Centering fixture for electrostatic chuck system
A centering fixture for centering a wafer on a chuck is provided. The centering fixture includes a body including an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner periphery and an outer periphery. A chuck seat is positioned in a lower portion of the inner periphery and configured to mate the body with the chuck. A wafer seat is positioned in an upper portion of the inner periphery above the chuck seat, the wafer seat configured to receive and center the wafer on the chuck. The centering fixture ensures centering of the wafer relative to the chuck for automated handling system calibration. The wafer, body, chuck, chuck seat and wafer seat can be circular.
1. A centering fixture for centering a wafer on a chuck, the centering fixture comprising:
a body including an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner periphery and an outer periphery;
a chuck seat positioned in a lower portion of the inner periphery and configured to mate the body with the chuck; and
a wafer seat positioned in an upper portion of the inner periphery above the chuck seat, the wafer seat configured to receive and center the wafer on the chuck.
2. The centering fixture of claim 1 , further comprising a handler slot in the upper surface, the handler slot configured to allow at least a portion of an automated handler carrier arm to pass through the body to access the wafer.
3. The centering fixture of claim 2 , wherein the body is circular and the handler slot includes opposing parallel sides extending tangentially from the inner periphery to the outer periphery.
4. The centering fixture of claim 1 , further comprising at least one removal region positioned within the lower surface and the outer periphery.
5. The centering fixture of claim 4 , wherein each removal region includes a rounded inner surface extending between the outer periphery and the lower surface.
6. The centering fixture of claim 1 , wherein the wafer seat includes a horizontal surface configured to hold the wafer, and an entry wall connecting the horizontal surface and the upper surface and extending at a non-orthogonal angle to both.
7. The centering fixture of claim 1 , wherein the chuck seat includes a stepped seat including a pair of radially spaced internally facing surfaces separated by a horizontal surface.
8. The centering fixture of claim 7 , wherein each surface of the stepped seat engages a surface of the chuck.
9. The centering fixture of claim 1 , wherein the body, the wafer and the chuck are circular, and wherein the chuck seat is configured to concentrically mate the body with the chuck and the wafer seat is configured to receive and concentrically center the wafer on the chuck.
10. A method of training an automated handling system for a semiconductor processing system regarding aligning a wafer to a chuck of the semiconductor processing system, the method comprising:
placing a centering fixture on the chuck of the semiconductor processing system, the centering fixture including:
a body including an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner periphery and an outer periphery,
a chuck seat positioned in a lower portion of the inner periphery and configured to mate the body with the chuck, and
a wafer seat positioned in an upper portion of the inner periphery above the chuck seat, the wafer seat configured to receive and align the wafer on the chuck; and
calibrating the automated handling system based on a centered position of the wafer provided by the centering fixture.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the wafer, the chuck, the body, the chuck seat and the wafer seat are circular, and the wafer seat concentrically aligns the wafer on the chuck.
12. An electrostatic chuck (ESC) system, comprising:
a chuck; and
a centering fixture for centering a wafer on the chuck, the centering fixture including:
a body including an upper surface, a lower surface, an inner periphery and an outer periphery,
a chuck seat positioned in a lower portion of the inner periphery and configured to mate the body with the chuck, and
a wafer seat positioned in an upper portion of the inner periphery above the chuck seat, the wafer seat configured to receive and center the wafer on the chuck.
13. The ESC system of claim 12 , wherein the wafer, the chuck, the body, the chuck seat and the wafer seat are circular, and the chuck seat concentrically mates the body with the chuck and the wafer seat concentrically aligns the wafer on the chuck.
14. The ESC system of claim 12 , wherein the centering fixture further includes a handler slot in the upper surface, the handler slot configured to allow at least a portion of an automated handler carrier arm to pass through the body to access the wafer.
15. The ESC system of claim 14 , wherein the body is circular and the handler slot includes opposing parallel sides extending tangentially from the inner periphery to the outer periphery.
16. The ESC system of claim 12 , wherein the centering fixture further includes at least one removal region positioned within the lower surface and the outer periphery.
17. The ESC system of claim 16 , wherein each removal region includes a rounded inner surface extending between the outer periphery and the lower surface.
18. The ESC system of claim 12 , wherein the wafer seat includes a horizontal surface configured to hold the wafer, and an entry wall connecting the horizontal surface and the upper surface and extending at a non-orthogonal angle to both.
19. The ESC system of claim 12 , wherein the chuck seat includes a stepped seat including a pair of radially spaced internally facing surfaces separated by a horizontal surface.
20. The ESC system of claim 19 , wherein each surface of the stepped seat engages a surface of the chuck.