Purged vacuum chuck with proximity pins

• US 20060130767A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SOKUDO Co., Ltd. (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Herchen, Harald
• Application Number:
  US11/111,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20060130767A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/728
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/32 Projection printing apparatus, e.g. enlarger, copying camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03D 13/006 Temperature control of the developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/40 Treatment after imagewise removal, e.g. baking
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41825 machine tools and manipulators only, machining centre
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40476 Collision, planning for collision free path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49137 Store working envelop, limit, allowed zone
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67161 characterized by the layout of the process chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67178 vertical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67184 characterized by the presence of more than one transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67196 characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67225 comprising at least one lithography chamber lithographic apparatuses G03F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67745 characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67754 horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 : using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6838 : with gripping and holding devices using a vacuum; Bernoulli devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 : the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/26 : Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement endpoint detection arrangements in CMP apparatus B24B37/013, in discharge apparatus H01J37/32
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/135 : Associated with semiconductor wafer handling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 : including wafer orienting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53187 : Multiple station assembly apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5323 : Fastening by elastic joining

Abstract

A substrate support structure comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The substrate support structure also comprises a plurality of proximity pins projecting to a first height above the first surface, the first height being less than 100 μm. In addition, the substrate support structure further comprises a plurality of purge ports passing from the second surface to the first surface and a plurality of vacuum ports passing from the second surface to the first surface. In one embodiment, the plurality of purge ports are arranged in a first circular pattern, the first circular pattern having a first radial dimension less than the radius of the substrate support, and the plurality of vacuum ports are arranged in a second circular pattern, the second circular pattern having a second radial dimension less than the first radial dimension.

Claims

1. A substrate support structure, the structure comprising:

a substrate support comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;

a plurality of proximity pins projecting to a first height above the first surface, the first height being less than 100 μ

m;

a plurality of purge ports passing from the second surface to the first surface; and

a plurality of vacuum ports passing from the second surface to the first surface.

2. The substrate support structure of claim 1 wherein the plurality of purge ports are arranged in a first circular pattern, the first circular pattern having a first radial dimension less than the radius of the substrate support;

and

the plurality of vacuum ports are arranged in a second circular pattern, the second circular pattern having a second radial dimension less than the first radial dimension.

3. The substrate support structure of claim 2 further comprising an annular spacer ridge characterized by a radial dimension greater than the second radial dimension and extending a second height above the first surface, wherein the second height is less than the first height.

4. The substrate support structure of claim 1 wherein the plurality of proximity pins comprise materials selected from the group consisting of silicon, silicon oxides, metals, ceramics, polymers, diamond, diamond-like carbon, boron nitride, single crystalline α

-alumina, and polycrystalline β

-alumina.

5. The substrate support structure of claim 1 wherein the substrate support is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, silicon carbide, copper, graphite, aluminum, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, boron nitride, anodized aluminum, and sealed anodized aluminum.

6. A method of manufacturing a substrate support structure, the method comprising:

providing a substrate support, the substrate support comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;

forming a plurality of recessed regions in the first surface;

providing a plurality of seed crystals having at least one planar surface;

placing the plurality of seed crystals in the plurality of recessed regions so that the at least one planar face is substantially coplanar with the first surface; and

selectively depositing a plurality of proximity pins in contact with the plurality of seed crystals and extending to a first height above the first surface.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

forming a plurality of vacuum ports passing from the first surface to the second surface; and

forming a plurality of purge ports passing from the second surface to the first surface.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein selectively depositing comprises a homoepitaxial growth process.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of seed crystals are fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of diamond, silicon, silicon oxide, boron nitride, and aluminum oxide.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the first height is less than 100 μ

m.

11. A method of manufacturing a substrate support structure, the method comprising:

providing a substrate support, the substrate support comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;

forming a plurality of recessed regions in the first surface, the plurality of recessed regions characterized by a first depth;

providing a plurality of support structures characterized by a dimension greater than the first depth;

inserting the plurality of support structures into the plurality of recessed regions;

pressing the plurality of support structures into the plurality of recessed regions to align a surface of the plurality of support structures with the first surface, thereby deforming the plurality of recessed regions;

removing a portion of the substrate support defined by a depth measured from the first surface to a third surface to expose to expose a portion of the support structures.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the support structures are sapphire spheres.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the dimension is a diameter of the sapphire spheres.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the diameter is less than approximately 4 mm.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of inserting the plurality of support structures into the plurality of recessed regions comprises at least a portion of the plurality of support structures extending to a second height above the first surface.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the depth is approximately 30 μ

m.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of removing a portion of the substrate support comprises electropolishing portions of the first surface of the substrate support.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein electropolishing portions of the first surface removes a layer of the substrate support less than 100 μ

m in thickness.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein pressing the plurality of support structures into the plurality of recessed regions and aligning a surface of the plurality of support structures with the first surface comprises using a tool with a level of hardness greater than or equal to a level of hardness of the support structures, the level of hardness of the support structures being greater than or a level of hardness of the substrate support.