Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat. The substrate support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. The substrate support assemblies may include an upper heater embedded within the electrostatic chuck body. The upper heater may include a center heater zone and one or more annular heater zones that are concentric with the center heating zone. The substrate support assemblies may include a lower heater embedded within the electrostatic chuck body at a position below the upper heater. The lower heater may include a plurality of arcuate heater zones.

A method for etching features in a stack below a patterned mask in an etch chamber is provided. The stack is cooled with a coolant with a coolant temperature below −20° C. An etch gas is flowed into the etch chamber. A plasma is generated from the etch gas. Features are selectively etched into the stack with respect to the patterned mask.

A method reduces differences in chucking forces that are applied by two electrodes of an electrostatic chuck, to a substrate disposed atop the chuck. The method includes providing initial chucking voltages to each of the two electrodes, and measuring an initial current provided to at least a first electrode of the two electrodes. The method further includes initiating a process that affects a DC voltage of the substrate, then measuring a modified current provided to at least the first electrode, and determining, based at least on the initial current and the modified current, a modified chucking voltage for a selected one of the two electrodes, that will reduce chucking force imbalance across the substrate. The method also includes providing the modified chucking voltage to the selected one of the two electrodes.

In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes an electrostatic chuck that includes a base and a first electrode provided on the base and is configured to electrostatically adsorb a wafer on the first electrode. The apparatus further includes a measurement module configured to measure potential of the wafer. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to adjust potential of the base based on the potential of the wafer and to adjust potential of the first electrode based on the potential of the wafer or the base, when the potential of the wafer measured by the measurement module changes.

A carrier substrate includes a base layer having a first surface, and having a second surface that is parallel to and opposite of the first surface. The carrier substrate further includes a glass layer bonded to the first surface of the base layer. The carrier substrate has a Young's modulus greater than or equal to 150 GPa. A carrier substrate includes a polycrystalline ceramic and has a Young's modulus greater than or equal to 150 GPa. The carrier substrate has a coefficient of thermal expansion of greater than or equal to 20×10.sup.−7/° C. to less than or equal to 120×10.sup.−7/° C. over a range from 25° C. to 500° C.

A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method that includes aligned a first wafer with a second wafer. The second wafer is spaced apart from the first wafer. The first wafer is arranged on a first electrostatic chuck (ESC). The first ESC has electrostatic contacts that are configured to attract the first wafer to the first ESC. Further, the second wafer is brought toward the first wafer to directly contact the first wafer at an inter-wafer interface. The inter-wafer interface is localized to a center of the first wafer. The second wafer is deformed to gradually expand the inter-wafer interface from the center of the first wafer toward an edge of the first wafer. The electrostatic contacts of the first ESC are turned OFF such that the first and second wafers are bonded to one another by the inter-wafer interface.

Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface. The support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. The support assemblies may include an electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body proximate the substrate support surface. The support assemblies may include a ground electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body. The support assemblies may include one or more channels formed within the electrostatic chuck body between the electrode and the ground electrode.

An electrostatic chucking method uses a substrate processing apparatus including an electrostatic chuck, a focus ring, a supply unit configured to supply a heat transfer medium to a space formed between the focus ring and the electrostatic chuck, and a plurality of electrodes provided at a region in the electrostatic chuck which corresponds to the focus ring. The electrostatic chucking method includes supplying by the supply unit the heat transfer medium to the space for a plasma processing period for which a plasma for processing the substrate is generated, and applying different voltages to the plurality of electrodes to attract and hold the focus ring on the electrostatic chuck for a period other than the plasma processing period.

An assembly provided with a coolant flow channel includes a base in which the coolant flow channel is formed; and a protrusion component that is disposed in the coolant flow channel, wherein the protrusion component is liftable or rotatable.