Electrostatic chuck with concentric cooling base

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9659803-B2
Application number	US-201414162510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2014
Priority date	Jan 25, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide apparatus and method for cooling a substrate support in a uniform manner. One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cooling assembly for a substrate support. The cooling assembly includes a cooling base having a first side for contacting the substrate support and providing cooling to the substrate support, a diffuser disposed on a second side of the cooling base, wherein the diffuser defines a plurality of cooling paths for delivering a cooling fluid towards the cooling base in a parallel manner, and an inlet/outlet plate disposed under the diffuser, wherein the inlet/outlet plate is provides an interface between the diffuser and an inlet and outlet of a cooling fluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling assembly for a substrate support, comprising:
a cooling base having a first side for contacting the substrate support and providing cooling to the substrate support;
a diffuser disposed on a second side of the cooling base, wherein the diffuser defines a plurality of cooling paths for delivering a cooling fluid towards the cooling base in a parallel manner and a plurality of returning tunnels disposed therethrough delivering the cooling fluid away from the cooling base; and
an inlet/outlet plate disposed under the diffuser, wherein the inlet/outlet plate provides an interface between the cooling paths of the diffuser and an inlet and the returning tunnels of the diffuser and an outlet of a cooling fluid wherein the inlet/outlet plate includes inlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single inlet and a plurality of inlet channels in the diffuser, and outlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single outlet and a plurality of returning tunnels in the diffuser.

2. The cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises:
an upper diffuser plate having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the first side is attached to the second side of the cooling base, a plurality of through holes connecting the first side to the second side, and each of the plurality of through holes is a portion of the plurality of cooling paths; and
a lower diffuser plate attached to the second side of the upper diffuser plate, wherein a fluid reservoir is formed between the upper diffuser plate and the lower diffuser plate, and each of the plurality of through holes opens to the fluid reservoir.

3. The cooling assembly of claim 2 , wherein the upper diffuser plate has a first recess on the first side, a plurality of islands protrude from the first recess, and each of the plurality of through holes is formed in each of the plurality of islands.

4. The cooling assembly of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of islands are arranged in concentric circles, and each of the plurality of islands has a notch opening radially outward, and the through hole opens at a bottom of the notch.

5. The cooling assembly of claim 4 , wherein a plurality of returning tunnels are formed along a periphery edge of the upper diffuser plate.

6. The cooling assembly of claim 2 , wherein the fluid reservoir is defined by a recess formed on the second side of the upper diffuser plate and the lower diffuser plate.

7. The cooling assembly of claim 6 , wherein the lower diffuser plate includes a plurality of inlet channels open to the recess of the upper diffuser plate.

8. The cooling assembly of claim 7 , wherein the lower diffuser plate includes a plurality of outlet channels formed radially outward from the plurality of inlet channel.

9. The cooling assembly of claim 8 , where the plurality of outlet channels include a circular trench facing the inlet/outlet plate, a plurality of horizontal tunnels each connecting the circular trench to an outer side of the lower diffuser plate, and a plurality of end tunnels connecting each of the plurality of horizontal tunnels to the upper diffuser plate.

10. The cooling assembly of claim 2 , wherein the upper diffuser plate and the lower diffuser plate are coupled together by a plurality of screws at a periphery region.

11. The cooling assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cooling paths are symmetrical about a central axis of the cooling assembly.

12. A substrate support comprising:
a substrate supporting plate having an upper surface for supporting one or more substrates thereon and a lower surface opposing the upper surface; and
a cooling assembly attached to the lower surface of the substrate supporting plate, wherein the cooling assembly comprises:
a cooling base having a first side contacting the lower surface of the substrate supporting plate and providing cooling to the substrate supporting plate;
a diffuser disposed on a second side of the cooling base, wherein the diffuser defines a plurality of cooling paths for delivering a cooling fluid towards the cooling base in a parallel manner and a plurality of returning tunnels disposed through the diffuser delivering the cooling fluid away from the cooling base; and
an inlet/outlet plate disposed under the diffuser, wherein the inlet/outlet plate provides an interface between the cooling paths of the diffuser and an inlet and the returning tunnels of the diffuser and an outlet of a cooling fluid wherein the inlet/outlet plate includes inlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single inlet and a plurality of inlet channels in the diffuser, and outlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single outlet and a plurality of returning tunnels in the diffuser.

13. The substrate support of claim 12 , wherein the diffuser comprises:
an upper diffuser plate having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the first side is attached to the second side of the cooling base, a plurality of through holes connecting the first side to the second side, and each of the plurality of through holes is a portion of the plurality of cooling paths; and
a lower diffuser plate attached to the second side of the upper diffuser plate, wherein a fluid reservoir is formed between the upper diffuser plate and the lower diffuser plate, and each of the plurality of through holes opens to the fluid reservoir.

14. The substrate support of claim 13 , wherein the substrate supporting plate comprises:
one or more heating elements; and
an electrode for securing a substrate thereon by electrostatic force.

15. The substrate support of claim 14 , wherein the heating elements are independently controllable.

16. The substrate support of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of heating elements form multiple concentric heating zones.

17. The substrate support of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of cooling paths are symmetrical about a central axis of the cooling assembly.

18. A method for providing cooling to a substrate support, comprising:
flowing a cooling fluid into an inlet of an inlet/outlet plate of a cooling assembly attached to the substrate support;
flowing the cooling fluid from the inlet/outlet plate to a plurality of cooling paths in a diffuser of the cooling assembly, wherein the inlet/outlet plate includes inlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single inlet and a plurality of inlet channels in the diffuser and outlet adapting channels forming flow paths between a single outlet and a plurality of returning tunnels in the diffuser, and the plurality of cooling paths delivers the cooling fluid towards a cooling base of the cooling assembly in a parallel manner, and the cooling base is in direct contact with the substrate support; and
returning the cooling fluid through a plurality of returning channels in the diffuser to an outlet of the inlet/outlet plate.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein each of the plurality of cooling paths includes a vertical channel formed in the diffuser towards, and the plurality of vertical channels are substantially evenly distributed in the diffuser.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Lubomirsky Dmitry
• Tantiwong Kyle
• Banna Samer

Classifications

• H10P72/0431

  Apparatus for thermal treatment · CPC title

• H10P72/00

  Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof · CPC title

• H10P72/72 Primary

  using electrostatic chucks · CPC title

• H01L21/6831 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/67

  Electricity · mapped topic