Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to substrate processing equipment, and more specifically to a substrate support.
As the critical dimensions of devices continue to shrink, improved control over processes, such as heating, cooling, or the like may be required. For example, a substrate support may include a heater and/or chiller to provide a desired temperature of a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing.
Thus, the inventors have provided an improved substrate support.
Embodiments of substrate supports with a heater and an integrated chiller are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support may include a first member to distribute heat to a substrate when present above a first surface of the first member, a heater disposed beneath the first member and having one or more heating zones to provide heat to the first member; a plurality of cooling channels disposed beneath the first member to remove heat provided by the heater, a plurality of substrate support pins disposed a first distance above the first surface of the first member, the plurality of substrate support pins to support a backside surface of a substrate when present on the substrate support, and an alignment guide extending from the first surface of the first member and about the plurality of substrate support pins.
In some embodiments, a substrate support may include a first member to distribute heat to a substrate when present above a first surface of the first member, a plurality of substrate support pins extending from the first surface of the first member, the plurality of substrate support pins to support a backside surface of a substrate when present on the substrate support, an alignment guide extending from the first surface of the first member and about the plurality of substrate support pins, wherein the first member, each of the plurality of substrate support pins and the alignment guide are formed from the same material, and a second member having one or more heating zones disposed in the second member to provide heat to the first member and having a plurality of cooling channels disposed in the second member.
In some embodiments, a substrate support includes a first member to distribute heat to a substrate when present above an upper surface of the first member, a support layer disposed on the upper surface of the first member, wherein each of a plurality of substrate support pins extend from a surface of the support layer to support a backside surface of a substrate when present on the substrate support, an alignment guide extending from the upper surface of the first member and about the plurality of substrate support pins, a first layer disposed below the first member and having each of a one or more heating zones disposed proximate a first surface of the first layer and a second layer disposed below the first member and having each of the plurality of cooling channels formed in the second layer.
Other and further embodiments of the present invention are described below.
Embodiments of the present invention, briefly summarized above and discussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments of the invention depicted in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.
Embodiments of substrate supports having a heater and integrated chiller are disclosed herein. The inventive substrate support may advantageously facilitate one or more of heating a substrate, maintaining the temperature of a substrate, rapidly changing the temperature of a substrate, or uniformly distributing heat to or removing heat from a substrate.
In some embodiments, the substrate support may provide temperatures ranging from about 450 degrees Celsius to about 600 degrees Celsius. However, embodiments of the substrate support disclosed herein are not limited to the above-mentioned temperature range. For example, the temperature may be lower, such as from about 150 degrees Celsius to about 450 degrees Celsius, or higher, such as greater than about 600 degrees Celsius.
In some embodiments, the substrate support 100 may include a third member 107 disposed below the first and second members 102, 106. The third member 107 may function as a facilities management plate, such as for wire and/or piping management to the one or more heating zones 108 and/or the plurality of cooling channels 110. In some embodiments, for example, when a plurality of cooling channels 110 are not used, the third member 107 may be used as a heat sink or the like. In some embodiments, the third member 107 may serve as an insulator, preventing convective losses to environment below. Alternatively, the third member 107 may additionally serve as a heat sink or the like when the plurality of cooling channels 110 are provided. The third member 107 may comprise MACOR® or any suitable ceramic material.
The third member 107 may include an opening 109, for example, centrally disposed through the third member 107. The opening 109 may be utilized to couple a feedthrough assembly 111 to the members 102, 106, and 107 of the substrate support 100. The feedthrough assembly 111 may feed various sources and/or control devices, such as a power source 126 to the one or more heating zones 108, a cooling source 128 to the plurality of cooling channels 110, or a controller 122 as discussed below. In some embodiments, the feedthrough assembly 111 may include a conduit 140 which can provide a gas from a gas source (not shown) to the backside of the substrate 103. For example, the gas provided by the conduit 140 may be utilized to improve heat transfer between the first member 102 and the substrate 103. In some embodiments, the gas is helium (He).
The conduit 140 may include a flexible section 142, such as a bellows or the like. Such flexibility in the conduit 140 may be necessary, for example, when the substrate support 100 is leveled. For example, the substrate support 100 may be leveled by one or more leveling devices (not shown) disposed about the feedthrough assembly 111 and through one or more members of the substrate support 110. For example, such leveling devices may include kinematic jacks or the like. As the leveling devices act to level the substrate support 100, flexibility in the conduit 140 may be necessary.
The members of the substrate support 100 may be coupled together by any number of suitable mechanisms. For example, suitable mechanisms may include gravity, adhesives, bonding, brazing, molding, mechanical compression, such as by screws, springs, clamps, or vacuum, or the like. A non-limiting exemplary form of mechanical compression is illustrated in
The rod 144 may be coupled to the first member 102 for example through brazing, welding, or the like, or the rod 144 may be threaded and screwed into a corresponding threaded opening in the first member 102 that is configured to receive the rod 144 (not shown). An opposing end of the rod 144 may be coupled to the feedthrough assembly 111 via a spring 146. For example, a first end of the spring 146 may be coupled to the rod 144 and an opposing second end of the spring 146 may be coupled to the housing 111. As shown in
In some embodiments, the substrate support 100 may include a plurality of substrate support pins 112 disposed a first distance above the first surface 104 of the first member 102, the plurality of substrate support pins 112 can support a backside surface of the substrate 103 when present on the substrate support. In some embodiments, (as illustrated by the dotted lines proximate each support pin 112) each of the plurality of substrate support pins may extend from the first surface 104 of the first member 102 (e.g., the substrate support pins may be a part of, and formed in the first member 102). Alternatively, in some embodiments, a support layer 116 may be disposed on the first surface 104 of the first member 102 and each of the plurality of substrate support pins 112 may extend from a surface 114 of the support layer 116. In some embodiments, the support layer 116 and the each of the plurality of substrate support pins 112 may be formed from the same material. For example, the support layer 116 and the each of the substrate support pins 112 may be a one-piece structure (illustrated in
In some embodiments, the substrate support 100 may include an alignment guide 118 extending from the first surface 104 of the first member 102 and about the plurality of substrate support pins 112. The alignment guide 118 may serve to guide, center, and/or align the substrate 103, such as with respect to the one or more heating zones 108, the cooling channels 110 disposed below the substrate 103, for example, when the substrate is lowered onto the substrate support pins 112 by a plurality of lift pins (not shown—lift pins holes 113 are illustrated in
The alignment guide 118 may be formed of suitable process compatible materials, such as materials having wear resistant properties and/or a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The alignment guide 118 may be a single piece or an assembly of multiple components. In some embodiments, the alignment guide 118 may be fabricated from a dielectric material. For example, suitable materials used to form the alignment guide 118 may include one or more of CELAZOLE® PBI (polybenzlmidazole), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), or the like. Generally, materials for any of the various components of the substrate support 100 may be selected based on chemical and thermal compatibility of the materials with each other and/or with a given process application.
The first member 102 may be utilized to distribute heat to the substrate 103. For example, the first member may act as a heat spreader to diffuse the heat provided by the one or more heating zones 108. In some embodiments, the first member 102 may include one or more temperature monitoring devices 120 embedded in the first member 102 or extending through the first member 102 to monitor the temperature being provided to the substrate 103 at one or more positions along the first surface 104 of the first member 104. The temperature monitoring devices 120 may include any suitable device for monitoring temperature, such as one or more of a temperature sensor, rapid thermal detector (RTD), optical sensor, or the like. The one or more temperature monitoring devices 120 may be coupled to a controller 122 to receive temperature information from each of the plurality of the temperature monitoring devices 120. The controller 122 may further be used to control the heating zones 108 and the cooling channels 110 in response to the temperature information, as discussed further below. The first member 102 may be formed of suitable process-compatible materials, such as materials having one or more of high thermal conductivity, high rigidity, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion. In some embodiment, the first member 102 may have a thermal conductivity of at least about 160 W/mK. In some embodiment, the first member 102 may have a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 9×10−6/° C. or less. Examples of suitable materials used to form the first member 102 may include one or more of aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) or alloys thereof, aluminum nitride (AlN), beryllium oxide (BeO), pyrolytic boron nitride (PBN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon carbide (SiC), or the like.
Variations of the first member 102, the plurality of substrate support pins 112, and the alignment guide 118 are possible. For example, such variations may depend on the process being performed on the substrate 103 and/or the composition of the substrate 103. For example, depending on temperature requirements for a given process, the first member 102 may be formed of a material having a specific thermal conductivity or the like; however, such a material may contaminate the substrate 103 if the backside of the substrate 103 is exposed to the first surface 104 of the first member 102. Accordingly, the support layer 116 may be utilized under such conditions and be formed of a different material than the first member 102, where the different material will not contaminate the substrate 103. Similarly, the alignment guide 118 may be formed of a different material than the first member 102 for a similar reason. For example,
Alternatively, depending on the process being performed on the substrate 103 and/or the composition of the substrate 103, the first member 102, the plurality of substrate support pins 112, and the alignment guide 118 may be formed of the same material as illustrated in
Alternatively, depending on the process being performed on the substrate 103 and/or the composition of the substrate, the first member 102 may vary in thickness as illustrated in
Returning to
The substrate support 100 includes one or more resistive heating elements 124. Each of the one or more heating zones 108 includes one or more resistive heating elements 124. Each of the resistive heating elements 124 may be coupled to a power source 126. The power source 126 may provide any suitable type of power, such as direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC), which is compatible with the resistive heating elements 124. The power source 126 may be coupled to and controlled by the controller 122 or by another controller (not shown), such as a system controller for controlling a process chamber having the substrate support disposed therein, or the like. In some embodiments, the power source 126 may further include a power divider that divides the power provided to the resistive heating elements 124 in each heating zone 108. For example, the power divider may act in response to one or more of the temperature monitoring devices 120 to selectively distribute power to the resistive heating elements 124 in specific heating zones 108. Alternatively, in some embodiments, multiple power sources may be provided for the resistive heating elements in each respective heater zone.
In some embodiments, the one or more resistive heating elements 124 may be deposited onto a surface of the second member 106. For example, deposition may include any suitable deposition technique for forming a desired pattern of heating zones 108. For example, the one or more resistive heating elements may comprise platinum or other suitable resistive heating materials. In some embodiments, after the deposition of the one or more resistive heating elements 124 is complete, the surface of the second member 106 and the deposited one or more resistive heating elements 124 may be coated with an insulating material, such as a glass, ceramic, or the like.
For example, one embodiment of a configuration of the one or more heating zones 108 arranged into six zones is illustrated in
Returning to
The compact design of the substrate support 100, the tunability of heating and cooling to adjust for temperature non-uniformities on the substrate 103, and the presence of an active cooling mechanism (e.g., the coolant channels 110 and associated coolant devices) can facilitate one or more of heating a substrate, maintaining the temperature of a substrate, rapidly changing the temperature of a substrate, or uniformly distributing heat to or removing heat from a substrate.
The second member 106 may comprise one or more layers fabricated from the same or different materials. For example, several non-limiting variations of the second member 106 are illustrated in the embodiments shown in
In some embodiments, the second member 106 may be formed of a first layer 132 and a second layer 134. As illustrated in
The second layer 134 may have the plurality of cooling channels 110 disposed in an upper surface 135 of the second layer 134 as shown in
In some embodiments, the first layer 132 may be disposed above the second layer 134. For example, as illustrated in
Alternatively, the second layer 134 may be disposed above the first layer 134 as illustrated in
Thus, embodiments of substrate supports have been disclosed herein. The inventive substrate support may advantageously facilitate one or more of heating a substrate, maintaining the temperature of a substrate, rapidly changing the temperature of a substrate, or uniformly distributing heat to or removing heat from a substrate.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.