Electrostatic chuck with conformal insulator film

US5745331A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Shamouil Shamouilian · San Jose, US
• Sasson Somekh · Los Altos Hills, US
• Hyman J. Levinstein · Berkeley Heights, US
• Manoocher Birang · Los Gatos, US
• Semyon Sherstinsky · San Francisco, US
• John F. Cameron · Los Altos, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 31, 1995
• Grant date: Apr 28, 1998
• Expiry date: Jan 31, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H02N13/00
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An electrostatic chuck (20) for holding a substrate (75) comprises (i) a base (80) having an upper surface (95) with grooves (85) therein, the grooves (85) sized and distributed for holding coolant for cooling a substrate (75), and (ii) a substantially continuous insulator film (45) conformal to the grooves (85) on upper surface (95) of the base (80). The base (80) can be electrically conductive and capable of serving as the electrode (50) of the chuck (20), or the electrode (50) can be embedded in the insulator film (45). The insulator film (45) has a dielectric breakdown strength sufficiently high that when a substrate (75) placed on the chuck (20) and electrically biased with respect to the electrode (50), electrostatic charge accumulates in the substrate (75) and in the electrode (50) forming an electrostatic force that attracts and holds the substrate (75) to the chuck (20). Preferably the chuck (20) is fabricated using a pressure forming process, and more preferably using a pressure differential process.