Electrostatic chuck and method for forming an electrostatic chuck having porous regions for fluid flow
AssigneeSaint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc.
InventorRamesh Divakar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrostatic chuck includes a chuck body having a chucking surface and a back surface, an electrode within the chuck body and at least one conduit for providing fluid communication between the back surface and a chucking surface. The conduit includes a porous region which is integrated with the chuck body. During operation, the temperature of a wafer supported by the electrostatic chuck can be controlled or modified by directing a heat transfer fluid, through the porous region, to the chucking surface. The porous region prevents or minimizes plasma penetration and arcing problems. Also described are methods of fabricating an electrostatic chuck having a porous region.
Claims45
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- b) an electrode within said chuck body;
- and
- c) at least one conduit providing fluid communication between the back surface and the chucking surface, said conduit including a porous region that is integrated with and extends into said chuck body.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) at least one porous, fluid-permeable region extending from the back surface to the chucking surface.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) an electrode within said chuck body,
- wherein said chuck body has a porous structure for providing fluid communication between the back surface and the chucking surface.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) an electrode within said chuck body,
- wherein said chuck body has a at least one porous region, integrated with said chuck body and extending from the back surface to the chucking surface.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) an electrode within said chuck body,
- wherein said chuck body has at least one porous region at the back surface, said porous region being integrated with said chuck body and extending into the chuck body, and at least one conduit between the porous region and the chucking surface.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) an electrode within said chuck body,
- wherein said chuck body has at least one porous region at the back surface, said porous region being integrated with said chuck body and extending into the chuck body, and at least two conduits between the porous region and the chucking surface.
An electrostatic chuck, comprising:
- a) a chuck body having a back surface and a chucking surface;
- and
- b) an electrode within said chuck body,
- wherein said chuck body has at least one porous region at the chucking surface, said porous region being integrated with said chuck body and extending into the chuck body, and at least one conduit between the porous region and the back surface.
A method of producing an electrostatic chuck, comprising the steps of:
- a) forming a green body of an electrostatic chuck body, said green body including at least one region that includes removable particles;
- b) heating said green body to form the electrostatic chuck body;
- and
- c) removing the particles, thereby forming a porous region in said electrostatic chuck body.
A method of producing an electrostatic chuck, comprising the steps of:
- a) forming in a green body of an electrostatic chuck body at least one green region that, following densification of the green body, will be porous;
- and
- b) densifying the green body, thereby forming the ceramic electrostatic chuck body, said ceramic electrostatic chuck body including at least one porous region.
A method of producing an electrostatic chuck, comprising the steps of:
- a) forming, in a dense ceramic body of an electrostatic chuck, at least one porous plug, said porous plug including a bonding agent;
- and
- b) heating said porous plug, thereby integrating the porous plug with the dense ceramic body of the electrostatic chuck.
A method of modifying a wafer's process temperature, comprising the steps of:
- a) supporting the wafer onto a chucking surface of a ceramic electrostatic chuck, said electrostatic chuck including a porous conduit extending from a back surface of said electrostatic chuck to said chucking surface;
- and
- b) directing a heat transfer fluid through the porous conduit to the chucking surface, thereby modifying the wafer's process temperature.
A method of modifying a wafer's process temperature, comprising the steps of:
- a) supporting the wafer on a chucking surface of an electrostatic chuck, said electrostatic chuck including a conduit extending from said back surface to said chucking surface, said conduit including a porous region;
- and
- b) directing a heat transfer fluid through the conduit to the chucking surface, thereby modifying the wafer's process temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.