# US 10,504,765 B2 · Electrostatic chuck assembly having a dielectric filler > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,504,765 B2 - Document ID: US10504765B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/495,909 - Filed: 2017-04-24 - Published: 2018-10-25 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-24 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Kartik Ramaswamy; Anwar Husain; Haitao Wang; Evans Yip Lee; Jaeyong Cho; Hamid Noorbakhsh; Kenny L. Doan; Sergio Fukuda Shoji; Chunlei Zhang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504765B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/722: {Details of electrostatic chucks} - H10P 72/7616: {characterised by a coating, a hardness or a material} - H01J 2237/20: Positioning, supporting, modifying or maintaining the physical state of objects being observed or treated - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract Embodiments include an electrostatic chuck assembly having an electrostatic chuck mounted on an insulator. The electrostatic chuck and insulator may be within a chamber volume of a process chamber. In an embodiment, a ground shield surrounds the electrostatic chuck and the insulator, and a gap between the ground shield and the electrostatic chuck provides an environment at risk for electric field emission. A dielectric filler can be placed within the gap to reduce a likelihood of electric field emission. The dielectric filler can have a flexible outer surface that covers or attaches to the electrostatic chuck, or an interface between the electrostatic chuck and the insulator Other embodiments are also described and claimed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrostatic chuck assembly, comprising: a support member including an electrostatic chuck on an insulator, wherein the electrostatic chuck includes a chuck sidewall; a ground shield extending around the support member, wherein the ground shield is electrically grounded, and wherein the ground shield includes a shield sidewall facing the chuck sidewall; and a dielectric filler between the chuck sidewall and the shield sidewall, wherein the dielectric filler includes a flexible outer surface on the chuck sidewall, and wherein the dielectric filler covers an interface between the electrostatic chuck and the insulator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible outer surface is attached to the chuck sidewall. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 2, wherein the flexible outer surface includes a surface portion on the shield sidewall. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein the chuck sidewall has a lower edge, wherein the insulator has an insulator sidewall having an upper edge, and wherein the flexible outer surface covers the lower edge and the upper edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 4, wherein one or more of the lower edge or the upper edge is a transitional edge. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein the dielectric filler includes an encapsulation layer surrounding a core. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 6, wherein the core is polytetrafluoroethylene, and wherein the encapsulation layer is a chemical vapor deposited poly(p-xylylene) polymer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 1, wherein the support member includes a ceramic layer on the electrostatic chuck, and further comprising a protective cap extending from the ground shield to the ceramic layer over the dielectric filler. ### Claim 9 An electrostatic chuck assembly, comprising: a support member including an electrostatic chuck on an insulator, and wherein the electrostatic chuck includes a chuck sidewall; a ground shield extending around the support member, wherein the ground shield is electrically grounded, and wherein the ground shield includes a shield sidewall facing the chuck sidewall; and a dielectric filler between the chuck sidewall and the shield sidewall, wherein the dielectric filler includes a flexible outer surface attached to the chuck sidewall, and wherein the dielectric filler covers an interface between the electrostatic chuck and the insulator. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 9, wherein the flexible outer surface includes a surface portion on the shield sidewall. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 9, wherein the chuck sidewall has a lower edge, wherein the insulator has an insulator sidewall having an upper edge, and wherein the flexible outer surface covers the lower edge and the upper edge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 11, wherein one or more of the lower edge or the upper edge is a transitional edge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 9, wherein the dielectric filler includes an encapsulation layer surrounding a core. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The electrostatic chuck assembly of claim 9, wherein the support member includes a ceramic layer on the electrostatic chuck, and further comprising a protective cap extending from the ground shield to the ceramic layer over the dielectric filler. ### Claim 15 A processing system, comprising: a process chamber having a chamber wall around a chamber volume; a support member within the chamber volume, wherein the support member includes an electrostatic chuck on an insulator, wherein the electrostatic chuck includes a chuck sidewall, and wherein the insulator includes an insulator sidewall; a ground shield extending around the support member, wherein the ground shield is electrically grounded, and wherein the ground shield includes a shield sidewall facing the chuck sidewall and the insulator sidewall; and a dielectric filler between the chuck sidewall, the insulator sidewall, and the shield sidewall, wherein the dielectric filler includes a flexible outer surface covering an interface between the chuck sidewall and the insulator sidewall, and wherein the dielectric filler covers an interface between the electrostatic chuck and the insulator. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The processing system of claim 15, wherein the flexible outer surface includes a surface portion on the shield sidewall. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The processing system of claim 15, wherein the chuck sidewall has a lower edge, wherein the insulator sidewall has an upper edge, and wherein the flexible outer surface covers the interface between the lower edge and the upper edge. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The processing system of claim 17, wherein one or more of the lower edge or the upper edge is a transitional edge. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The processing system of claim 15, wherein the dielectric filler includes an encapsulation layer surrounding a core. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The processing system of claim 15, wherein the support member includes a ceramic layer on the electrostatic chuck, and further comprising a protective cap extending from the ground shield to the ceramic layer over the dielectric filler.