Patent US6074488A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6074488A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Plasma chamber support having an electrically coupled collar ring
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1997-09-16
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Granted: 2000-06-13
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Expires: 2017-09-16
Abstract
Abstract A support 200 for supporting a substrate 50 in a plasma process chamber 20, comprises a dielectric member 205 having an electrode embedded therein, and having a receiving surface for receiving the substrate. An electrical conductor 210 supporting the dielectric member 205, comprises a peripheral portion 228 extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member. A voltage supply 158 supplies an RF bias voltage to the electrode embedded in the dielectric member 205 to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor 210, and optionally, supplies a DC voltage to electrostatically hold the substrate 50 to the dielectric member. A collar ring 230 on the peripheral portion 228 of the conductor 210, comprises a RF electrical field absorption that is sufficiently low to capacitively couple RF power from the peripheral portion of the conductor through the collar ring to a plasma sheath that extends; above the collar ring, during use of the chuck in the plasma process chamber 20. The extended RF field around the perimeter of the substrate 130 provides enhanced and more uniform plasma processing of the substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig A. Roderick
- 👤 Dennis S. Grimard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 04:30
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/72; H10P72/722
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
89 words
A support capable of supporting a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the support comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; and (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
89 words
A support capable of supporting a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the support comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; and (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
The support of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the dielectric member above the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the plasma through the overlying substrate, and the thickness of the dielectric member below the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the underlying conductor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The support of claim 1 wherein the voltage supply is further adapted to provide a DC voltage to the electrode to electrostatically hold the substrate to the dielectric member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The support of claim 3 wherein the DC voltage is about 200 volts to about 2000 volts.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The support of claim 1 wherein the voltage supply provides an RF bias voltage at a power level of about 50 to about 3000 watts.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The support of claim 1 further comprising a collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises a layer of dielectric material covering the peripheral portion of the conductor.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of at least about 2, and wherein the collar ring is sufficiently thin to allow RF power from the conductor to couple to the plasma at RF frequencies of 1 to 20 MHZ.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises a semiconducting dielectric having a resistivity of about 10 -3 Ωcm to about 10 2 Ωcm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises a lower coupling surface that is sufficiently smooth to uniformly contact the peripheral portion of the conductor to provide low impedance electrical coupling to the conductor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises one or more of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, silicon, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconium boride, and zirconium carbide.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring comprises one or more of polyimide, polyketone, polyetherketone, polysulfone, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polyethersulfone, polyethylene, nylon, silicone, and rubber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
37 words
The support of claim 6 wherein the collar ring is sized sufficiently thin to capacitively couple RF power from the peripheral portion of the conductor through the collar ring to a plasma in the plasma process chamber.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
60 words
The support of claim 13 wherein the thickness of the dielectric member above the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the plasma through the overlying substrate, and the thickness of the dielectric member below the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the underlying conductor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
137 words
A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising: (a) a gas distributor adapted to introduce process gas in the chamber; (b) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (c) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; (d) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member; and (e) a collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor and the conductor is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the peripheral portion through the collar ring to a plasma in the process chamber.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
137 words
A process chamber capable of processing a substrate in a plasma, the process chamber comprising: (a) a gas distributor adapted to introduce process gas in the chamber; (b) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (c) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; (d) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member; and (e) a collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor and the conductor is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the peripheral portion through the collar ring to a plasma in the process chamber.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
45 words
The process chamber of claim 15 wherein the RF bias voltage supplied to the electrode is adapted to generate first RF field components that extend through the substrate and couple directly to the plasma and second RF field components that couple to the underlying conductor.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
65 words
The process chamber of claim 16 wherein the collar ring comprises an electrical field absorption sufficiently low to allow the, second RF field components in the conductor to electrically couple through the collar ring to form third RF field components above the collar ring that complement the first RF field components, thereby providing an extended plasma sheath that extends beyond the perimeter of the substrate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
51 words
The process chamber of claim 15 wherein the collar ring comprises a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of at least about 2, and wherein the collar ring is sufficiently thin to allow RF power from the conductor to couple to the plasma at RF frequencies of 1 to 20 MHZ.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process chamber of claim 15 wherein the collar ring comprises a layer of dielectric or semiconductor material covering the peripheral portion of the conductor.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process chamber of claim 19 wherein the collar ring comprises a semiconducting dielectric material having a resistivity of about 10 -3 Ωcm to about 10 2 Ωcm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
The process chamber of claim 15 wherein the thickness of the dielectric member below the electrode is sufficiently small to allow RF power from the electrode to capacitively couple to the underlying conductor.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process chamber of claim 15 wherein the collar ring comprises a lower coupling surface sufficiently smooth to contact the peripheral portion of the conductor to provide low impedance electrical coupling to the conductor.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process chamber of claim 13 wherein the voltage supply is adapted to provide a DC voltage to the electrode to electrostatically hold the substrate to the dielectric member.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process chamber of claim 15, wherein the collar ring is sized sufficiently thin to capacitively couple RF power from the conductor to the plasma in the chamber.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
102 words
An electrostatic chuck capable of electrostatically holding a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; and (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member and a DC voltage to the electrode to electrostatically hold the substrate on the dielectric member, wherein the conductor is electrically isolated from an external power supply.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
102 words
An electrostatic chuck capable of electrostatically holding a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the electrostatic chuck comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode in the dielectric member; and (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode in the dielectric member and a DC voltage to the electrode to electrostatically hold the substrate on the dielectric member, wherein the conductor is electrically isolated from an external power supply.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
61 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 25 wherein the thickness of the dielectric member above the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the plasma through the overlying substrate, and the thickness of the dielectric member below the electrode is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the underlying conductor.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The support of claim 25 wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
17 words
The support of claim 25 further comprising a collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
25 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein the collar ring comprises a layer of dielectric or semiconductor material covering the peripheral portion of the conductor.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
51 words
The process chamber of claim 28 wherein the collar ring comprises a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of at least about 2, and wherein the collar ring is sufficiently thin to allow RF power from the conductor to couple to the plasma at RF frequencies of 1 to 20 MHZ.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
27 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein the collar ring comprises a semiconducting dielectric having a resistivity of about 10 -3 Ωcm to about 10 2 Ωcm.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
38 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein the voltage supply provides a DC voltage of about 200 volts to about 2000 volts, and an RF bias voltage at a power level of about 50 to about 3000 watts.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
37 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein the collar ring comprises one or more of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconium boride, and zirconium carbide.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
29 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 28 wherein the collar ring comprises one or more of polyimide, polyketone, polyetherketone, polysulfone, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polyethersulfone, polyethylene, nylon, silicone, and rubber.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
37 words
The support of claim 28 wherein the collar ring is sized sufficiently thin to capacitively couple RF power from the peripheral portion of the conductor through the collar ring to a plasma in the plasma process chamber.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
110 words
A support capable of supporting a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the support comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode; (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode; and (d) a semiconductor collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor, the semiconductor collar ring having a resistivity of about 10 1 Ωcm to about 10 3 Ωcm, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
110 words
A support capable of supporting a substrate in a plasma process chamber, the support comprising: (a) a dielectric member having an electrode therein, and a receiving surface adapted to receive the substrate; (b) a conductor supporting the dielectric member, the conductor having a peripheral portion extending beyond the electrode; (c) a voltage supply adapted to supply an RF bias voltage to the electrode; and (d) a semiconductor collar ring on the peripheral portion of the conductor, the semiconductor collar ring having a resistivity of about 10 1 Ωcm to about 10 3 Ωcm, wherein the dielectric member is adapted to capacitively couple RF power from the electrode to the conductor.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
34 words
The support of claim 36 wherein the thickness of the dielectric member between the electrode and the conductor is sufficiently small to allow the electrode to capacitively couple RF power to the underlying conductor.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
36 words
The support of claim 36 wherein the collar ring comprises a lower coupling surface sufficiently smooth to uniformly contact the peripheral portion of the conductor to provide low impedance coupling of RF power from the conductor.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
26 words
The support of claim 36 wherein the voltage supply further provides a DC voltage to the electrode for electrostatically holding the substrate on the dielectric member.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
18 words
The support of claim 39 wherein the DC voltage is from about 200 volts to about 2000 volts.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
25 words
The support of claim 36 wherein the voltage supply provides an RF bias voltage at a power level of about 50 to about 3000 watts.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
38 words
The support of claim 36 wherein the collar ring comprises one or more of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, silicon, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, zirconium boride, and zirconium carbide.
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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) | 2003-06-13 | 2003-12-13 | 2004-06-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-06-13 | 2007-12-13 | 2008-06-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-06-13 | 2011-12-13 | 2012-06-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |