US5350479A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electrostatic chuck for high power plasma processing
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
•
Filing: 1992-12-02
•
Granted: 1994-09-27
•
Expires: 2012-12-02
Abstract
Abstract An electrostatic chuck for holding an article to be processed in a plasma reaction chamber and comprising a metal pedestal coated with a layer of dielectric material in which is formed a cooling gas distribution system for passing and distributing a cooling gas between the upper surface of the layer and the article when supported on the pedestal. The gas distribution system comprises a plurality of intersecting grooves formed entirely in the upper surface of the layer with small gas distribution holes through intersections of the grooves over upper ends of cooling gas receiving holes formed in an underside of the pedestal.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth S. Collins
- 👤 John R. Trow
- 👤 Joshua C. W. Tsui
- 👤 Craig A. Roderick
- 👤 Nicolas J. Bright
- 👤 Jeffrey Marks
- 👤 Tetsuya Ishikawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 21:50
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/72; H10P72/722; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T279/00; Y10T279/23
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
173 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface for receiving a backside of said substrate when said substrate is placed on said chuck; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing cooling gas, each of said one or more internal cavities being separated from said dielectric layer by an associated thin layer of pedestal material, wherein for each of said one or more internal cavities, said dielectric layer has one or more first holes passing therethrough, and the associated thin layer of pedestal material has an equal number of second holes passing therethrough and aligned with corresponding ones of said one or more first holes, wherein said first holes have first diameters and said second holes have second diameters that are larger than the first diameters of the corresponding first holes.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
173 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface for receiving a backside of said substrate when said substrate is placed on said chuck; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing cooling gas, each of said one or more internal cavities being separated from said dielectric layer by an associated thin layer of pedestal material, wherein for each of said one or more internal cavities, said dielectric layer has one or more first holes passing therethrough, and the associated thin layer of pedestal material has an equal number of second holes passing therethrough and aligned with corresponding ones of said one or more first holes, wherein said first holes have first diameters and said second holes have second diameters that are larger than the first diameters of the corresponding first holes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein said second diameters are sufficiently larger than the corresponding first diameters so that for any given one of said one or more first holes no line of sight path exists from above said dielectric layer to the thin layer of pedestal material forming the second hole aligned therewith.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 2 wherein the dielectric layer has a network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, at least some of the grooves of said network passing over said one or more first holes so as to supply cooling gas thereto.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 3 wherein the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves penetrate said dielectric layer to a distance that is less than the thickness of the dielectric layer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 2 wherein substrate has substantially uniform thickness and wherein the grooves of said network have a spacing that is within the range of about 0.5 to 10 times the thickness of the substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 2 wherein the dielectric layer in which the network of distribution grooves is formed has a substantially uniform thickness and wherein the grooves of said network have a depth that is small relative to the thickness of the dielectric layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 5 wherein the grooves of said network have depths less than about 30 microns.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein the layer of pedestal material separating the upper end of each of said internal cavities from said dielectric layer has a thickness of about 0.015 inch.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
177 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having an upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface for receiving a backside of said substrate when said substrate is placed on said chuck; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing a cooling gas, each of said one or more internal cavities having an upper end that is adjacent to said dielectric layer, there being a layer of pedestal material separating each of said one or more cavities from said dielectric layer; wherein for each of said one or more internal cavities, said dielectric layer has a plurality of first holes passing therethrough, and the associated thin layer of pedestal material has an equal number of second holes passing therethrough and aligned with corresponding ones of said plurality of first holes, wherein said first holes have a first diameter that is less than about 0.030 inch.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
177 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having an upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface for receiving a backside of said substrate when said substrate is placed on said chuck; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing a cooling gas, each of said one or more internal cavities having an upper end that is adjacent to said dielectric layer, there being a layer of pedestal material separating each of said one or more cavities from said dielectric layer; wherein for each of said one or more internal cavities, said dielectric layer has a plurality of first holes passing therethrough, and the associated thin layer of pedestal material has an equal number of second holes passing therethrough and aligned with corresponding ones of said plurality of first holes, wherein said first holes have a first diameter that is less than about 0.030 inch.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 9 wherein the first diameter lies within a range of about 0.005 to 0.020 inch.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 9 wherein the dielectric layer has a network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, at least some of the grooves of said network passing over said one or more first holes so as to supply cooling gas thereto.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 11 wherein the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves penetrate said dielectric layer to a distance that is less than the thickness of the dielectric layer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
176 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves penetrating said dielectric layer to a distance that is less than the thickness of the dielectric layer and the upper surface of the pedestal beneath the network of grooves being smooth; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing a cooling gas, each of said internal cavities having an upper end that is separated from said dielectric layer by a layer of pedestal material; there being for each of said internal cooling gas cavities, one or more perforations passing through said dielectric layer and the underlying layer of pedestal material and connecting that internal cooling gas cavity with one or more of the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
176 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves penetrating said dielectric layer to a distance that is less than the thickness of the dielectric layer and the upper surface of the pedestal beneath the network of grooves being smooth; said pedestal having one or more internal cavities for distributing a cooling gas, each of said internal cavities having an upper end that is separated from said dielectric layer by a layer of pedestal material; there being for each of said internal cooling gas cavities, one or more perforations passing through said dielectric layer and the underlying layer of pedestal material and connecting that internal cooling gas cavity with one or more of the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
55 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein for each of said one or more internal cavities, there are a plurality of perforations passing through said dielectric layer and the underlying layer of pedestal material and connecting that internal cooling gas cavity with one or more of the grooves of said network of gas distribution grooves.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein there are a plurality of internal cavities.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
39 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein said substrate has substantially uniform thickness and wherein the grooves of said network have a spacing that is within the range of about 0.5 to 10 times the thickness of the substrate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
45 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the dielectric layer in which the network of distribution grooves is formed has a substantially uniform thickness and wherein the grooves of said network have a depth that is small relative to the thickness of the dielectric layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 17 wherein the grooves of said network have a depth that is less than about 30 microns.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 17 wherein the dielectric layer in which the network of distribution grooves is formed has a substantially uniform thickness of about 0.010 inch.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the grooves have widths that lie within a range of about 0.005 to 0.025 inch.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the spacing of the grooves lies within a range of about 0.020 to 0.250 inch center-to-center.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the perforations passing through the dielectric layer have a diameter that is in the range of about 0.005 to 0.020 inch.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the layer of pedestal material separating the upper end of each of said internal cavities from said dielectric layer has a thickness of about 0.015 inch.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
180 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the pedestal has an underside, wherein said network of cooling gas distribution grooves is a dense network of grooves covering most of a region of the top surface of the dielectric layer that coincides with the backside of the substrate when said substrate is being held on said electrostatic chuck, wherein the pedestal and the dielectric layer have a plurality of lift pin holes passing therethrough, said plurality of lift pin holes extending from the underside of said pedestal to the upper surface of said dielectric layer and providing passages through which lift pins can pass to lift the substrate off of the pedestal, said lift pin holes located within said region, and wherein a first annular area surrounds each of said plurality of lift pin holes, said top surface of said dielectric layer being smooth and free of grooves within said first annular rear so as to aid in forming a seal around each of said plurality of lift pin holes when said substrate is held on said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 24 wherein each of said first annular areas has a width that lies within a range of about 0.125 to 0.200 inch.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
62 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein an second annular area surrounds the inside perimeter of said region, said top surface of said dielectric layer being smooth and free of grooves within said second annular area so as to aid in forming a seal around the outer perimeter of said substrate when said substrate is held on said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 26 wherein said second annular area has a width that lies within a range of about 0.050 to 0.250 inch.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
241 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface and an underside; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface and a dense network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, said dense network of grooves covering most of a region of the top surface of the dielectric layer that coincides with the backside of the substrate when said substrate is being held on said electrostatic chuck, said pedestal including an internal cooling gas distribution network connected to said network of gas distribution grooves for distributing cooling gas thereto, said pedestal and dielectric layer having a plurality of lift pin holes passing therethrough, said plurality of lift pin holes extending from the underside of said pedestal to the upper surface of said dielectric layer and providing passages through which lift pins can pass to lift the substrate off of the pedestal, said lift pin holes located within said region, and wherein a first annular area surrounds each of said plurality of lift pin holes, said top surface of said dielectric layer being smooth and free of grooves within said first annular areas so as to aid in forming a seal around each of said plurality of lift pin holes when said substrate is held on said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
241 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding and gas cooling a substrate during processing in a plasma reaction chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a metallic upper surface and an underside; and a layer of dielectric material formed on the upper surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top surface and a dense network of cooling gas distribution grooves formed therein, said dense network of grooves covering most of a region of the top surface of the dielectric layer that coincides with the backside of the substrate when said substrate is being held on said electrostatic chuck, said pedestal including an internal cooling gas distribution network connected to said network of gas distribution grooves for distributing cooling gas thereto, said pedestal and dielectric layer having a plurality of lift pin holes passing therethrough, said plurality of lift pin holes extending from the underside of said pedestal to the upper surface of said dielectric layer and providing passages through which lift pins can pass to lift the substrate off of the pedestal, said lift pin holes located within said region, and wherein a first annular area surrounds each of said plurality of lift pin holes, said top surface of said dielectric layer being smooth and free of grooves within said first annular areas so as to aid in forming a seal around each of said plurality of lift pin holes when said substrate is held on said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein each of said first annular areas has a width that lies within a range of about 0.125 to 0.200 inch.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
41 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein substrate has substantially uniform thickness and wherein the grooves of said dense network of grooves have a spacing that is within the range of about 0.5 to 10 times the thickness of the substrate.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
62 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein an second annular area surrounds the inside perimeter of said region, said top surface of said dielectric layer being smooth and free of grooves within said second annular area so as to aid in forming a seal around the outer perimeter of said substrate when said substrate is held on said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
25 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 31 wherein said second annular area has a width that lies within a range of about 0.050 to 0.250 inch.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4565601A
Cited
US4645218A
Cited
US4771730A
Cited
US5103367A
Cited
US5151845A
Cited
US5055964A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-09-26 | 1998-03-28 | 1998-09-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-09-26 | 2002-03-28 | 2002-09-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-09-26 | 2006-03-28 | 2006-09-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |