Patent ID: 6125025
Filing Date: 2000-09-26
Classification: H01L,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of processing a dielectric workpiece in a vacuum plasma processor chamber having a metal wall at a reference potential and an electrostatic chuck with an electrode comprising applying the workpiece to the chuck, applying a DC chucking voltage to the electrode while the workpiece is on the chuck, processing the workpiece with a plasma in the chamber, the plasma having sufficiently low electric impedance to cause a front face of the workpiece exposed to the plasma to be at substantially the same potential as the reference potential, controlling the workpiece temperature while the workpiece is being processed by the plasma by supplying a heat transfer fluid to a back face of the workpiece unexposed to the plasma, the fluid having a tendency to move the workpiece relative to the chuck, the chucking voltage producing a chucking force on the workpiece to overcome the tendency of the fluid to move the workpiece relative to the chuck, the workpiece and insulator having determined passive electrical properties, including resistivity, the passive electrical properties being such that chucking charge derived by the chucking voltage is conducted through the dielectric workpiece from its exposed to its unexposed surface during processing of the workpiece so that application of a constant DC chucking voltage to the electrode during processing of the workpiece tends to produce increasing chucking forces on the workpiece, selecting at least one of plural dechucking processing steps dependent on the determined passive electrical properties, the selected at least one dechucking processing step being known to facilitate removal of the workpiece from the chuck despite the tendency to produce increasing chucking forces on the workpiece, and executing the at least one selected dechucking process step to facilitate removal of the workpiece from the chuck when workpiece processing is completed.