Substrate support pedestal

US12537173B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12537173-B2
Application numberUS-202217953205-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateSep 26, 2022
Priority dateJun 4, 2018
Publication dateJan 27, 2026
Grant dateJan 27, 2026

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  1. Title

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  2. Abstract

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  3. Assignees and inventors

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  4. Key dates

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  5. First independent claim

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  6. CPC / IPC classifications

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  7. Citations and related patents

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

The systems and methods discussed herein are associated with substrate support pedestals used in processing chambers to manufacture semiconductors, electronics, optics, and other devices. The substrate support pedestals include an electrostatic chuck body bonded to a cooling base via a bond layer. A gas flow passage is formed between a top surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a bottom surface of the cooling base, and a porous plug is positioned in the gas flow passage. The gas flow passage passes through a hole in the bond layer and the porous plug and has a swept volume physically shielded from an inside edge of the hole in the bond layer, protecting the bond layer from erosion.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1 . A substrate support pedestal, comprising: a cooling base having a top surface; an electrostatic chuck body having a bottom surface disposed over the top surface of the cooling base; a bond layer securing the electrostatic chuck to the cooling base; a gas flow passage formed between a top surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a bottom surface of the cooling base, the gas flow passage passing through the bond layer; a porous plug disposed in the gas flow passage, the porous plug extending past a portion of the bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck that is in contact with the bond layer, through a hole in the bond layer, and past a portion of the top surface of the cooling base that is in contact with the bond layer; a sleeve disposed around the porous plug; and a dead volume defined between the sleeve and the inside edge of the bond layer. 2 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 , wherein the porous plug is at least partially disposed in a chuck cavity formed in a bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck body. 3 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 2 , wherein the porous plug is at least partially disposed in a base cavity formed in a top surface of the cooling base. 4 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 , wherein the porous plug is coupled to the electrostatic chuck body via an adhesive layer or via a press fit. 5 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 further comprising: a seal extending across a gap formed between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the sleeve. 6 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic chuck body further comprises: a ring extending from a bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck body, the gas flow passage extending through the ring. 7 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 6 further comprising: a sleeve positioned between the ring and the porous plug residing in the ring. 8 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 7 , wherein the sleeve extends from the ring to the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the ring and the sleeve. 9 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 , wherein a ring extends across a gap formed between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the ring. 10 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 further comprising: a ring coupled to at least one of a bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a top surface of the cooling base, the gas flow passage passing through the ring, the ring extending across a gap formed between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the ring. 11 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 1 , further comprising: a ring extending from a top surface of the cooling base, the gas flow passage extending through the ring. 12 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 11 , wherein the ring extends across a gap formed between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the ring. 13 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 11 further comprising: a sleeve positioned between the ring and the porous plug residing in the ring. 14 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 13 , wherein the sleeve extends from the ring to the electrostatic chuck body, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the ring and the sleeve. 15 . A substrate support pedestal, comprising: an electrostatic chuck body having a bottom surface bonded to a top surface of a cooling base via a bond layer, the bond layer having a thickness defining a gap between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base; a gas flow passage formed between a top surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a bottom surface of the cooling base; and a porous plug disposed in the gas passage and extending into the electrostatic chuck body from within the cooling base; a sleeve disposed around the porous plug; and a dead volume defined between the sleeve and the inside edge of the gas passage. 16 . The substrate support of claim 15 further comprising: a ring extending from one of the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, and wherein the gas flow passage having a swept volume physically shielded from an inside edge of a hole formed in the bond layer by at least one of the sleeve. 17 . A substrate processing chamber, comprising: chamber walls and a lid defining a processing volume; and a substrate support pedestal disposed in the processing volume, the substrate support pedestal configured to support a substrate thereon, the substrate support pedestal, comprising: a cooling base having a top surface; an electrostatic chuck body having a bottom surface disposed over the top surface of the cooling base; a bond layer securing the electrostatic chuck to the cooling base; a gas flow passage formed between a top surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a bottom surface of the cooling base, the gas flow passage passing through the bond layer; a porous plug disposed in the gas flow passage, the porous plug extending past a portion of the bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck that is in contact with the bond layer, through a hole in the bond layer, and past a portion of the top surface of the cooling base that is in contact with the bond layerU; a sleeve disposed around the porous plug; and a dead volume defined between the sleeve and the inside edge of the bond layer. 18 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 17 , wherein the porous plug is coupled to the electrostatic chuck body via at least one of an adhesive layer or via a press fit. 19 . The substrate support pedestal of claim 17 further comprising: a seal extending across a gap formed between the electrostatic chuck body and the cooling base, wherein an inside edge of the hole formed in the bond layer physically shielded from a swept volume of the gas flow passage by the sleeve.

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What does patent US12537173B2 cover?
The systems and methods discussed herein are associated with substrate support pedestals used in processing chambers to manufacture semiconductors, electronics, optics, and other devices. The substrate support pedestals include an electrostatic chuck body bonded to a cooling base via a bond layer. A gas flow passage is formed between a top surface of the electrostatic chuck body and a bottom su…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Applied Materials Inc
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H01J37/3244. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jan 27 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 12 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).