Thermal chuck and processes for manufacturing the thermal chuck
Thermal chucks for processing semiconductor substrates include a cooling passage that provides a laminar flow. The thermal chuck can be fabricated by forming the cooling passage into a selected one of a planar support surface portion and an underside portion; sandwiching a cladding material between the planar support surface portion and the underside portion to form a thermal chuck assembly; and heating the thermal chuck assembly to a temperature and under conditions to fuse the cladding material to the planar support surface portion and the underside portion, wherein the cooling passage is sealed therein. The cooling passage can be milled or cast and has radially curved section connected to adjacent linear sections to form a serpentine-like shape.
1 . A process for fabricating a thermal chuck, the process comprising:
forming a cooling passage into a selected one of a planar support surface portion and an underside portion;
sandwiching a cladding material between the planar support surface portion and the underside portion to form the thermal chuck; and
heating the thermal chuck to a temperature and under conditions to fuse the cladding material to the planar support surface portion and the underside portion, wherein the cooling passage is sealed therein.
2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein heating the thermal chuck is under a vacuum.
3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the cladding material is a foil.
4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein heating is at a temperature greater then a melting point of the cladding material
5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein forming the cooling passages comprises casting the cooling passages into the selected one of the planar support surface portion and the underside portion.
6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein forming the cooling passages comprises milling the cooling passages into the selected one of the planar support surface portion and the underside portion.
7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein forming the cooling passage comprises defining a serpentine-like shaped pattern in a bottom surface of the planar support surface portion, wherein the serpentine-like shaped pattern comprise a plurality of linear sections joined by curved sections to define a continuous passageway.
8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the planar support surface portion and the underside portion are formed of an aluminum alloy.
9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein forming the cooling passage is effective to provide a laminar flow of a fluid through the cooling passage.
10 . A process for fabricating a thermal chuck, the process comprising:
forming a cooling passage into a selected one of a planar support surface portion and an underside portion;
sandwiching a cladding material between the planar support surface portion and the underside portion to form a thermal chuck assembly; and
vacuum brazing the planar support surface portion, the cladding material, and the underside portion to form a an integrated structure, wherein the cooling passage is sealed within the integrated structure.
11 . The process of claim 10 , wherein the planar support surface portion and the underside portion are formed of an aluminum alloy.
12 . The process of claim 10 , wherein forming the cooling passage comprises casting the cooling passages into the selected one of the planar support surface portion and the underside portion.
13 . The process of claim 10 , wherein forming the cooling passage comprises milling the cooling passages into the selected one of the planar support surface portion and the underside portion.
14 . The process of claim 10 , wherein forming the cooling passage comprises defining a serpentine-like shaped pattern in a bottom surface of the planar support surface portion, wherein the serpentine-like shaped pattern comprise a plurality of linear sections joined by curved sections to define a continuous passageway.
15 . A thermal chuck for processing semiconductor substrates, the thermal chuck comprising:
a planar top surface for supporting a substrate;
a cooling passage spanning underneath the planar top surface comprising a plurality of linear sections and at least one radially curved section connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of linear sections, a first end, and a second end; and
a bottom surface having therein an inlet opening fluidly connected to the first end and an outlet opening fluidly connected to the second end, wherein the cooling passage is sandwiched between the planar top surface and the bottom surface.
16 . The thermal chuck of claim 15 , wherein the cooling passage is one continuous passageway from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and is free from any dead ends.
17 . The thermal chuck of claim 15 , wherein the cooling passage forms a serpentine-like shape.