Electrostatic chuck and wafer etching device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728198-B2
Application number	US-201916432281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An electrostatic chuck according to an embodiment includes a fixing plate on which a wafer is fixed, an electrostatic plate located under the fixing plate and configured to generate an electrostatic force to fix the wafer on the fixing plate, a plurality of heating elements located under the electrostatic plate and separated to locally control a temperature of the electrostatic plate, and a cooling plate located under the plurality of separated heating elements and configured to emit heat transferred by the plurality of separated heating elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrostatic chuck comprising:
a fixing plate on which a wafer is fixed;
a disc shaped electrostatic plate, made of an electrically conductive material, located under the fixing plate and configured to generate an electrostatic force to fix the wafer on the fixing plate;
a plurality of heating elements located under the electrostatic plate, wherein the plurality of heating elements are separated to locally control a temperature of the electrostatic plate; and
a cooling plate located under the plurality of separated heating elements and configured to emit heat transferred by the plurality of separated heating elements,
wherein the electrostatic plate comprises a plurality of heat blocking walls, which are embedded in the electrostatic plate, and configured to locally distribute, on the electrostatic plate, the heat transferred from the plurality of separated heating elements, and
wherein the plurality of heat blocking walls include
a first set of heat blocking walls arranged in a radial direction and formed in a concentrical shape surrounding the center of the electrostatic plate, the first set of heat blocking walls configured to suppress, in an azimuthal direction, a diffusion of heat transferred from the plurality of heating elements to the electrostatic plate, and
a second set of heat blocking walls arranged as concentric walls extending in a continuous circular shape and spaced apart from the first set of heat blocking walls, the second set of heat blocking walls configured to suppress, in a radial direction, a diffusion of heat transferred from the plurality of heating elements to the electrostatic plate,
wherein a first subset of the first set of the heat blocking walls are arranged within the perimeter of the second set of heat blocking walls and a second subset of the first set of the heat blocking walls are arranged outside the perimeter of the second set of heat blocking walls.

2. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of separated heating elements has an area corresponding to an area of an individual semiconductor chip on the wafer.

3. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of separated heating elements has an area corresponding to an area of about 2 to about 10 individual semiconductor chips on the wafer.

4. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of separated heating elements are individually controlled.

5. The electrostatic chuck of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of separated heating elements comprise at least one of a thermoelectric element, a resistance heater, and an inductance heater.

6. The electrostatic chuck of claim 1 , wherein a material of the electrostatic plate comprises a metal matrix composite (MMC).

7. The electrostatic chuck of claim 6 , wherein the first set of heat blocking walls of the electrostatic plate are formed as individual cavities inside the electrostatic plate.

8. The electrostatic chuck of claim 6 , wherein
a material of the second set of heat blocking walls has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity of the material of the electrostatic plate.

9. The electrostatic chuck of claim 6 , further comprising:
an upper interfacial material layer between the electrostatic plate and the plurality of separated heating elements; and
a lower interfacial material layer between the cooling plate and the plurality of separated heating elements.

10. The electrostatic chuck of claim 9 , wherein a thermal conductivity of a material of the upper interfacial material layer is higher than a thermal conductivity of a material of the lower interfacial material layer.

11. A wafer etching device comprising:
a process chamber comprising an interior space to etch a wafer;
a gas supply device connected to the process chamber and configured to supply a process gas to etch the wafer, to the interior space of the process chamber; and
an electrostatic chuck located inside the process chamber and configured to fix the wafer to be etched by the process gas,
wherein the electrostatic chuck comprises:
a fixing plate on which a wafer is fixed;
a disc shaped electrostatic plate, made of an electrically conductive material, located under the fixing plate and configured to generate an electrostatic force to fix the wafer on the fixing plate;
a plurality of heating elements located under the electrostatic plate and separated to locally control a temperature of the electrostatic plate; and
a cooling plate located under the plurality of separated heating elements and configured to emit heat transferred by the plurality of separated heating elements,
wherein the electrostatic plate comprises a plurality of heat blocking walls, which are embedded in the electrostatic plate, and configured to locally distribute, on the electrostatic plate, the heat transferred from the plurality of separated heating elements, and
wherein the plurality of heat blocking walls include
a first set of heat blocking walls arranged in a radial direction and formed in a concentrical shape surrounding the center of the electrostatic plate, the first set of heat blocking walls configured to suppress, in an azimuthal direction, a diffusion of heat transferred from the plurality of heating elements to the electrostatic plate, and
a second set of heat blocking walls arranged as concentric walls extending in a continuous circular shape and spaced apart from the first set of heat blocking walls, the second set of heat blocking walls configured to suppress, in a radial direction, a diffusion of heat transferred from the plurality of heating elements to the electrostatic plate,
wherein a first subset of the first set of the heat blocking walls are arranged within the perimeter of the second set of heat blocking walls and a second subset of the first set of the heat blocking walls are arranged outside the perimeter of the second set of heat blocking walls.

12. The wafer etching device of claim 11 , wherein an upper surface of at least one of the plurality of separated heating elements has an area corresponding to an area of an individual semiconductor chip on the wafer or has an area corresponding to an area of 2 to 10 individual semiconductor chips on the wafer.

13. The wafer etching device of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of separated heating elements are individually controlled.

14. The wafer etching device of claim 13 , wherein the first set of heat blocking walls of the electrostatic plate are formed as individual cavities inside the electrostatic plate.

15. The wafer etching device of claim 13 , wherein
a material of the second set of heat blocking walls has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity of a material of the electrostatic plate.

16. A wafer temperature control device comprising:
a disc shaped electrostatic plate, made of an electrically conductive material, configured to generate an electrostatic force to fix a wafer, and
a plurality of heating elements separately located under the electrostatic plate and individually controlled to locally control a temperature of the electrostatic plate,
wherein the electrostatic plate comprises a plurality of heat blocking walls, which are embedded in the electrostatic plate, and configured to locally distribute on the electrostatic plate heat transferred from the plurality of separated heating elements, and
wherein the plurality of heat blocking walls include
a first set of heat blocking walls arranged in a radial direction and formed in a concentrical sh

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Myoung-Soo
• Lu Siqing
• Ishikawa Michio
• Kikuchi Masashi

Classifications

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• H10P72/0418

  for etching · CPC title

• H10P72/722 Primary

  Details of electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title