Electrostatic chuck having relatively thick and thin areas and means for uniformly cooling said thick and thin areas during chuck anodization

• US 5,521,790 A
• Filed: 05/12/1994
• Issued: 05/28/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FM Industries Inc. (NGK Insulators Limited)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ruckel, Raymond R., Westerfield, Robert P. Jr., Tompkins, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A.
• Application Number:
  US08/241,527
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 361/230, 361/234, 361/235, 269/8, 269/903, 279/128
• US Class Current: 361/234
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6833 Details of electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 13/00 Clutches or holding devices using electrostatic attraction, e.g. using Johnson-Rahbek effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/23 with magnetic or electrostatic means

Abstract

An aluminum electrostatic chuck for holding semiconductor wafers during wafer processing. The chuck is characterized by a closely determined magnitude of electrostatic holding force due to an anodization step for creating a finely uniform thickness of dielectric material on the chuck surface facing the wafer which, in turn, determines the holding force. The chuck cross section comprises two different thickness areas with fluid cooling being applied to the thinner thickness area during chuck anodization to assure thickness uniformity of the anodized material across the face of the chuck.

Claims

1. A method of anodizing a front surface of an aluminum electrostatic chuck in an anodizing bath, said chuck having a first region of a first thickness and a second region of a second thickness greater than said first thickness, and a rear coolant cavity opposite at least a portion of said first region of said front surface, comprising the steps of:

covering said coolant cavity with a backing plate having fluid inlet and fluid outlet apertures connected to coolant fluid source means, thereby forming a composite workpiece comprising said chuck and said backing plate and including an enclosed cavity encompassing said coolant cavity;

immersing said composite workpiece in said anodization bath; and

anodizing said front surface of said chuck while said coolant fluid source means is operating to flow coolant through said enclosed cavity, whereby said coolant cavity is protected from said anodizing bath, said chuck is cooled during said anodization, and heat is removed from said first region.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which said fluid inlet and fluid outlet apertures are connected to said coolant fluid source means by electrically insulating hoses.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which said fluid source means recirculates coolant through said enclosed cavity.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which said fluid source means recirculates coolant through said enclosed cavity.