Abstract: There is provided a substrate holder including: a ceramic base member, an electrode and a shaft. The ceramic base member is provided with: an annular projected part and a plurality of projected parts. A circular area of which diameter is not less than 0.4 times an inner diameter of the cylindrical part is provided on a center in an upper surface of the ceramic base member. A first envelope surface of projected parts arranged in the circular area is a flat surface, and a second envelope surface of projected parts arranged at outside of the circular area is a curved surface. Alternatively, the first envelope surface is a curved surface having a first curvature and the second envelope surface is a flat surface or a curved surface having a second curvature which is different from the first curvature.

Abstract: A ceramic heater includes an RF plate having a placement surface on which a wafer is to be placed, and made of a ceramic sintered body in which an RF electrode is embedded; and a heater plate made of a ceramic sintered body in which a heater is embedded, the RF plate and the heater plate being joined with a space interposed therebetween on a side opposite to the placement surface. The relationship among a minimum height H (mm) of the space in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface, a proportion A of a total area of portions where the RF plate and the heater plate are joined, with respect to an area of a plane along the placement surface that is defined by an outer edge of the placement surface, and a distance D (mm) between the RF electrode and the heater, satisfies H/A?1000 and H/A+(D?H)/(1?A)?14.

Abstract: A ceramic heater includes a plate-shaped base with an upper surface and a lower surface, a tubular shaft with an upper end surface connected to the lower surface of the base and a lower end surface, resistive heating elements embedded in the base, a first hole extending in the base along the upper surface of the base, and a second hole extending from the lower end surface or an inner surface of the shaft toward the upper end surface. A third hole connecting the first hole and the second hole to each other is formed continuously between the base and the shaft, and a depth of the third hole from an imaginary plane that passes through a boundary between the second hole and the third hole and that is along the upper surface of the base gradually increases in the direction to the outer edge.

Abstract: The ceramic heater includes: a ceramic base body made of ceramic and having an upper surface on which an object to be heated is to be placed; a heating resistor included in the ceramic base body; and a cylindrical shaft made of ceramic and connected to a center part of a lower surface of the ceramic base body. The heating resistor includes six heating resistor element groups each including one or more connected heating resistor elements. Among these, three heating resistor element groups each have both ends each connected to the corresponding end of another one of the heating resistor element groups. Power feed terminals which respectively supply powers to a total of three ends composed of these both ends are connected to the total of three ends.

Abstract: A holding device includes: a plate-shaped base member defining a hole whose opening is formed at the lower face and extending toward an outer edge of the base member. A sheathed thermocouple is disposed in the hole. The hole has a first guide section that extends in a first direction, and a second guide section that extends in a second direction different from the first direction, through an intermediate guide section continuous with the first guide section, to a far end section of the hole, the sheathed thermocouple has an intermediate portion whose outer side surface is disposed closer to the opening with respect to the far end section of the hole. The outer side surface is in contact with an inner wall surface of the intermediate guide section. An end portion of the sheathed thermocouple is in contact with the far end section of the hole.

Abstract: A ceramic heater includes an RF plate having a placement surface on which a wafer is to be placed, and made of a ceramic sintered body in which an RF electrode is embedded; and a heater plate made of a ceramic sintered body in which a heater is embedded, the RF plate and the heater plate being joined with a space interposed therebetween on a side opposite to the placement surface. The relationship among a minimum height H (mm) of the space in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface, a proportion A of a total area of portions where the RF plate and the heater plate are joined, with respect to an area of a plane along the placement surface that is defined by an outer edge of the placement surface, and a distance D (mm) between the RF electrode and the heater, satisfies H/A?1000 and H/A+(D?H)/(1?A)?14.

Abstract: A holding device includes: a plate-shaped base member defining a hole whose opening is formed at the lower face and extending toward an outer edge of the base member. A sheathed thermocouple is disposed in the hole. The hole has a first guide section that extends in a first direction, and a second guide section that extends in a second direction different from the first direction, through an intermediate guide section continuous with the first guide section, to a far end section of the hole, the sheathed thermocouple has an intermediate portion whose outer side surface is disposed closer to the opening with respect to the far end section of the hole. The outer side surface is in contact with an inner wall surface of the intermediate guide section. An end portion of the sheathed thermocouple is in contact with the far end section of the hole.

Abstract: The ceramic heater includes: a ceramic base body made of ceramic and having an upper surface on which an object to be heated is to be placed; a heating resistor included in the ceramic base body; and a cylindrical shaft made of ceramic and connected to a center part of a lower surface of the ceramic base body. The heating resistor includes six heating resistor element groups each including one or more connected heating resistor elements. Among these, three heating resistor element groups each have both ends each connected to the corresponding end of another one of the heating resistor element groups. Power feed terminals which respectively supply powers to a total of three ends composed of these both ends are connected to the total of three ends.

Abstract: A ceramic heater includes a plate-shaped base with an upper surface and a lower surface, a tubular shaft with an upper end surface connected to the lower surface of the base and a lower end surface, resistive heating elements embedded in the base, a first hole extending in the base along the upper surface of the base, and a second hole extending from the lower end surface or an inner surface of the shaft toward the upper end surface. A third hole connecting the first hole and the second hole to each other is formed continuously between the base and the shaft, and a depth of the third hole from an imaginary plane that passes through a boundary between the second hole and the third hole and that is along the upper surface of the base gradually increases in the direction to the outer edge.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic chuck in which the surface can be kept smooth after being exposed to plasma, so as to protect a material to be clamped such as a silicon wafer from being contaminated with particles, and which is excellent in clamping and releasing a material to be clamped. According to the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric material in which alumina is 99.4 wt % or more, titanium oxide is more than 0.2 wt % and equal to or less than 0.6 wt %, whose average particle diameter is 2 ?m or less, and whose volume resistivity is 108-1011 ?cm in room temperature, wherein the electrostatic chuck is used in a low temperature of 100° C or less.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic chuck in which the surface can be kept smooth after being exposed to plasma, so as to protect a material to be clamped such as a silicon wafer from being contaminated with particles, and which is excellent in clamping and releasing a material to be clamped. According to the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric material in which alumina is 99.4 wt % or more, titanium oxdde is more than 0.2 wt % and equal to or less than 0.6 wt %, whose average particle diameter is 2 pm or less, and whose volume resistivity is 108-1011 ?cm in room temperature, wherein the electrostatic chuck is used in a low lo temperature of 100 ° C. or less.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic chuck in which the surface can be kept smooth after being exposed to plasma, so as to protect a material to be clamped such as a silicon wafer from being contaminated with particles, and which is excellent in clamping and releasing a material to be clamped. According to the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric material in which alumina is 99.4 wt % or more, titanium oxide is more than 0.2 wt % and equal to or less than 0.6 wt %, whose average particle diameter is 2 ?m or less, and whose volume resistivity is 108-1011 ?cm in room temperature, wherein the electrostatic chuck is used in a low temperature of 100° C. or less.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic chuck in which the surface can be kept smooth after being exposed to plasma, so as to protect a material to be clamped such as a silicon wafer from being contaminated with particles, and which is excellent in clamping and releasing a material to be clamped. According to the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric material in which alumina is 99.4 wt % or more, titanium oxide is more than 0.2 wt % and equal to or less than 0.6 wt %, whose average particle diameter is 2 ?m or less, and whose volume resistivity is 108-1011 ?cm in room temperature, wherein the electrostatic chuck is used in a low temperature of 100° C. or less.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck for attracting an insulative substrate to be processed, the electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric layer having a first surface which attracts an insulative substrate, and a second surface on which are provided a plurality of electrodes, and an insulative support base plate fixing said dielectric layer. A distance between adjacent ones of the electrodes and the thickness of the dielectric layer are adjusted such that when a potential difference is established between the electrodes, a non-uniform electric field is formed in which the insulative substrate is partially polarized and attracted to the first surface by gradient force.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for using an electrostatic chuck which can achieve clamping force of 100 gf/cm2 within 60 seconds at low voltage of ±1 kV or less compared to high voltage of the conventional art such as 3 kV or 10 kV for electrostatically clamping a glass substrate. There is provided a method for clamping a glass substrate with an electrostatic chuck having a dielectric layer in which the upper surface of the dielectric layer of the electrostatic chuck has a surface roughness Ra of 0.8 ?m or less and the volume resistivity of the dielectric layer of the electrostatic chuck is 108-1012 ?cm, comprising the steps of increasing the temperature of the glass substrate so as to change the volume resistivity of the glass substrate to be 1014 ?cm or less, and clamping the glass substrate to the upper surface of the dielectric layer of the electrostatic chuck.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck for attracting an insulative substrate to be processed, the electrostatic chuck comprising a dielectric layer having a first surface which attracts an insulative substrate, and a second surface on which are provided a plurality of electrodes, and an insulative support base plate fixing said dielectric layer. A distance between adjacent ones of the electrodes and the thickness of the dielectric layer are adjusted such that when a potential difference is established between the electrodes, a non-uniform electric field is formed in which the insulative substrate is partially polarized and attracted to the first surface by gradient force.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck for electrostatically attracting an insulative substrate, an apparatus for heating/cooling an insulative substrate using the electrostatic chuck, and a method for controlling the temperature of an insulative substrate. The shape and the properties of the dielectric, and the shape of the electrodes, which form the electrostatic chuck, are disclosed. Also the apparatus for heating/cooling an insulative substrate comprising a plate, a gas supply conduit and a temperature controlling system, and the apparatus for processing an insulative substrate in which the apparatus for heating/cooling an insulative substrate is installed are disclosed.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck for electrostatically clamping a semiconductor wafer while minimizing any plane temperature difference thereof has a dielectric layer joined to a metal plate and an inner electrode disposed in the di-electric layer. The dielectric layer has a raised outer rim disposed on an upper surface thereof along an outer peripheral edge thereof, and a plurality of protrusions disposed on the upper surface radially inwardly of the outer rim, the protrusions having upper surfaces for clamping the semiconductor wafer in direct contact therewith. The volume resistivity of the dielectric layer is 10.sup.9 .OMEGA.m or less, and Rmax (maximum height) of the clamping surfaces of the protrusions 5 is 2.0 .mu.m or less and or Ra (center-line average roughness) thereof is 0.25 .mu.m or less. The ratio of the total area of the clamping surfaces of the protrusions to the entire area of the upper surface of the dielectric layer is equal to or greater than 1% and less than 10%.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck having an insulating layer comprising solid-solution grains comprised of alumina and a transition metal oxide having the structure of a corundum, and a glass component present in grain boundaries of the solid-solution grains. The transition metal oxide is a transition metal oxide capable of forming a solid solution with alumina, and preferably includes chromia (Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3), whose crystal structure is similar to alumina, having the structure of a corundum. The electrostatic chuck can exhibit a stable electrostatic performance without regard to operating temperatures.