Apparatus for controlling temperature uniformity of a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10386126-B2
Application number	US-201615050419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2010
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate can control the thermal uniformity of the substrate to be more uniform or to be non-uniform. In some embodiments, an apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate includes: a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate thereon. A flow path is disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface. The flow path comprises a first portion and a second portion, each portion having a substantially equivalent axial length. The first portion is spaced about 2 mm to about 10 mm from the second portion. The first portion provides a flow of heat transfer fluid in a direction opposite a flow of heat transfer fluid of the second portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling thermal uniformity of a substrate, comprising:
a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate; and
a flow path defined by a channel disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface,
wherein the channel comprises a first portion and a second portion, each of the first portion and the second portion having a substantially equivalent axial length, and
wherein the first portion and the second portion are arranged within the substrate support such that the first portion is configured to provide a flow of heat transfer fluid in a direction opposite a flow of heat transfer fluid of the second portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is spaced about 2 mm to about 10 mm from the second portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support further comprises:
an inlet coupled to a first end of the channel;
an outlet coupled to a second end of the channel; and
a heat transfer fluid source coupled to the inlet and the outlet to provide a flow of the heat transfer fluid to the channel and to control a temperature and a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an inlet and an outlet of the channel are disposed proximate each other near a periphery of the substrate support, and wherein the first and second portions of the channel together wind radially inward toward a center point of the substrate support, and wind radially outward until an end of the first and second portions is reached.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the radially inward and radially outward winding of the first and second portions of the channel is interleaved.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first and second portions of the flow path are configured to provide a dual counter flow.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an inlet and an outlet of the flow path are disposed proximate each other near a center point of the substrate support, and wherein the first and second portions of the flow path together wind radially outward toward a periphery of the substrate support, and wind radially inward until an end of the first and second portions is reached.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the radially inward and radially outward winding of the first and second portions of the channel is interleaved.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first and second portions of the channel are configured to provide a dual counter flow.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one valve respectively coupled to the first and second portions of the channel to control a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a controller coupled to the at least one valve to control the operation thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support is disposed in an inner processing volume of a process chamber.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is spaced about 2 mm to about 30 mm from the second portion.

14. An apparatus for controlling thermal uniformity of a substrate, comprising:
a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate; and
a flow path defined by a channel disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface,
wherein the channel is arranged in a zone from a plurality of zones of the substrate support, wherein the plurality of zones have a substantially equal surface area, and are arranged symmetrically on the substrate support.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:
a plurality of flow paths defined by a corresponding plurality of channels disposed in the zone to flow the heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface, the plurality of flow paths defined by the corresponding plurality of channels comprising the flow path defined by the channel;
a common inlet coupled to a first end of each of the plurality of channels;
a common outlet coupled to a second end of each of the plurality of channels; and
a heat transfer fluid source coupled to the common inlet and the common outlet to provide a flow of the heat transfer fluid to the plurality of channels, and to control a temperature and a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the common inlet and the common outlet are disposed proximate each other, and near a center point of the substrate support, and wherein the plurality of channels are disposed symmetrically about the common inlet and the common outlet.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of channels are configured to provide a dual counter flow.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
at least one valve respectively coupled to the common inlet and the common outlet to control a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising a controller coupled to the at least one valve to control the operation thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the substrate support is disposed in an inner processing volume of a process chamber.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Bera Kallol
• Zhou Xiaoping
• Buchberger Jr Douglas A
• Nguyen Andrew
• Tavassoli Hamid
• Kumar Surajit
• Rauf Shahid

Classifications

• F28F3/12 Primary

  Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels {(F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F28F2013/001

  Particular heat conductive materials, e.g. superconductive elements · CPC title