# US 10,770,329 B2 · Gas flow for condensation reduction with a substrate processing chuck > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,770,329 B2 - Document ID: US10770329B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/213,594 - Filed: 2018-12-07 - Published: 2019-04-18 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-20 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Hun Sang Kim; Michael D. Willwerth - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770329B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/72: using electrostatic chucks - C23C 16/458: characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber - H01J 37/32715: {Workpiece holder} - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract A gas flow is described to reduce condensation with a substrate processing chuck. In one example, a workpiece holder in the chamber having a puck to carry the workpiece for fabrication processes, a top plate thermally coupled to the puck, a cooling plate fastened to and thermally coupled to the top plate, the cooling plate having a cooling channel to carry a heat transfer fluid to transfer heat from the cooling plate, a base plate fastened to the cooling plate opposite the puck, and a dry gas inlet of the base plate to supply a dry gas under pressure to a space between the base plate and the cooling plate to drive ambient air from between the base plate and the cooling plate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a puck to carry a workpiece for fabrication processes; a top plate thermally coupled to the puck; a cooling plate fastened to and thermally coupled to the top plate; a base plate fastened to the cooling plate opposite the puck; and a dry gas outlet of the base plate to supply a dry gas under pressure to a space between the base plate and the cooling plate, the dry gas outlet positioned between a central shaft and a periphery of the base plate, wherein the base plate has a groove configured to allow the dry gas to flow in and out of the groove to the space between the base plate and the cooling plate, the groove having a path from the dry gas outlet to the central shaft, wherein a portion of the path is from the periphery of the base plate to the central shaft; and a cylindrical bore through the cooling plate to allow the dry gas to flow between the base plate and the cooling plate to between the cooling plate and the top plate, the cylindrical bore being positioned so that the groove leads the dry gas to flow to the cylindrical bore. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dry gas is nitrogen. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central shaft is disposed through the base plate, and the cooling plate supports the base plate wherein the central shaft permits gas flow between the base plate and the cooling plate and wherein the dry gas exits from between the base plate and the cooling plate through the central shaft. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the groove is formed in a top surface of the base plate facing the cooling plate, the groove to guide flow of the dry gas from the dry gas outlet. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the groove leads to the central shaft through the base plate so that the dry gas exits through the central shaft. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the groove has a spur to guide flow in a second direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base plate is formed of a material with lower thermal conductivity than the cooling plate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the material is a thermoset polystyrene. ### Claim 9 A plasma processing system comprising: a plasma chamber; a plasma source to generate a plasma containing gas ions in the plasma chamber; and a workpiece holder in the chamber having a puck to carry the workpiece for fabrication processes, a top plate thermally coupled to the puck, a cooling plate fastened to and thermally coupled to the top plate, a base plate fastened to the cooling plate opposite the puck, a dry gas outlet of the base plate positioned between a central shaft and a periphery of the base plate, the dry gas outlet to supply a dry gas under pressure to a space between the base plate and the cooling plate, wherein the base plate has a groove configured to allow the dry gas to flow in and out of the groove to the space between the base plate and the cooling plate, the groove having a path from the dry gas outlet to the central shaft, wherein a portion of the path is from the periphery of the base plate to the central shaft, and a cylindrical bore through the cooling plate to allow the dry gas to flow between the base plate and the cooling plate to between the cooling plate and the top plate, the cylindrical bore being positioned so that the groove leads the dry gas to flow to the cylindrical bore. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the central shaft is coupled to a space between the cooling plate and the top plate. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: attaching a workpiece to a puck of a carrier to carry the workpiece for fabrication processes, the carrier including a top plate thermally coupled to the puck, a cooling plate fastened to and thermally coupled to the top plate, and a base plate fastened to the cooling plate opposite the puck; applying a fabrication process to the workpiece in a processing chamber while the workpiece is attached to the carrier; and supplying a dry gas under pressure to an outlet of the base plate positioned between a central shaft and a periphery of the base plate during the fabrication process, the outlet to supply the dry gas under pressure to a space between the base plate and the cooling plate, wherein the base plate has a groove configured to allow the dry gas to flow in and out of the groove to the space between the base plate and the cooling plate, the groove having a path from the outlet to the central shaft, wherein a portion of the path is from the periphery of the base plate to the central shaft, and a cylindrical bore through the cooling plate to allow the dry gas to flow between the base plate and the cooling plate to between the cooling plate and the top plate, the cylindrical bore being positioned so that the groove leads the dry gas to flow to the cylindrical bore. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the central shaft is disposed through the base plate and the cooling plate to support the base plate wherein supplying the dry gas drives the dry gas through the central shaft between the base plate and the cooling plate and from between the base plate and the cooling plate through the central shaft to exit the carrier. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the groove leads the supplied dry gas to the central shaft through the base plate so that the dry gas exits through the central shaft.