Grounding structure, and heater and chemical vapor deposition apparatus having the same

A heater for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising:

• a body having a flat upper surface on which a substrate is positioned;
• a ground electrode positioned in the body;
• a heating unit positioned in the body and generating heat for heating the substrate;
• and
• a ground structure including a ground mount having a receiving a portion for receiving a ground connector through which a ground current flows outward to an external electrical reservoir, a ground current flowing from the ground electrode to the ground connector;
• a ground clamp holding the ground connector in the receiving portion of the ground mount, the ground clamp being shaped into a cylinder of which a sidewall is partially removed in a longitudinal direction to thereby include an opening portion through which an inner space of the cylinder is communicated with an exterior of the ground clamp, and enclosing the ground connector such that an outer surface of the ground connector makes contact with an inner surface of the ground clamp;
• a pair of stumbling portions folded from an outer surface of the ground clamp neighboring the opening portion and spaced apart from each other by a width of the opening portion;
• and a ground wiring electrically connected to the ground clamp and the ground mount, the ground current on the ground connector flowing to the ground mount via the ground clamp by the ground wiring, so that the ground current flows from the ground connector to the external electrical reservoir.

An apparatus for performing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, comprising:

• a process chamber in which the CVD process is performed on a substrate;
• a shower head positioned at an upper portion of the process chamber and injecting source gases for the CVD process to an inside of the process chamber;
• a plasma electrode to which an electric power is applied for transforming the source gases into plasma source;
• a heater positioned at a lower portion of the process chamber under the shower head and having a heating unit for heating the substrate and a ground electrode for discharging charged particles of the plasma source out of the process chamber as a ground current;
• and
• a ground structure positioned under the heater,
• wherein the ground structure includes a ground mount having a receiving a portion for receiving a ground connector through which a ground current flows outward to an external electrical reservoir, a ground current flowing from the ground electrode to the ground connector;
• a ground clamp holding the ground connector in the receiving portion of the ground mount, the ground clamp being shaped into a cylinder of which a sidewall is partially removed in a longitudinal direction to thereby include an opening portion through which an inner space of the cylinder is communicated with an exterior of the ground clamp, and enclosing the ground connector such that an outer surface of the ground connector makes contact with an inner surface of the ground clamp;
• a pair of stumbling portions folded from an outer surface of the ground clamp neighboring the opening portion and spaced apart from each other by a width of the opening portion;
• and a ground wiring electrically connected to the ground clamp and the ground mount, the ground current on the ground connector flowing to the ground mount via the ground clamp by the ground wiring, so that the ground current flows from the ground connector to the external electrical reservoir.