Patent · US Expired

Erosion resistant electrostatic chuck with improved cooling system

US5631803A · kind A · utility

79Cited by
6References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 6, 1995
Grant dateMay 20, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 6, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/6831
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electrostatic chuck (20) for holding a substrate (40) in a process chamber (50) comprises a base (25) supporting a resilient insulator (30). The insulator (30) comprises (i) an electrode (35) embedded therein; (ii) a top surface (34) with a peripheral edge (32); and (iii) cooling grooves (45) for holding coolant in the top surface (34), the tips (125) of the cooling grooves (45) and the peripheral edge (32) of the insulator (30) defining an edge gap (130) having a width w. The width w of the edge gap (130) is sized sufficiently small that the coolant in the grooves (45) cools the perimeter (120) of the substrate (40) held on the chuck (20). The insulator (30) is sufficiently thick that when a substrate (40) is electrostatically held on the chuck (20) and coolant is held in the cooling grooves (45), the insulator (30) in the edge gap (130) resiliently conforms to the substrate (40) so that substantially no coolant leaks out from the tips (125) of the cooling grooves (45). Preferably, the coolant grooves (45) do not cut into the electrode (35).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.