Plasma-resistant, welded aluminum structures for use in semiconductor apparatus
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSenh Thach, Jennifer Y. Sun, Shun Jackson Wu, Yixing Lin, Clifford C. Stow
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Abstract
We have discovered a method of producing a complex-shaped aluminum alloy article, where welding has been employed to form the article, where an anodized aluminum coating is produced over a surface of the article including the weld joint, and where the anodized aluminum coating is uniform, providing improved performance over that previously known in the art for welded articles exposed to a corrosive plasma environment.
Claims36
A method of producing a complex-shaped aluminum article for use in semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein welding has been employed to form said article, comprising:
- selecting a high purity aluminum alloy with controlled particulate size and distribution and controlled composition of impurities present in said alloy, and welding said high purity aluminum alloy using frictional welding, wherein a variation in hardness between a weld line and a welded parent material is less than about 15%.
A method of producing a plasma-resistant, complex-shaped aluminum article for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising:
- selecting a high purity aluminum alloy with controlled particulate size and distribution and controlled composition of impurities present in said alloy;
- welding said high purity aluminum alloy using frictional welding;
- and electrochemically anodizing a surface of said complex-shaped aluminum article which includes a weld line, whereby a difference in thickness of an aluminum oxide coating formed at said weld line compared with a thickness of aluminum oxide coating formed at a surface of a parent material unaffected by said welding is less than about 10%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.