Methods for electrostatic chuck ceramic surfacing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12557595-B2
Application number	US-202217584503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2022
Priority date	Jan 26, 2022
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

Methods and apparatus reduce chucking abnormalities for electrostatic chucks by ensuring proper planarizing of ceramic surfaces of the electrostatic chuck. In some embodiments, a method for planarizing an upper ceramic surface of an electrostatic chuck assembly may comprise placing the electrostatic chuck assembly in a first planarizing apparatus, altering an upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly, and halting the altering of the upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly when an S a parameter is less than approximately 0.1 microns, an S dr parameter is less than approximately 2.5 percent, an S z parameter is less than approximately 10 microns for any given area of approximately 10 mm 2 of the upper ceramic surface, or a pit-porosity depth parameter of greater than 1 micron is less than approximately 0.1 percent of area of the upper ceramic surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for planarizing an upper ceramic surface of an electrostatic chuck assembly, comprising:
placing the electrostatic chuck assembly in a first planarizing apparatus; altering the upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly with the first planarizing apparatus; and halting the altering of the upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly when an arithmetical mean height (S a ) parameter of the upper ceramic surface is less than approximately 0.1 microns, a developed interfacial area ratio (S dr ) parameter of the upper ceramic surface is less than approximately 2.5 percent, a maximum peak to maximum valley (S z ) parameter of the upper ceramic surface is less than approximately 10 microns for any given area of approximately 10 mm 2 of the upper ceramic surface, or a pit-porosity depth parameter of greater than 1 micron on the upper ceramic surface is less than approximately 0.1 percent of area of the upper ceramic surface.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic chuck assembly has an embedded electrode.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first planarizing apparatus includes bead blasting apparatus, polishing apparatus, lapping apparatus, grinding apparatus, or chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the upper ceramic surface has a plurality of contact elements disposed upon the upper ceramic surface and wherein the plurality of contact elements has a height between approximately 2 microns and approximately 20microns.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of contact elements is comprised of diamond like coating (DLC) material.

6 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
altering an upper contact element surface of each of the plurality of contact elements with a second planarizing apparatus; and halting the altering of the upper contact element surface of each of the plurality of contact elements when an arithmetical mean height (S a ) parameter of the upper contact element surface is less than approximately 0.1 microns, a developed interfacial area ratio (S dr ) parameter of the upper contact element surface is less than approximately 2.5 percent, a maximum peak to maximum valley (S z ) parameter of the upper contact element surface is less than approximately 10 microns, or a pit-porosity depth parameter of greater than 1 micron on the upper contact element surface is less than approximately 0.1 percent of area of the upper contact element surface.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the second planarizing apparatus includes bead blasting apparatus, polishing apparatus, lapping apparatus, grinding apparatus, or chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) apparatus.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an endpoint for halting the altering of the upper ceramic surface using data from an in-situ surface metrology apparatus to determine at least one of the arithmetical mean height (S a ) parameter of the upper ceramic surface, the developed interfacial area ratio (S dr ) parameter of the upper ceramic surface, the maximum peak to maximum valley (S z ) parameter for any given area of approximately 10 mm 2 of the upper ceramic surface, or the pit-porosity depth parameter of the upper ceramic surface.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: halting the altering of the upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly when a local center find (LCF) position operating parameter of the electrostatic chuck assembly is approximately 1 mm or less or halting the altering of the upper ceramic surface of the electrostatic chuck assembly when a sheet resistance (Rs) non-uniformity (NU) operating parameter of the electrostatic chuck assembly is approximately 2 percent or less.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Gopalan Ramesh
• Hirahara Robert Toshiharu
• Wu Stanley
• Decena Michael Prestoza
• Boyd Wendell
• Salimian Siamak
• Brezoczky Thomas

Classifications

• H10P72/7616

  characterised by a coating, a hardness or a material · CPC title

• H10P72/7614

  characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions · CPC title

• H10P72/722 Primary

  Details of electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P52/00

  Grinding, lapping or polishing of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title