Electrostatic chuck having a combination electrode structure for substrate chucking, heating and biasing

• US 5,886,866 A
• Filed: 07/06/1998
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Hausmann, Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): FLEMING, FRITZ M
• Application Number:
  US09/111,104
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 361/230-235, 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 electrostatic chuck including a body of ceramic material, a pair of electrodes embedded in the body of ceramic material, and two feedthroughs connected to each of the electrodes for receiving DC chucking voltage, RF biasing power, and electric heating current. The electrode structure simultaneously provides biasing, chucking and heating of a wafer that is retained by the chuck.

Claims

1. An electrostatic chuck comprising:

a body of dielectric material;

at least one electrode embedded in said body of dielectric material; and

two feedthroughs connected to said at least one electrode for receiving DC voltage for electrostatic chucking, for receiving RF power for RF biasing of the chuck, and for receiving heating current for heating said electrostatic chuck.

2. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 1 wherein said at least one electrode comprises a pair of electrodes.

3. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 2 wherein said pair of electrodes comprises an inner circular electrode and an outer annular electrode concentric with and spaced from the inner electrode.

4. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 1 wherein the at least one electrode is a mesh electrode.

5. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 1 wherein said body of dielectric material and said at least one electrode and said feedthroughs have substantially the same coefficient of expansion.

6. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 5 wherein said body of dielectric material is aluminum-nitride and wherein said at least one electrode and said feedthroughs are molybdenum.

7. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 1 wherein said at least one electrode comprises a pair of electrodes, each electrode having two feedthroughs, said two feedthroughs connected to each electrode of said pair of electrodes includes a first pair of feedthroughs connected to one electrode of said pair of electrodes and a second pair of feedthroughs connected to the other electrode of said pair of electrodes, one feedthrough of each pair of feedthroughs for receiving the DC voltage for electrostatic chucking, one feedthrough of each pair of feedthroughs connected through a capacitor for receiving the RF power for RF biasing of the chuck, and at least one pair of said feedthroughs for receiving the heating current for heating said electrostatic chuck.

8. The electrostatic chuck according to claim 7 wherein each pair of said feedthroughs is for receiving AC heating current to provide dual heating of said electrostatic chuck.

9. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein said at least one electrode contains at least one cut out portion.

10. The electrostatic chuck of claim 9 wherein at least one cut out portion is a plurality of portions, where each portion alternately extends from an opposing side edge of said at least one electrode.

11. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 wherein said at least one electrode is a pair of electrodes that are half-moon shaped, where each of the electrodes is connected to two feedthroughs.

12. The electrostatic chuck of claim 11 wherein said electrodes contain at least one cut out portion.

13. The electrostatic chuck of claim 11 wherein at least one cut out portion is a plurality of portions, where each portion alternatively extends from an opposing side edge of said electrode.

14. Combination electrostatic chuck apparatus, comprising:

an electrostatic chuck including a body of ceramic material, first and second electrodes embedded in said body of ceramic material, a first pair of feedthroughs connected to said first electrode and a second pair of feedthroughs connected to said second electrode;

a DC voltage supply connected to said first electrode through one feedthrough of said first pair of feedthroughs and to said second electrode through one feedthrough of said second pair of feedthroughs for electrostatic chucking of a semiconductor wafer to said body of ceramic material;

a RF power supply connected to said first electrode through a first capacitor and through one feedthrough of said first pair of feedthroughs and to said second electrode through a second capacitor and through one feedthrough of said second pair of feedthroughs to couple RF power to said first electrode and said second electrode for RF biasing of said electrostatic chuck; and

at least one heating current supply connected to said first pair of feedthroughs to connect RF heating current to said first electrode to heat said chuck.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said apparatus includes a second heating current supply connected to said second pair of feedthroughs to connect heating current to the second electrode to provide dual zone heating of said electrostatic chuck.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said first and second electrodes comprise an inner circular electrode and an outer annular electrode concentric with and spaced from the inner electrode.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the first and second electrodes is a mesh electrode.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said body of ceramic material and said first and second electrodes and said feedthroughs have substantially the same coefficient of expansion.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said body of ceramic material is aluminum-nitride and wherein said first and second electrodes and said feedthroughs are molybdenum.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said first and second electrodes contains at least one cut out portion.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein at least one cut out portion is a plurality of portions, where each portion alternately extends from an opposing side edge of said first and second electrodes.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said first and second electrodes are half-moon shaped.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said half-moon shaped electrodes contain at least one cut out portion.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein at least one cut out portion is a plurality of portions, where each portion alternatively extends from an opposing side edge of said electrodes.