Electrostatic chuck with thermal choke
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsMaolin Long, Alex Paterson, Ying Wu, Quan Chau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatuses, systems, and techniques for providing enhanced electrostatic chucks are provided. Such apparatuses, systems, and techniques may include, for example, a common RF and DC electrode in an electrostatic chuck, connection, at a location external to a semiconductor processing chamber, of a high-voltage DC power source and a high-voltage RF power source to a common conductive pathway leading to an electrostatic chuck in the interior of the semiconductor processing chamber, a very thin dielectric layer located on an upper surface of an electrostatic chuck, and/or an axial thermal choke that may be used to control heat flow within an electrostatic chuck.
Claims18
An electrostatic chuck comprising:
- a baseplate;
- a thermal choke having a thermal choke layer including:
- a plurality of first cavities arranged across the thermal choke layer, wherein the first cavities do not contain liquid during normal operation of the electrostatic chuck and are selected from the group consisting of:
- cavities filled with gas and cavities filled with solid material having a lower thermal conductivity than a material of the thermal choke layer, and
- a plurality of second cavities arranged across the thermal choke layer, wherein the second cavities do not contain liquid during normal operation of the electrostatic chuck, are selected from the group consisting of cavities filled with gas and cavities filled with solid material having a lower thermal conductivity than a material of the thermal choke layer, are each sized the same as the other second cavities, are differently sized than the first cavities, and do not intersect with the first cavities;
- a heater;
- a top plate;
- and
- a ceramic layer, wherein:
- the baseplate is adjacent to the thermal choke,
- the thermal choke is interposed between the baseplate and the heater,
- the heater is interposed between the thermal choke and the top plate,
- the top plate is interposed between the heater and the ceramic layer,
- the ceramic layer is adjacent to the top plate,
- the top plate and the baseplate are both made of metal, and
- the top plate and the baseplate are in electrically conductive contact with each other.
A system comprising:
- a semiconductor processing chamber;
- an electrostatic chuck located inside the semiconductor processing chamber, the electrostatic chuck including:
- a baseplate,
- a top plate, and
- a ceramic layer;
- a common, electrically conductive path that extends from outside the semiconductor processing chamber to a location in electrically conductive contact with the electrostatic chuck and inside the semiconductor processing chamber;
- a high-voltage direct current (DC) supply configured to provide an electrostatic clamping voltage;
- a high-voltage radio frequency (RF) generator configured to provide RF energy;
- and
- a transverse support arm that supports the electrostatic chuck, wherein:
- the top plate is interposed between the baseplate and the ceramic layer,
- the ceramic layer is adjacent to the top plate,
- the top plate and the baseplate are both made of metal,
- the top plate and the baseplate are in electrically conductive contact with each other,
- the transverse support arm spans between a location inside the semiconductor processing chamber and a location outside the semiconductor processing chamber,
- at least a portion of the transverse support arm that spans between the inside and the outside the semiconductor processing chamber serves as a part of the common, electrically conductive path,
- the transverse support arm is electrically insulated from the walls of the semiconductor processing chamber, and
- the high-voltage DC supply and the high-voltage RF generator are both electrically connected to the common, electrically conductive path at one or more locations on the portion of the transverse support arm that is located outside of the semiconductor processing chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.