Method and Apparatus of Substrate Support Repair and Refurbishment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025220777-A1
Application number	US-202318397746-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2023
Priority date	Dec 27, 2023
Publication date	Jul 3, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods of refurbishing ceramic heaters are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of refurbishing a ceramic heater having one or more heating elements disposed therein includes: grinding off a top portion of the ceramic heater to form a ground ceramic heater having a first upper layer, wherein the ground ceramic heater includes the one or more heating elements disposed below the first upper layer; coupling a ceramic top to the first upper layer of the ground ceramic heater; and sealing one or more edge regions of an interface between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater to form a refurbished ceramic heater.

First claim

1 . A method of refurbishing a ceramic heater having one or more heating elements disposed therein, comprising:
grinding off a top portion of the ceramic heater to form a ground ceramic heater having a first upper layer, wherein the ground ceramic heater includes the one or more heating elements disposed below the first upper layer; coupling a ceramic top to the first upper layer of the ground ceramic heater; and sealing one or more edge regions of an interface between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater to form a refurbished ceramic heater.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the ceramic top to the first upper layer comprises bonding the ceramic top to the first upper layer via a metal filler.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the ceramic top or ground ceramic heater includes one or more notches to reduce or prevent the metal filler from overflowing to one or more edge regions of the ceramic top.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the one or more notches includes an outer annular notch and an inner annular notch, wherein the outer annular notch is larger than the inner annular notch.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic heater includes one or more lift pin openings, and further comprising sealing the one or more lift pin openings at the interface between the ceramic top and the ceramic heater.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the ceramic heater includes an RF mesh and grinding the top portion includes removing the RF mesh and some ceramic material disposed below the RF mesh.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the ceramic top to the first upper layer and sealing the one or more edge regions of the interface between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater comprises diffusion bonding the one or more edge regions of the interface.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein sealing the one or more edge regions of the interface comprises at least one of:
diffusion bonding one or more edge regions of the ceramic top to one or more edge regions of the first upper layer; or
applying a plasma spray coating along the interface between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising placing a non-metal foil between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater prior to sealing the one or more edge regions.

10 . A method of refurbishing a ceramic heater having one or more heating elements disposed therein, comprising:
grinding off a top portion of the ceramic heater to form a ground ceramic heater having a first upper layer, wherein the ceramic heater is an electrostatic chuck having an RF mesh disposed therein, wherein grinding the top portion includes removing the RF mesh, and wherein the ground ceramic heater includes the one or more heating elements disposed below the first upper layer; bonding a ceramic top having a new RF mesh to the first upper layer of the ground ceramic heater via a metal filler; and sealing edge regions of an interface between the ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater to seal the metal filler and to form a refurbished ceramic heater.

11 . A substrate support, comprising:
a ground ceramic heater having one or more heating elements disposed therein; and a replacement ceramic top bonded to the ground ceramic heater, wherein an edge region of an interface between the ground ceramic heater and the replacement ceramic top is sealed.

12 . The substrate support of claim 11 , wherein a lower surface of the replacement ceramic top or upper surface of the ground ceramic heater includes one or more notches configured to receive overflow of a metal filler disposed between the ground ceramic heater and the replacement ceramic top.

13 . The substrate support of claim 12 , wherein the one or more notches includes an outer annular notch and an inner annular notch, wherein the outer annular notch is larger in width or depth than the inner annular notch.

14 . The substrate support of claim 11 , wherein the edge region is sealed via plasma spray coating and the plasma spray coating is disposed along outer sidewalls of the replacement ceramic top and the ground ceramic heater.

15 . The substrate support of claim 11 , further comprising a metal filler disposed in a central region of an interface between the ground ceramic heater and the replacement ceramic top, and wherein the interface is sealed to prevent the metal filler from being exposed at an outer edge of the interface between the ground ceramic heater and the replacement ceramic top.

16 . The substrate support of claim 15 , wherein the metal filler comprises a copper or silver alloy.

17 . The substrate support of claim 11 , further comprising an RF mesh disposed in the ceramic top.

18 . The substrate support of claim 11 , further comprising a non-metal foil disposed between the ground ceramic heater and the replacement ceramic top.

19 . The substrate support of claim 11 , wherein the replacement ceramic top includes a plurality of mesas on an upper surface thereof.

20 . The substrate support of claim 11 , wherein the replacement ceramic top includes lift pin openings.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Ma Ying
• Wu Stanley
• Vasudev Anand

Classifications

• H10P72/7614

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

• H10P72/72

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• C04B2237/68

  Forming laminates or joining articles wherein at least one substrate contains at least two different parts of macro-size, e.g. one ceramic substrate layer containing an embedded conductor or electrode · CPC title

• C04B2237/62

  Forming laminates or joined articles comprising holes, channels or other types of openings · CPC title