Applied Materials, Inc.

Component Re-engineering Company, Inc.

Alexander Veyster

Canfeng Lai

Zhengquan Tan

Dennis George Rex

Alfred Grant Elliot

Frank R Balma

Richard Erich Schuster

DongQing Li

Sudhir R Gondhalekar

Brent Donald Alfred Elliot

Steve H Kim

A method for the joining of ceramic pieces with a hermetically sealed joint comprising brazing a continuous layer of joining material between the two pieces. The wetting and flow of the joining material is controlled by the selection of the joining material, the joining temperature, the time at temperature, the joining atmosphere, and other factors. The ceramic pieces may be aluminum nitride and the pieces may be brazed with an aluminum alloy under controlled atmosphere. The joint material is adapted to later withstand both the environments within a process chamber during substrate processing, and the oxygenated atmosphere which may be seen within the shaft of a heater or electrostatic chuck.

Method for hermetically joining plate and shaft devices including ceramic materials used in semiconductor processing

A substrate support utilized in high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) processing functions as a radio frequency (RF) electrode (e.g., a bias RF cathode). An upper surface of the substrate support has a central upper surface portion and a peripheral upper surface portion, with the peripheral upper surface portion recessed relative to the central upper surface portion. The upper surface of the support extends beyond an outer edge of the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the substrate support. This extension in the support upper surface may enhance process performance by reducing electric field edge effects, as well as by improving directional distribution of ions traveling to the substrate. Since the peripheral upper surface portion is recessed relative to the central upper surface portion, a detachable shield can be disposed on the peripheral upper surface portion for preventing undesirable deposition on, or chemical attack of, the peripheral upper surface is portion, without interfering with positioning of the substrate.

Substrate support with extended radio frequency electrode upper surface

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Alexander Veyster