US5539609A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electrostatic chuck usable in high density plasma
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1993-10-14
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Granted: 1996-07-23
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Expires: 2013-10-14
Abstract
Abstract An electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer in a plasma processing chamber, the chuck including a pedestal having a top surface, an internal manifold for carrying a cooling gas, and a first plurality of holes leading from the internal manifold toward said top surface; and a dielectric layer on the top surface of the pedestal. The dielectric layer has a top side and second plurality of holes, each of which is aligned with a different one of the holes of the first plurality of holes in the pedestal. The first and second holes form a plurality of passages extending from the internal manifold to the top side of the dielectric layer and through which the cooling gas is supplied to the backside of the wafer. Each of the first holes and the second hole aligned therewith form a different one of the plurality of passages. The passages are concentrated in regions of the dielectric layer that are in proximity to regions of higher leakage of cooling gas when the wafer is held against the electrostatic chuck by an electrostatic force.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth S. Collins
- 👤 John R. Trow
- 👤 Joshua C.-W. Tsui
- 👤 Craig A. Roderick
- 👤 Nicolas J. Bright
- 👤 Jeffrey Marks
- 👤 Tetsuya Ishikawa
- 👤 Jian Ding
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 00:49
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/72; H10P72/722
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
178 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer during processing in a plasma processing chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a top surface, an internal manifold for carrying a cooling gas, and a first plurality of holes leading from said internal manifold toward said top surface; and a dielectric layer on the top surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top side and second plurality of holes, each of which is aligned with a different one of the holes of said first plurality of holes in said pedestal, said first and second holes forming a plurality of passages extending from said internal manifold to the top side of said dielectric layer and through which said cooling gas is supplied to an interface formed by a backside of said wafer and the top side of said dielectric layer when said wafer is resting thereon, said passages being concentrated in regions of said dielectric layer that are in proximity to regions of higher leakage of cooling gas when said wafer is held against said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
178 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer during processing in a plasma processing chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a top surface, an internal manifold for carrying a cooling gas, and a first plurality of holes leading from said internal manifold toward said top surface; and a dielectric layer on the top surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top side and second plurality of holes, each of which is aligned with a different one of the holes of said first plurality of holes in said pedestal, said first and second holes forming a plurality of passages extending from said internal manifold to the top side of said dielectric layer and through which said cooling gas is supplied to an interface formed by a backside of said wafer and the top side of said dielectric layer when said wafer is resting thereon, said passages being concentrated in regions of said dielectric layer that are in proximity to regions of higher leakage of cooling gas when said wafer is held against said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein at least some of said plurality of passages are distributed throughout an annular region of said pedestal, said annular region located inside and in close proximity to the outer periphery of said wafer when said wafer is held against said electrostatic chuck during processing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 2 wherein all of the plurality of passages that are distributed throughout said annular region lie, evenly spaced in a circle that is concentric with said annular region.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 3 wherein said dielectric layer includes a network of grooves formed therein, wherein said network of grooves includes an annular groove that lies along said circle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 4 wherein the grooves of said network of grooves have a maximum depth and said dielectric layer has a thickness that is greater than said maximum depth.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
73 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein said pedestal includes a plurality of lift pins holes for allowing lift pins to pass therethrough to raise said wafer above said electrostatic chuck and wherein at least some of said plurality of passages are distributed throughout a plurality of annular regions, each annular region of said plurality of annular regions being near and centered about a different one of said plurality of lift pin holes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 6 wherein all of the plurality of passages that are distributed throughout any given one of said plurality of annular regions lie, evenly spaced in a circle around the corresponding lift pin hole.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 7 wherein said dielectric layer includes a network of grooves formed therein, wherein said network of grooves includes a plurality of annular grooves each one of which lies along the circle surrounding a different one of said plurality of lift pin holes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 8 wherein the grooves of said network of grooves have a maximum depth and said dielectric layer has a thickness that is greater than said maximum depth.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein said dielectric layer includes a network of grooves formed therein, and wherein at least some of the grooves of said network of grooves are connected directly to said manifold by some of the passages of said plurality of passages.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 6 wherein said grooves are formed by a laser.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
219 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer during processing in a plasma processing chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a top surface, an internal manifold for carrying a cooling gas, and a first plurality of holes leading from said internal manifold toward said top surface; and a dielectric layer on the top surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top side and second plurality of holes, each of which is aligned with a different one of the holes of said first plurality of holes in said pedestal, said first and second holes forming a plurality of passages extending from said internal manifold to the top side of said dielectric layer and through which said cooling gas is supplied to an interface formed by the backside of said wafer and the top side of said dielectric layer when said wafer is resting thereon, wherein said pedestal includes a groove formed in its top surface and further comprises an insert in said groove, said insert having a channel formed therein on a side of said insert that is opposite to the top surface of said pedestal, said channel and said groove forming a cavity that is part of said internal manifold and wherein at least some of said plurality of passages passing through said insert into said channel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
219 words
An electrostatic chuck for holding a wafer during processing in a plasma processing chamber, said chuck comprising: a pedestal having a top surface, an internal manifold for carrying a cooling gas, and a first plurality of holes leading from said internal manifold toward said top surface; and a dielectric layer on the top surface of said pedestal, said dielectric layer having a top side and second plurality of holes, each of which is aligned with a different one of the holes of said first plurality of holes in said pedestal, said first and second holes forming a plurality of passages extending from said internal manifold to the top side of said dielectric layer and through which said cooling gas is supplied to an interface formed by the backside of said wafer and the top side of said dielectric layer when said wafer is resting thereon, wherein said pedestal includes a groove formed in its top surface and further comprises an insert in said groove, said insert having a channel formed therein on a side of said insert that is opposite to the top surface of said pedestal, said channel and said groove forming a cavity that is part of said internal manifold and wherein at least some of said plurality of passages passing through said insert into said channel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 12 wherein said insert is welded into said groove.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
61 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein said groove is an annular groove located inside and in close proximity to the outer periphery of said wafer when said wafer is held against said electrostatic chuck during processing, and wherein said insert is an annular ring and the channel formed therein is an annular channel that is concentric with said annular ring.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
74 words
The electrostatic chuck of claim 13 wherein said pedestal includes a plurality of lift pins holes for allowing lift pins to pass therethrough to raise said wafer above said electrostatic chuck, wherein said groove is an annular groove located around and in close proximity one of said lift pin holes and wherein said insert is an annular ring and the channel formed therein is an annular channel that is concentric with said annular ring.
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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) | 1999-07-23 | 2000-01-22 | 2000-07-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-07-23 | 2004-01-22 | 2004-07-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-07-23 | 2008-01-22 | 2008-07-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |