US5986875A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Puncture resistant electrostatic chuck
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
•
Filing: 1998-01-29
•
Granted: 1999-11-16
•
Expires: 2018-01-29
Abstract
Abstract A puncture resistant electrostatic chuck (20) is described. The chuck (20) comprises at least one electrode (25); and a composite insulator (30) covering the electrode. The composite insulator comprises a matrix material having a conformal holding surface (50) capable of conforming to the substrate (35) under application of an electrostatic force generated by the electrode to reduce leakage of heat transfer fluid held between the substrate and the holding surface. A hard puncture resistant layer, such a layer of fibers or an aromatic polyamide layer, is positioned below the holding surface (50) and is sufficiently hard to increase the puncture resistance of the composite insulator.
Inventors
- 👤 Arik Donde
- 👤 Hyman J. Levinstein
- 👤 Robert W. Wu
- 👤 Andreas Hegedus
- 👤 Edwin C. Weldon
- 👤 Shamouil Shamouilian
- 👤 Jon T. Clinton
- 👤 Surinder S. Bedi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 00:45
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/72; H02; H02N; H02N13/00; H10P72/722; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T279/00; Y10T279/23
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
35 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) an electrode; (b) a layer of fibers; and (c) an insulator enclosing the electrode and the layer of fibers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
35 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) an electrode; (b) a layer of fibers; and (c) an insulator enclosing the electrode and the layer of fibers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein the layer of fibers comprises a hardness that is sufficiently high to increase the puncture resistance of the insulator enclosing the electrode.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 2 wherein the fibers are composed of a material having at least one of the following properties: (a) a tenacity of at least about 10 g/denier; (b) a stiffness of at least about 100 g/denier; or (c) a tensile strength of at least about 80×10 3 psi.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 3 wherein the insulator is composed of a polymer and comprises a conformal holding surface for conforming to the substrate under application of an electrostatic force generated by the electrode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein the fibers comprise polyamide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
11 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 5 wherein the polyamide comprises aramid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising a polyimide insulator enclosing aramid fibers covering an electrode.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising a polyimide insulator enclosing aramid fibers covering an electrode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein the aramid fibers have at least one of the following properties: (a) a tenacity of at least about 10 g/denier; (b) a stiffness of at least about 100 g/denier; or (c) a tensile strength of at least about 80×10 3 psi.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein at least a portion of the polyimide insulator comprises a surface that conforms to the substrate when the electrode is electrically charged to electrostatically hold the substrate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein the aramid fibers comprise a layer of fibers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein the electrode comprises grooves and the aramid fibers cover portions of the electrode between the grooves.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein the polyimide insulator is supported by a base having a grooved surface and the polyimide insulator conforms to the grooved surface to provide one or more heat transfer fluid grooves for holding heat transfer fluid below the substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
63 words
An electrostatic chuck comprising an electrode and a composite insulator covering the electrode, wherein the composite insulator comprises a matrix material having a conformal holding surface capable of conforming to a substrate under application of an electrostatic force, wherein the composite insulator comprises a layer of fibers in a matrix material, and wherein the layer of fibers is positioned below the holding surface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
An electrostatic chuck comprising an electrode and a composite insulator covering the electrode, wherein the composite insulator comprises a matrix material having a conformal holding surface capable of conforming to a substrate under application of an electrostatic force, wherein the composite insulator comprises a layer of fibers in a matrix material, and wherein the layer of fibers is positioned below the holding surface.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein a bottom surface of the insulative layer is secured to a process electrode.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the fibers comprise a hardness sufficiently high to increase the puncture resistance of the insulative layer.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the fibers are composed of a material having at least one of the following properties: (a) a tenacity of at least about 10 g/denier; (b) a stiffness of at least about 100 g/denier; or (c) a tensile strength of at least about 80×10 3 psi.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the insulative layer comprises polyimide.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
11 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein the fibers comprise polyamide.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
11 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 18 wherein the polyamide comprises aramid.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
52 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) a base; and (b) an insulator supported by the base, the insulator covering an electrode, and the insulator comprising a puncture resistant layer to protect the electrode, wherein the puncture resistant layer comprises a fiber layer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
52 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate in a process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) a base; and (b) an insulator supported by the base, the insulator covering an electrode, and the insulator comprising a puncture resistant layer to protect the electrode, wherein the puncture resistant layer comprises a fiber layer.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
38 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the base comprises a grooved surface, and the insulator is conformal to the grooved surface to provide one or more heat transfer grooves for holding heat transfer fluid below the substrate.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the fiber layer comprises a hardness higher than a hardness of the insulator covering the electrode.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
13 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the fiber layer comprises polyamide fibers.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the fiber layer comprises aramid fibers.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the puncture resistant layer comprises a material having at least one of the following properties: (a) a tenacity of at least about 10 g/denier; (b) a stiffness of at least about 100 g/denier; or (c) a tensile strength of at least about 80×10 3 psi.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
32 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein at least a portion of the insulator comprises a surface that conforms to the substrate under application of an electrostatic force generated by the electrode.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the insulator comprises a polymer.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
22 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 20 wherein the insulator comprises polyimide and the puncture resistant layer comprises a layer of aramid fibers.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
67 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) an electrode covered by an insulator; and (b) means for increasing the puncture resistance of the insulator, wherein the means for increasing the puncture resistance of the insulator comprises covering the electrode with a layer of fibers having a hardness that is sufficiently high to increase the puncture resistance of the insulator covering the electrode.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
67 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a substrate, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) an electrode covered by an insulator; and (b) means for increasing the puncture resistance of the insulator, wherein the means for increasing the puncture resistance of the insulator comprises covering the electrode with a layer of fibers having a hardness that is sufficiently high to increase the puncture resistance of the insulator covering the electrode.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
52 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 29 wherein the fibers are composed of a material having at least one of the following properties: (a) a tenacity of at least about 10 g/denier; (b) a stiffness of at least about 100 g/denier; or (c) a tensile strength of at least about 80×10 3 psi.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
35 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 30 wherein the insulator is composed of a polymer and comprises a conformal holding surface for conforming to the substrate under application of an electrostatic force generated by the electrode.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
11 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 29 wherein the fibers comprise polyamide.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-11-15 | 2003-05-17 | 2003-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-11-15 | 2007-05-17 | 2007-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-11-15 | 2011-05-17 | 2011-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |