistant to chemical and physical attack.
Innovation Solution
Yttria-coated ceramic components with thermal-sprayed yttria-containing coatings and a bond layer formed by co-sintering, providing enhanced wear resistance and minimizing contamination by reducing yttria particles on exposed surfaces through plasma conditioning treatments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thermal-sprayed yttria-containing coating is applied on ceramic substrate, then erosion and corrosion resistance is improved, but yttria particles attach to exposed surface causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes harmful yttria particles from the coating surface through plasma conditioning treatment, extracting the contaminant while preserving the protective coating structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies plasma conditioning treatment before semiconductor processing to pre-remove yttria particles from the coating surface, preventing contamination of substrates during subsequent processing
2Strength
If bond layer is formed by co-sintering substrate and coating, then coating adhesion is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the substrate and coating in a single co-sintering process, merging two separate steps (coating application and sintering) into one integrated operation that forms both the coating and bond layer simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The bond layer acts as an intermediary between the substrate and coating, formed during co-sintering to provide strong adhesion while accommodating thermal expansion differences between materials
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 yttria-coated ceramic components effectively resist erosion and corrosion, reducing particle contamination and maintaining high purity, thus protecting substrates during semiconductor processing.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal-sprayed yttria-containing coating on at least one surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a bond layer comprising a multi-phase oxide of the ceramic material and yttria at an interface between the substrate and the first yttria-containing coating. The bond layer having been formed by co-sintering the substrate and the as-thermal-sprayed first coating
Implementation Method 3
an exposed surface of the yttria-containing coating can be treated by a plasma conditioning treatment to reduce particles of yttria attached to the exposed surface after the co-sintering
Data Source
AI summary
Yttria-coated ceramic components of semiconductor material processing apparatuses include a substrate and at least one yttria-containing coating on the substrate. The components are made by applying a first yttria-containing coating on a ceramic substrate, which can be a green body of the ceramic material. The coated green body is sintered. The first yttria-containing coating can be treated to remove attached yttria particles resulting from the sintering. In another embodiment, a second yttria-containing coating can be thermally sprayed on the first yttria-containing coating to cover the particles.