Clamp ring for domed pedestal in wafer processing chamber
US5437757A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 21, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 21, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/68721
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A clamp ring for use in a thermal reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer. The reactor includes a domed pedestal for supporting the wafer and controlling its temperature, and a clamp ring which includes an annular seat formed therein, for receiving and holding down the periphery of the wafer onto the domed pedestal. The seat formed in the clamp ring supports a ring of spheres which, in operation, engage and hold down the periphery of the wafer. Each sphere is rotationally supported in a pocket formed in the body of the clamp ring. A portion of each sphere protrudes beyond the seat so that the wafer's surface is contacted by the convex surface of the sphere. This keeps the wafer's surface and any sharp edges on the seat apart, thereby reducing damage of the wafer's surface by the seat. As the spheres are able to rotate in the pockets and therefore roll on the surface of the wafer, the chances of the damaging the wafer's surface are further reduced.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.