Zirconia toughened ceramic components and coatings in semiconductor processing equipment and method of manufacture thereof

Abstract

A corrosion resistant component of semiconductor processing equipment such as a plasma chamber comprises zirconia toughened ceramic material as an outermost surface of the component. The component can be made entirely of the ceramic material or the ceramic material can be provided as a coating on a substrate such as aluminum or aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or refractory metal. The zirconia toughened ceramic can be tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (TZP) material, partially-stabilized zirconia (PSZ), or a zirconia dispersion toughened ceramic (ZTC) such as zirconia-toughened alumina (tetragonal zirconia particles dispersed in Al2O3). In the case of a ceramic zirconia toughened coating, one or more intermediate layers may be provided between the component and the ceramic coating. To promote adhesion of the ceramic coating, the component surface or the intermediate layer surface may be subjected to a surface roughening treatment prior to depositing the ceramic coating.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.