Detachable electrostatic chuck having sealing assembly

• US 7,589,950 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsai, Cheng-Tsiung, Sansoni, Steven V., Parkhe, Vijay D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUER, SCOTT ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US11/549,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 361/234, 279/128
• US Class Current: 361/234
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/23 with magnetic or electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A detachable electrostatic chuck is capable of being attached to a pedestal in a process chamber. The chuck comprises an electrostatic puck having a ceramic body with an embedded electrode. The chuck also has a baseplate below the electrostatic puck with a lower surface which is bonded to a sealing assembly comprising a sealing plate and sealing ring. The sealing plate and ring are polished to form a gas-tight seal between the chuck and pedestal to prevent gas leakage from or into this region.

Claims

1. A detachable electrostatic chuck for attachment to a pedestal in a process chamber, the detachable electrostatic chuck comprising:

(a) an electrostatic puck comprising a ceramic body having an embedded electrode, a substrate receiving surface, and an annular flange;

(b) a baseplate below the electrostatic puck, the baseplate having a peripheral ledge extending beyond the annular flange of the ceramic body, and a bottom surface; and

(c) a sealing assembly comprising a sealing plate and a concentric sealing ring, the sealing assembly being bonded to the bottom surface of the baseplate.

2. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing ring is a circular ring.

3. A chuck according to claim 2 wherein the circular ring comprises an inner radius of at least about 10 cm and an outer radius of less than about 18 cm.

4. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate is D-shaped.

5. A chuck according to claim 4 wherein the D-shape comprises a flat edge connected to a semicircular perimeter.

6. A chuck according to claim 5 wherein the electrostatic chuck rests on a pedestal, and wherein the flat edge of the D-shape of the sealing plate serves as an alignment key that mates with a corresponding flat edged cavity in the pedestal.

7. A chuck according to claim 4 wherein the D-shaped sealing plate comprises five apertures shaped and positioned to allow passage of one or more gas couplers, thermocouples, and electrode posts.

8. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each have a thickness of less than about 4 mm.

9. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each comprise a surface flatness of less than about 200 microns.

10. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each comprise a surface flatness of from about 25 to about 125 microns.

11. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each comprise a roughness average (RA) of less than 63.

12. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each comprise a roughness average (RA) of less than 32.

13. A chuck according to claim 10 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring comprise (i) aluminum nitride, or (ii) nickel, molybdenum, stainless steel, titanium, zirconium, or alloys thereof.

14. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring comprise molybdenum.

15. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the ceramic body of the electrostatic puck comprises aluminum nitride with an embedded electrode of molybdenum;

and the baseplate comprises silicon carbide infiltrated with a metal alloy comprising aluminum.

16. A substrate support comprising:

(a) the electrostatic chuck of claim 1;

(b) a pedestal having an upper surface, a housing, and an outwardly extending pedestal flange capable of being attached to the peripheral ledge of the baseplate of the electrostatic chuck; and

(c) a set of O-rings between the sealing assembly and the upper surface of the pedestal.

17. A substrate processing chamber comprising the substrate support of claim 16, and further comprising a gas supply to provide a process gas in the chamber, a gas energizer to energize the gas, and an exhaust port to exhaust the gas from the chamber.

31. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the baseplate comprises a backside surface having a raised central protrusion.

32. A chuck according to claim 31 wherein the raised central protrusion is surrounded by an annular trough.

33. A chuck according to claim 32 wherein the raised central protrusion is D-shaped.

34. A chuck according to claim 1 wherein the baseplate comprises metal.

35. A chuck according to claim 34 wherein the metal comprises aluminum.

36. A chuck according to claim 35 wherein the metal comprises aluminum and silicon.

18. A method of fabricating an electrostatic chuck, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming an electrostatic puck comprising a ceramic body with an embedded electrode, the ceramic body having a substrate receiving surface, a bottom surface, and an annular flange;

(b) forming a baseplate comprising a porous ceramic having a peripheral ledge, top surface, and bottom surface;

(c) forming a sealing assembly comprising a sealing plate and a sealing ring;

(d) holding (i) the top surface of the baseplate against the bottom surface of the electrostatic puck so that the peripheral ledge of the baseplate extends beyond the annular flange of the ceramic body of the electrostatic puck, and (ii) the sealing assembly positioned against the bottom surface of the baseplate;

(e) infiltrating molten metal into the porous ceramic of the baseplate and between the gaps of the ceramic body, baseplate, and sealing assembly, to;

(i) bond the ceramic body to the baseplate with a metal bond;

(ii) infiltrate the porous ceramic of the baseplate with the metal; and

(iii) bond the sealing assembly to the to the bottom surface of the baseplate.

19. A method according to claim 18 comprising polishing an exposed surface of the sealing assembly to a surface flatness of less than about 200 microns.

20. A method according to claim 18 comprising polishing an exposed surface of the sealing assembly to a roughness average (RA) of less than about 32.

21. A method according to claim 18 comprising forming the sealing assembly from a metal sheet having a thickness of less than about 4 mm.

22. A method according to claim 18 comprising forming the sealing assembly from molybdenum.

23. A method according to claim 18 comprising forming the sealing ring by stamping a circular ring from a metal sheet.

24. A method according to claim 18 comprising forming the sealing plate by stamping a D-shape from a metal sheet.

25. A method according to claim 23 comprising forming the D-shaped plate to have a flat edge connected to a semicircular perimeter such that the flat edge serves as an alignment key that mates with a corresponding flat edged cavity in a pedestal.

26. A sealing assembly for forming a gas tight seal between an electrostatic chuck and a pedestal in a process chamber, the sealing ring comprising:

(a) a sealing plate that is D-shaped with a flat edge connected to a semicircular perimeter; and

(b) a sealing ring comprising a circular ring which is concentric to the sealing plate,

wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each comprise a surface flatness of less than about 200 microns.

27. An assembly according to claim 26 wherein the circular ring of the sealing ring comprises an inner radius of at least about 10 cm and an outer radius of less than about 18 cm.

28. An assembly according to claim 26 wherein the flat edge of the D-shaped sealing plate serves as an alignment key that mates with a corresponding flat edged cavity in the pedestal.

29. An assembly according to claim 26 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring each have a thickness of less than about 4 mm.

30. An assembly according to claim 26 wherein the sealing plate and sealing ring comprise molybdenum.

37. A detachable electrostatic chuck for attachment to a pedestal in a process chamber, the detachable electrostatic chuck comprising:

(a) an electrostatic puck comprising a ceramic body having an embedded electrode, a substrate receiving surface, and an annular flange;

(b) a baseplate below the electrostatic puck, the baseplate having a peripheral ledge extending beyond the annular flange of the ceramic body, and a bottom surface, the baseplate comprising aluminum; and

(c) a sealing assembly comprising a sealing plate and a concentric sealing ring, the sealing assembly being bonded to the bottom surface of the baseplate.

38. A chuck according to claim 37 wherein the baseplate comprises