Electrostatic chuck and method of its manufacture

• US 20070201180A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Israel Limited (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Israel Limited (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nakash, Shmulik
• Granted Patent: US 7,511,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/234
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6833 Details of electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 15/00 Holding or levitation devices using magnetic attraction or repulsion, not otherwise provided for electric or magnetic devices for holding work on machine tools B23Q3/15 ; monorail vehicle propulsion or suspension B60L13/00; sliding or levitation devices for railway systems B61B13/08; material handling devices associated with conveyors incorporating devices with electrostatic or magnetic grippers B65G47/92; separating thin or filamentary articles from piles using magnetic force B65H3/16; delivering thin or filamentary articles from magnetic holders by air blast or suction B65H29/24; bearings using magnetic or electric supporting means F16C32/04; relieving bearing loads using magnetic means F16C39/06; magnets H01F7/00; dynamo-electric clutches or brakes H02K49/00 ; electric furnaces with simultaneous levitation and heating H05B6/32

Abstract

An electrostatic chuck structure for holding an article is presented. The chuck structure comprises an electrically insulating chuck body layer having a first flat surface for holding the article thereon, and a second opposite surface having a honeycombed pattern in the form of an array of spaced-apart grooves. This second patterned surface of th4e chuck body surface for depositing thereon an electrically conductive layer (electrodes). A dielectric spacer between the electrodes and the article on the chuck body layer is defined by a portion of the chuck body layer between the grooves'"'"' bottom and the flat surface.

Claims

1. A chuck body structure for use in an electrostatic chuck structure for holding an article, the chuck body structure comprising an electrically insulating substrate layer having a first flat surface for holding the article thereon and a second opposite surface having a pattern in the form of an array of spaced-apart grooves for carrying an electrically conductive layer thereon electrode arrangement containing layer on inner surface of at least some of the spaced-apart grooves and the spaces between the grooves.

2. The chuck body structure of claim 1, wherein said substrate layer is made of at least one ceramic materials.

3. The chuck body structure of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the patterned substrate layer defines an insulator spacer between the electrically conductive layer in which electrodes are formed and the article being held by said flat surface.

4. The chuck body structure of claim 3, wherein a thickness of said insulator spacer is about 100-300 microns.

5. The chuck body structure of claim 1, wherein the groove has a depth of about 2-3 mm.

6. The chuck body structure of claim 1, carrying the electrically conductive layer on the patterned surface, the electrically conductive layer being formed by at least two spaced-apart continuous electrically conductive regions defining at least one pair of spaced-apart electrodes.

7. The chuck structure of claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive layer is made of Aluminum or Titanium.

8. The chuck structure of claim 6, wherein said two spaced-apart continuous layer regions are arranged to define an area corresponding to that of the article to be supported.

9. The chuck structure of claim 6, wherein said electrically conductive layer is formed by at least four spaced-apart continuous layer regions defining at least two pairs, respectively, of said electrode arrangement.

10. The chuck structure of claim 9, wherein the electrodes of each pair are arranged to define an area corresponding to that of the article to be supported, different from that defined by the at least one other pair of electrodes.

11. An electrostatic chuck structure for holding an article, the chuck structure comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate layer having a first flat surface for holding the article thereon and a second opposite surface having a pattern in the form of an array of spaced-apart grooves; and

an electrode arrangement containing layer on inner surface of at least some of the spaced-apart grooves and the spaces between the grooves so as to define at least two spaced-apart continuous electrically conductive layer regions for at least two electrodes, respectively.

12. A method of manufacturing an electrostatic chuck structure for holding an article, the method comprising producing a chuck body in the form of an electrically insulating substrate layer having a first flat surface for holding the article thereon and a second opposite surface having a pattern in the form of an array of spaced-apart grooves;

thereby enabling deposition of an electrically conductive layer onto the second surface to define at least two spaced-apart electrodes, a portion of the electrically insulating substrate layer between the bottom of the grooves and said flat surface defining a dielectric spacer between the electrodes and the article held by the flat surface of the electrically insulating substrate layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said patterned substrate is produced by applying a machining technique to a substrate material plate.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising depositing an electrically conductive layer on the patterned surface of the chuck body so as to define at least two spaced-apart continuous electrically conductive regions for at least two electrodes, respectively, each of said continuous regions being formed by the electrically conductive material deposited on inner surface of the grooves and the spaced between said grooves.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said depositing of the electrically conductive layer is carried out by thermal spraying.