Ceramic layer for electrostatic chuck including embedded faraday cage for RF delivery and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11101107-B2
Application number	US-201916591553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2019
Priority date	Jul 27, 2015
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A ceramic layer is attached to a top surface of a base plate using a bond layer. The ceramic layer has a top surface configured to support a substrate. At least one clamp electrode is positioned within an upper region of the ceramic layer. A primary radiofrequency (RF) power delivery electrode is positioned within the ceramic layer at a location vertically below the at least one clamp electrode such that a region of the ceramic layer between the primary RF power delivery electrode and the at least one clamp electrode is substantially free of other electrically conductive material. A plurality of RF power delivery connection modules is distributed in a substantially uniform manner about a perimeter of the ceramic layer. Each of the RF power delivery connection modules is configured to form an electrical connection from the base plate to the primary RF power delivery electrode at its respective location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A top segment of an electrostatic chuck, comprising:
a ceramic layer having a stepped configuration including a central region and a peripheral region, the central region having a top surface that includes an area configured to support a substrate, the peripheral region configured to circumscribe the central region, the peripheral region having a top surface non-planar with the top surface of the central region;
a primary radiofrequency (RF) power delivery electrode positioned within the central region of the ceramic layer;
a perimeter RF power delivery electrode positioned within the peripheral region of the ceramic layer; and
a plurality of RF power delivery connection modules disposed with the ceramic layer, each of the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules connecting to both the primary RF power delivery electrode and the perimeter RF power delivery electrode, each of the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules positioned near an outer radial perimeter of the central region of the ceramic layer and including an electrical contact exposed at a bottom surface of the ceramic layer,
wherein the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules, the perimeter RF power delivery electrode, and the primary RF power delivery electrode together form a Faraday cage to direct RF power transmission around an internal volume of the ceramic layer between a bottom surface of the ceramic layer and the primary RF power delivery electrode and within a circumference about the ceramic layer along which the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules is located.

2. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , wherein the primary RF power delivery electrode and the perimeter RF power delivery electrode are substantially concentrically positioned with respect to each other.

3. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 2 , wherein the perimeter RF power delivery electrode has a substantially annular shape defined by an inner radius and an outer radius.

4. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 3 , wherein the primary RF power delivery electrode has a substantially circular shape defined by an outer radius, wherein the outer radius of the perimeter RF power delivery electrode is greater than the outer radius of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

5. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 4 , wherein the inner radius of the perimeter RF power delivery electrode is less than the outer radius of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

6. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the primary RF power delivery electrode and a top surface of the perimeter RF power delivery electrode are oriented substantially parallel to each other.

7. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the central region of the ceramic layer is greater than a thickness of the peripheral region of the ceramic layer.

8. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 7 , wherein a bottom surface of the central region of the ceramic layer is aligned with a bottom surface of the peripheral region of the ceramic layer.

9. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , wherein the primary RF power delivery electrode includes multiple radial segments positioned in a radially symmetric manner about a center of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

10. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 9 , wherein each of the multiple radial segments of the primary RF power delivery electrode is electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules.

11. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 9 , wherein adjacent ones of the multiple radial segments of the primary RF power delivery electrode are separated from each other by a gap.

12. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 11 , wherein the gap extends radially outward along a virtual line that intersects the center of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

13. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 11 , wherein the multiple radial segments of the primary RF power delivery electrode are physically and electrically connected together through a center portion of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

14. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 11 , wherein the multiple radial segments of the primary RF power delivery electrode are physically separated from each other.

15. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a heater disposed below the primary RF power delivery electrode.

16. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 15 , wherein the perimeter RF power delivery electrode has a substantially annular shape defined by an inner radius and an outer radius, and wherein the heater is configured and positioned within the inner radius of the perimeter RF power delivery electrode.

17. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of RF power delivery connection modules includes a lower electrical connection and an upper electrical connection, the lower electrical connection extending through the ceramic layer from the electrical contact exposed at the bottom surface of the ceramic layer to the perimeter RF power delivery electrode, the upper electrical connection extending through the ceramic layer from the perimeter RF power delivery electrode to the primary RF power delivery electrode.

18. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 17 , wherein the lower electrical connection includes at least one interior embedded conductive segment, and wherein the lower electrical connection includes at least one vertical conductive structure configured and positioned to electrically connect the electrical contact exposed at the bottom surface of the ceramic layer to the at least one interior embedded conductive segment, and wherein the lower electrical connection includes at least one vertical conductive structure configured and positioned to electrically connect the at least one interior embedded conductive segment to the perimeter RF power delivery electrode.

19. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 17 , wherein the upper electrical connection includes at least one interior embedded conductive segment, and wherein the upper electrical connection includes at least one vertical conductive structure configured and positioned to electrically connect the perimeter RF power delivery electrode to the at least one interior embedded conductive segment, and wherein the upper electrical connection includes at least one vertical conductive structure configured and positioned to electrically connect the at least one interior embedded conductive segment to the primary RF power delivery electrode.

20. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 17 , wherein the lower electrical connection is positioned next to an outer radial perimeter of the perimeter RF power delivery electrode, and wherein the upper electrical connection is positioned next to an outer radial perimeter of the primary RF power delivery electrode.

21. The top segment of the electrostatic chuck as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a clamp electrode disposed between the

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Benjamin Neil Martin Paul
• Povolny Henry
• Ricci Anthony J

Classifications

• H10P74/238

  comprising acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection or in-situ thickness measurement · CPC title

• H10P72/722 Primary

  Details of electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H01J37/32577

  Electrical connecting means · CPC title

• H01J37/32568

  Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means · CPC title