Beryllium oxide integral resistance heaters

An integral resistance heater, comprising:

• a beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramic body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, and
• a first heating element formed from a refractory metallizing layer and bonded to the first surface of the beryllium oxide ceramic body and
• a second heating element formed from the refractory metallizing layer and bonded to the second surface of the beryllium oxide ceramic body,
• wherein the first and second heating elements are connected to first and second heater terminals and operated independently biased;
• and
• a beryllium oxide ceramic top plate and a beryllium oxide ceramic base plate,
• wherein the beryllium oxide ceramic body is disposed between the top plate and the base plate to form a sandwich structure,
• wherein the top plate includes an exposed top surface to hold a wafer during semiconductor processing,
• wherein the refractory metallizing layer includes non-metallic components, wherein the non-metallic components diffuse into grain boundaries in the beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramic body, and
• wherein first and second heating elements comprise electrically conductive outer surfaces coated by a metal plating, wherein the metal plating is configured to prevent oxidation of the first and second heating elements.

A dual-zone integral resistance heater, comprising:

• a beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramic body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface and a thickness there between,
• a first heating element formed from a refractory metallizing layer and bonded to the first surface of the beryllium oxide ceramic body, and
• a second heating element formed from the refractory metallizing layer and bonded to the second surface of the beryllium oxide ceramic body,
• wherein first and second heating elements comprise electrically conductive outer surfaces coated by a metal plating, wherein the metal plating is configured to prevent oxidation of the first and second heating elements,
• wherein the first and second heating elements are connected to first and second heater terminals in parallel and independently operated, and the first and second heating elements are configured to provide first and second planar temperature zones separated by a distance equal to the thickness of the beryllium oxide ceramic body, and
• a beryllium oxide ceramic top plate disposed adjacent to the second surface, wherein the top plate includes an exposed top surface to hold a wafer during semiconductor processing.