Electrostatic chuck and method of forming

• US 7,983,017 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics Incorporated (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics Incorporated (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Simpson, Matthew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAI, TIEN HUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/960,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 361/234, 279/128
• US Class Current: 361/234
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A Coulombic electrostatic chuck is disclosed which includes a substrate, a conductive layer overlying the substrate, and an arc elimination layer overlying the conductive layer. The electrostatic chuck further includes a high-k dielectric layer overlying the arc elimination layer, wherein the high-k dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not less than about 10 and a resistivity of not less than about 10¹¹ Ohm-cm.

Claims

1. A Coulombic electrostatic chuck comprising:

a substrate;

a conductive layer overlying the substrate;

an arc elimination layer overlying the conductive layer, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises a normalized resistance of not less than about 10⁴ Ohms/cm² and an ionic conductor; and

a high-k dielectric layer overlying the arc elimination layer, wherein the high-k dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not less than about 10 and a resistivity of not less than about 10¹¹ Ohm-cm.

2. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the substrate has an average thickness of not less than about 2.0 mm.

3. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer disposed between the substrate and the conductive layer.

4. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer comprises an oxide-based material selected from the group of materials consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, yttrium oxide, iron oxide, barium oxide, barium titanate, tantalum oxide and combinations and compound oxides thereof.

5. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a sheet resistance of not greater than about 10⁶ Ohms.

6. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a metal selected from the group of metals consisting of titanium, molybdenum, nickel, copper, tungsten, silicon, and aluminum and combinations and metal alloys thereof.

7. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises an adhesion promoting material.

8. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises an inorganic material.

9. The electrostatic chuck of claim 8, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises an oxide-based material.

10. The electrostatic chuck of claim 9, wherein the oxide-based material is selected from a group of oxide materials consisting of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, yttrium oxide, iron oxide, barium oxide, barium titanate, tantalum oxide and combinations and compound oxides thereof.

11. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the arc elimination layer has an average thickness of not greater than about 500 microns.

12. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises a porosity of not greater than about 10 vol %.

13. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the high-k dielectric layer comprises a dielectric material having a dielectric constant not less than about 15.

14. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, wherein the high-k dielectric layer has a resistivity of not less than about 10¹³ Ohm-cm.

15. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1, further comprising a capping layer overlying the high-k dielectric layer.

16. The electrostatic chuck of claim 15, wherein capping layer has a planar surface having a surface roughness (R_a) of not greater than about 40 microns.

17. A method of forming an electrostatic chuck comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a conductive layer comprising a conductive material overlying the substrate;

forming an arc elimination layer overlying the conductive layer, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises a normalized resistance of not less than about 10⁴ Ohms/cm² and an ionic conductor; and

forming a high-k dielectric layer overlying the arc elimination layer, wherein the high-k dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not less than about 10 and a resistivity of not less than about 10¹¹ Ohm-cm.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises forming an insulating layer between the substrate and the conductive layer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming the insulating layer comprises a deposition process.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein forming the arc elimination layer comprises a deposition process.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises forming a capping layer overlying the high-k dielectric layer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the capping layer has a porosity of not greater than about 5.0 vol %.

23. A method of forming an electronic device comprising:

providing a Coulombic electrostatic chuck comprising (i) a substrate, (ii) a conductive layer overlying the substrate, (iii) an arc elimination layer overlying the conductive layer, wherein the arc elimination layer comprises a normalized resistance of not less than about 10⁴ Ohms/cm² and an ionic conductor, and (iv) a high-k dielectric layer overlying the arc elimination layer, wherein the high-k dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not less than about 10 and a resistivity of not less than about 10¹¹ Ohm-cm, the high-k dielectric layer defining a work surface;

providing a workpiece overlying the work surface;

providing a voltage across the electrostatic chuck and the workpiece to maintain the workpiece in proximity to the work surface; and

processing the workpiece to form an electronic device.