Plasma chamber with erosion resistive securement screws

• Main Authors: SHU TONNY, LEE BIRDSON, LEE RAY C, PANG TE-HSUN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 30.04.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS ORMACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS,CLIPS, WEDGES, JOINTS OR JOINTING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

An apparatus is provided for treating a wafer under fabrication with an erosive plasma, in a contamination controlled environment. The apparatus includes a chamber for containing the wafer to be treated by the plasma, and for isolating the wafer from contaminants external to the chamber during treatment. The chamber also includes one or more plasma erosion resistive screws. Each screw has a shaft secured within the chamber so that the shaft is unexposed to the plasma, and a raised head which is integral with, and made of the same material as, the shaft. The head has a continuous, surface shape with a reduced number of edges so as to reduce the accumulation of charge thereon, thereby resisting erosion by the plasma.