SUBSTRATE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLASMA RESISTANT PROTECTIVE LAYER

• US 20140154465A1
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Sun, Jennifer Y., Thach, Senh, Kanungo, Biraja P., Firouzdor, Vahid
• Granted Patent: US 9,916,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/137
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6875 characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68757 characterised by a coating or a hardness or a material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1041 Subsequent to lamination
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24997 Of metal-containing material

Abstract

A substrate support assembly comprises a ceramic body and a thermally conductive base bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic body. The substrate support assembly further comprises a protective layer covering an upper surface of the ceramic body, wherein the protective layer comprises at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or a ceramic compound comprising Y₄Al₂O₉ and a solid-solution of Y₂O₃—ZrO₂.

Claims

1. A substrate support assembly comprising:

a ceramic body;

a thermally conductive base bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic body; and

a protective layer covering an upper surface of the ceramic body, wherein the protective layer comprises at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or a ceramic compound comprising Y₄Al₂O₉ and a solid-solution of Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂.

2. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective layer is an ion assisted deposition (IAD) deposited layer having a porosity below 1%, a thickness of less than 20 microns, and a breakdown voltage of greater than 1000 V/mil.

3. The substrate support assembly of claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the ceramic body is non-roughened.

4. The substrate support assembly of claim 2, wherein the ceramic body comprises a plurality of holes and an upper surface of the ceramic body comprises a plurality of mesas, and wherein the protective layer telegraphs the plurality of mesas and does not plug the plurality of holes.

5. The substrate assembly of claim 2, wherein a curvature over the lower surface of the electrostatic puck is less than 50 micron.

6. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective layer is a plasma coating deposited layer having a thickness of 100-300 microns, a porosity of 2-5% and a breakdown voltage of up to 1200 V/mil.

7. The substrate support assembly of claim 6, wherein the protective layer comprises a plurality of mesas formed on a surface of the protective coating, and wherein the substrate support assembly comprises a plurality of holes that penetrate the protective layer and the ceramic body.

8. The substrate support assembly of claim 6, wherein the upper surface of the ceramic body is roughened.

9. The substrate support assembly of claim 1, wherein the protective layer comprises a bulk sintered ceramic article that is diffusion bonded to the upper surface of the ceramic body via an interface layer.

10. The substrate support assembly of claim 9, wherein the ceramic body comprises Al₂O₃ and the interface layer comprises Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG).

11. The substrate support assembly of claim 9, wherein the protective layer comprises a plurality of mesas formed on a surface of the protective coating, and wherein the substrate support assembly comprises a plurality of holes that penetrate the protective layer and the ceramic body.

12. A method comprising:

providing a ceramic body;

bonding a thermally conductive base to a lower surface of the ceramic body;

performing an ion assisted deposition (IAD) process or a plasma spray process to deposit a protective layer on the upper surface of the ceramic body, the protective layer comprising at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or a ceramic compound of Y₄Al₂O₉ and a solid-solution of Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂;

forming a plurality of mesas on at least one of an upper surface of the ceramic body or the protective layer; and

forming a plurality of holes in at least one of the ceramic body or the protective layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the IAD process is performed to deposit the protective layer, wherein the plurality of mesas are formed on the upper surface of the ceramic body and the plurality of holes are formed in the ceramic body prior to performing the IAD process, and wherein the protective layer telegraphs the plurality of mesas and does not plug the plurality of holes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the protective layer has a porosity below 1%, a thickness of less than 20 microns, and a breakdown voltage of greater than 1000 V/mil.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ceramic body is an electrostatic puck, the upper surface of the ceramic body is not roughened prior to performing the IAD process, and a curvature over the lower surface of the electrostatic puck is less than 50 micron after performing the IAD process.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the plasma spray process is performed to deposit the plasma protective layer, the plurality of mesas are formed on an upper surface of the protective layer and the plurality of holes are formed in the ceramic body and the protective layer, the method further comprising roughening the upper surface of the ceramic body prior to the plasma spray process.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the protective layer has a thickness of 100-300 microns, a porosity of 2-5% and a breakdown voltage of up to 1200 V/mil.

18. A method comprising:

providing a ceramic body;

applying a bulk sintered ceramic article to an upper surface of the ceramic body, the bulk sintered ceramic article comprising at least one of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) or a ceramic compound of Y₄Al₂O₉ and a solid-solution of Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂, wherein the bulk sintered ceramic article acts as a protective layer for the ceramic body; and

heating the ceramic body and the bulk sintered ceramic article to form an interface layer between the upper surface of the ceramic body and the bulk sintered ceramic body, wherein the interface layer comprises first elements from the bulk sintered ceramic body that have reacted with second elements from the ceramic body to diffusion bond the ceramic body to the bulk sintered ceramic body; and

bonding a thermally conductive base to a lower surface of the ceramic body.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

forming a plurality of mesas on an upper surface of the protective layer; and

forming a plurality of holes in the ceramic body and the protective layer.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the ceramic body comprises alumina, and the interface layer comprises Al₂O₃ and the interface layer comprises Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG).