Plasma processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11244839-B2
Application number	US-201916385919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A plasma processing apparatus includes a process chamber, a substrate chuck disposed in the process chamber, and a temperature controller. The substrate chuck is configured to receive a substrate, and includes a cooling channel through which a coolant flows. The temperature controller is configured to control a temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooling channel. The temperature controller includes a cooler configured to cool the coolant supplied to the cooling channel, a heater configured to heat the coolant supplied to the cooling channel, and a 3-way valve configured to regulate a first flow rate of the coolant passing through the cooler and a second flow rate of the coolant passing through the heater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a process chamber;
a substrate chuck disposed in the process chamber, wherein the substrate chuck is configured to receive a substrate and the substrate chuck comprises a cooling channel through which a coolant flows; and
a temperature controller configured to control a temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooling channel,
wherein the temperature controller comprises:
a cooler configured to cool the coolant supplied to the cooling channel;
a heater configured to heat the coolant supplied to the cooling channel; and
a 3-way valve configured to regulate a first flow rate of the coolant flowing into the cooler and a second flow rate of the coolant flowing into the heater,
wherein the cooling channel comprises:
a first channel;
a second channel disposed inside the first channel,
wherein a first radial distance between an edge of the substrate chuck and the first channel is smaller than a second radial distance between the edge of the substrate chuck and the second channel;
a connection channel extending between the first channel and the second channel; and
a bypass channel branching off from the connection channel and extending to an outside of the substrate chuck,
wherein the second channel is disposed near a central portion of the substrate chuck and the first channel is disposed near an edge portion of the substrate chuck, and
when a temperature of the edge portion of the substrate chuck is higher than a temperature of the central portion of the substrate chuck, the temperature controller is configured to discharge the coolant to the outside of the substrate chuck through the bypass channel such that a third flow rate of the coolant flowing through the second channel is smaller than a fourth flow rate of the coolant flowing through the first channel.

2. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature controller is configured to control a temperature of the substrate chuck by supplying, to the substrate chuck, a mixed coolant comprising a mixture of the coolant passing through the cooler and the coolant passing through the heater.

3. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power rod connected to the substrate chuck and configured to transfer power to the substrate chuck,
wherein the power rod comprises a core portion and a shell portion covering the core portion.

4. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the core portion comprises a first material,
wherein the shell portion comprises a second material different from the first material, and
wherein a thermal conductivity of the first material is lower than a thermal conductivity of the second material.

5. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a support disposed below the substrate chuck and configured to support the substrate chuck;
a power rod disposed in a through hole of the support and connected to the substrate chuck, and configured to transfer power to the substrate chuck; and
a heat block layer disposed on an inner wall of the support, wherein the inner wall is formed by the through hole.

6. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a support disposed below the substrate chuck and configured to support the substrate chuck; and
a power rod disposed in a through hole of the support and connected to the substrate chuck, and configured to transfer power to the substrate chuck,
wherein the through hole exposes a surface of the substrate chuck and a heat block layer is disposed on a surface of the substrate chuck.

7. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover ring surrounding an outer circumference of the substrate chuck and comprising a quartz body doped with silicon impurities.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate chuck is an electrostatic chuck configured to fix the substrate to the electrostatic chuck with an electrostatic force.

9. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a process chamber;
a substrate chuck disposed in the process chamber, wherein the substrate chuck is configured to receive a substrate and the substrate chuck comprises a cooling channel through which a coolant flows; and
a temperature controller configured to control a temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooling channel of the substrate chuck, the temperature controller comprising a cooler configured to cool the coolant and a heater configured to heat the coolant,
wherein the cooling channel comprises:
a first channel disposed near an edge portion of the substrate chuck;
a second channel disposed near a central portion of the substrate chuck;
a connection channel extending between the first channel and the second channel, and configured to guide the coolant flowing from the first channel toward the second channel; and
a bypass channel diverged from the connection channel, extending to an outside of the substrate chuck through the edge portion of the substrate chuck, and configured to guide the coolant to the outside of the substrate chuck through the edge portion of the substrate chuck,
wherein, when a temperature of the edge portion of the substrate chuck is higher than a temperature of the central portion of the substrate chuck, the temperature controller is configured to discharge the coolant to the outside of the substrate chuck through the bypass channel such that a flow rate of the coolant flowing through the second channel is smaller than a flow rate of the coolant flowing through the first channel.

10. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a power rod connected to the substrate chuck and configured to transfer power to the substrate chuck,
wherein the power rod comprises a core portion and a shell portion covering the core portion, the core portion comprises a first material, and the shell portion comprises a second material different from the first material.

11. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a support disposed below the substrate chuck and supporting the substrate chuck;
a power rod disposed in a through hole of the support and connected to the substrate chuck, and configured to transfer power to the substrate chuck; and
a first heat block layer disposed on an inner wall of the support, wherein the inner wall is formed by the through hole,
wherein the through hole exposes a surface of the substrate chuck and a second heat block layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate chuck.

12. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
an edge ring surrounding an outer circumference of the substrate chuck; and
a cover ring surrounding the outer circumference of the substrate chuck and an outer circumference of the edge ring, and comprising a quartz body doped with silicon impurities.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Cheonkyu
• Lu Siqing
• Noguchi Takafumi

Classifications

• H10P72/722

  Details of electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• H10P72/0434 Primary

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title