Bipolar electrostatic chuck electrode with self-induced DC voltage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12588469-B2
Application number	US-202318485182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Oct 11, 2023
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

Substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat. Assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. Assemblies may include a first bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body. Assemblies may include a second bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body radially inward of at least a portion of the first bipolar electrode and coaxial with the first bipolar electrode. Assemblies may include an annular electrode disposed about the first bipolar electrode, where the annular electrode is DC floated and RF powered and exhibits an induced DC current.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate support assembly, comprising:
an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat; a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body; a first bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body; a second bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body radially inward of at least a portion of the first bipolar electrode and coaxial with the first bipolar electrode, and an annular electrode disposed about the first bipolar electrode, wherein the annular electrode is DC floated and RF powered and exhibits an induced DC current.

2 . The substrate support assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the mesh coupling the annular electrode with an RF power supply, wherein one or more leads couple the mesh with the annular electrode.

3 . The substrate support assembly of claim 2 , wherein:
a distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 0.6 mm to about 8 mm.

4 . The substrate support assembly of claim 3 , wherein:
the distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 1 mm to about 4.5 mm.

5 . The substrate support assembly of claim 4 , wherein:
the annular electrode exhibits a negative floating DC voltage of less than 0 V to about −600 V.

6 . The substrate support assembly of claim 2 , further comprising:
a bridge mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the bridge mesh coupling the first bipolar electrode with a DC power supply, wherein one or more leads couple the bridge mesh with the first bipolar electrode.

7 . The substrate support assembly of claim 6 , wherein:
the bridge mesh is spaced apart from the mesh of the annular electrode by an amount of at least about 0.6 mm to about 8 mm.

8 . The substrate support assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the first bipolar electrode comprises a generally annular shape; and the second bipolar electrode comprises a generally circular shape.

9 . The substrate support assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
the first bipolar electrode has a first surface area and the second bipolar electrode has a second surface area, wherein the first surface area and the second surface area vary by less than or about 10%.

10 . The substrate support assembly of claim 9 , wherein:
the second bipolar electrode has a radial width and the first bipolar electrode has a width along a radius of the substrate support surface, wherein the radial width of the second bipolar electrode is greater than a width of the first bipolar electrode.

11 . The substrate support assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first bipolar electrode and the second bipolar electrode is coupled with at least one RF power supply; each of the first bipolar electrode and the second bipolar electrode is coupled with at least one DC power supply; and all of the second bipolar electrode is disposed radially inward of the first bipolar electrode.

12 . A substrate support assembly, comprising:
an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat; a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body; a first bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body; a second bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body radially inward of at least a portion of the first bipolar electrode and coaxial with the first bipolar electrode, an annular electrode disposed about the first bipolar electrode, wherein the annular electrode is DC floated and RF powered; and a mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the mesh coupling the annular electrode with an RF power supply, wherein a distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 0.6 mm to about 8 mm.

13 . The substrate support assembly of claim 12 , wherein:
wherein a distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 0.75 mm to about 1.5 mm and the annular electrode exhibits a floating DC voltage of about 100 V to about −100 V.

14 . The substrate support assembly of claim 12 , wherein:
a distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 1.5 mm to about 6 mm and the annular electrode exhibits a floating DC voltage of about −50 V to about −600 V.

15 . The substrate support assembly of claim 14 , wherein:
the distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 1.5 mm to about 4.5 mm.

16 . The substrate support assembly of claim 12 , further comprising:
a bridge mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the bridge mesh coupling the first bipolar electrode with a DC power supply, wherein one or more leads couple the bridge mesh with the first bipolar electrode.

17 . The substrate support assembly of claim 16 , wherein:
the bridge mesh is spaced apart from the mesh of the annular electrode by an amount of at least about 0.6 mm to about 8 mm.

18 . A substrate support assembly, comprising:
an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat; a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body; a first bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body, wherein the first bipolar electrode is coupled with at least one DC power supply and is supplied with a negative DC current; a second bipolar electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body wherein an entirety of the second bipolar electrode is radially inward of at least a portion of the first bipolar electrode and the second bipolar electrode is coaxial with the first bipolar electrode, and an annular electrode disposed about the first bipolar electrode, wherein the annular electrode is DC floated and RF powered and exhibits an induced DC current.

19 . The substrate support assembly of claim 18 , further comprising:
a mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the mesh coupling the annular electrode with an RF power supply, wherein a distance between the mesh and the annular electrode is from about 0.6 mm to about 8 mm.

20 . The substrate support assembly of claim 19 , further comprising:
a bridge mesh disposed within the electrostatic chuck body, the bridge mesh coupling the first bipolar electrode with a DC power supply, wherein the mesh is disposed vertically above or below the bridge mesh.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Li Jian
• Padhi Deenesh
• Verma Abhishek Kumar
• Bera Kallol
• Rocha-Alvarez Juan Carlos
• Zhang Wenhao
• Balasubramanian Ganesh

Classifications

• H10P72/0602 Primary

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H01J37/32724

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01J37/32174

  Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge · CPC title

• H10P72/722 Primary

  Details of electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H01J37/32715

  Workpiece holder · CPC title