Electric heating – Metal heating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2001-12-04
Mills, Gregory (Department: 1763)
Electric heating
Metal heating
C219S121360, C219S121390, C219S121400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06326574
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sleeve, and more specifically, to a sleeve jacketing onto an adapter flange.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the continuous development and progress of semiconductor techniques, the integration of ICs is increasing and the sizes of various devices are shrinking for the applications of Ultra Large Scale Integrated (ULSI) circuits. The distances among the devices have become smaller and smaller so that a chip could accommodate more devices to be formed thereon. In device integration of semiconductor manufacture, the key point of is the capability of lithography. In general, the lithography technique is used to transfer the desired patterns from the reticles or masks to the substrate for defining the determined circuits.
Typically, the photo-sensitive material, such as photoresist, is first deposited on the semiconductor substrate in the procedure of transfering patterns onto substrate. Then an illumination is performed to irradiate the photo-sensitive material through the reticles or masks and to expose the photo-sensitive material with the patterns thereof. Therefore, the patterns of the reticles or masks can be transferred and defined onto the photoresist. After performing the development process, the patterns formed on the photoresist are the same as that of the reticles or masks. Thereafter, the photoresist serving as a mask is used to perform the required etching step, doping procedure, etc. The residual photoresist is removed after performing the required procedures.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a side elevation view is used to illustrate the chamber
10
of a Gasonics L3510 (trademark) etcher. An input tube
15
is connected to the chamber
10
for inputting the reactive gases, such as O
2
and N
2
, into the chamber
10
. An electrode plate
20
is mounted on the bottom of the chamber
10
to load a wafer
25
. The load is for performing an ion bombardment process removing photoresist formed on the wafer. A microwave is used to activate the reactive gases to form the oxygen plasma particles comprising of O
+
, O
2
+
, O
2
, O
2
−
, and O during the removing procedure. The above plasma particles are used to remove the photoresist by colliding with photoresist on the wafer
25
.
It is noted that the operation temperature for performing the etching step by using the Gasonics L3510 (trademark) etcher is about more than 200 degrees centigrade. For adjusting the operating temperature to be the required value, a heater
30
is connected to the bottom of the electrode plate
20
to heat up the wafer
25
through the electrode plate
20
. The heater
30
is electrically connected to the power supply (not shown in
FIG. 1
) outside of the chamber
10
through the electric wire
40
. However, because the chamber
10
must be maintain under a vacuum condition for removing the photoresist with a dry etching step, all channels connected into the chamber
10
must be covered with sealing means for preventing leakage. Therefore, the heater
30
and the electric wire
40
thereof are bundled with a heater adapter flange
50
in order to maintain the vacuum condition of the chamber
10
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, the heater adapter flange
50
described above is shown. In general, the material of the heater adapter flange
50
, such as Teflon (trademark; butafluoroethylene polymer), is refractory and with lower hardness for effectively sealing the heater
30
and the electric wire
40
. The heater adapter flange
50
comprises a duct portion
70
and a cylinder portion
75
connected to the end of the duct portion
70
. A central opening
120
is formed on the top surface of the cylinder portion
75
and penetrates through the cylinder portion
75
and the duct portion
70
. Additionally, six screw holes
110
are formed on the top surface of the cylinder portion
75
around the central opening
120
and penetrate through the cylinder portion
75
. When the heater adapter flange
50
is used to seal the heater and the electric wire, a small O-ring
80
and a big O-ring
90
are used to enhance the sealing efficiency between the heater and the heater adapter flange
50
and between the heater adapter flange
50
and the chamber, respectively. Then, to fix and mount the heater adapter flange
50
onto the chamber
10
for sealing, six screws are turned into the six screw holes
110
.
It is noted that the top surface
100
of the cylinder portion
75
is usually distorted out of shape after being fastened with the six screws to fix and mount the heater adapter flange. This distortion occurrs because the heater adapter flange has a hardness lower than that of the metal screws. Moreover, in the central opening
120
, the distorted cylinder portion
75
is also the reason why the small O-ring
80
cannot effectively seal the chamber. On the other hand, the unequal screwing degrees for the six screws is also a reason why the big O-ring
90
cannot effectively seal the chamber
10
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The prime objective of the present invention is to provide a sleeve for jacketing onto the heater adapter flange of the Gasonics L3510 etcher, wherein the heater adapter flange is mounted onto the chamber of the etcher by six screws. Thus, the deformation of the heater adapter flange can be reduced effectively, and the stress in the heater adapter flange caused by the six screws can be uniformly dispersed.
A sleeve means, described hereinafter, comprises a round plane and ring-shaped side adjacent to the round plane. The round plane has a central hole and six periphery holes thereon. The central hole and six periphery holes respectively correspond to a central opening and six screw holes of a heater adapter flange used in Gasonics L3510 (trademark) etcher. The sleeve means could be jacketed onto the heater adapter flange for dispersing the stress on and reducing deformation of the heater adapter flange when the heater adapter flange is mounted on the chamber of the etcher.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4988130 (1991-01-01), Obara et al.
patent: 5228587 (1993-07-01), Worthington
patent: 01298148 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 10-247631 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 05174602 (1993-07-01), None
patent: 6-89689 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 9-259780 (1997-10-01), None
Huang Chi-Shu
Yeh Chia-Lin
Mills Gregory
Moga, Esq. Thomas T.
Mosel Vitelic Inc.
Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy LLP
Zervigon Rudy
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