The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 08, 2019
Filed:
Dec. 12, 2016
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsin-Chu, TW;
Yi-Hung Lin, Taipei, TW;
Jr-Hung Li, Hsinchu County, TW;
Chang-Shen Lu, New Taipei, TW;
Tze-Liang Lee, Hsinchu, TW;
Chii-Horng Li, Hsinchu County, TW;
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
An IC fabrication system for facilitating improved thermal uniformity includes a chamber within which an IC process is performed on a substrate, a heating mechanism configured to heat the substrate, and a substrate-retaining device configured to retain the substrate in the chamber. The substrate-retaining device includes a contact surface configured to contact an edge of the retained substrate without the substrate-retaining device contacting a circumferential surface of the retained substrate. The substrate-retaining device includes a plurality of contact regions and a plurality of noncontact regions disposed at a perimeter, where the plurality of noncontact regions is interspersed with the plurality of contact regions. Each of the plurality of noncontact regions includes the contact surface. Alternatively, the substrate-retaining device includes a base portion having a circular surface and a cylindrical surface extending from the circular surface, where a ring portion having the contact surface is disposed within the base portion.