Abstract: A wafer holder is provided having high rigidity and an enhanced heat-insulating effect that allow positional accuracy and heating uniformity to be improved, a chip to be rapidly heated and cooled, and the manufacturing cost to be reduced, and a wafer prober apparatus on which the wafer holder is mounted. The wafer holder of the present invention includes a chuck top for mounting a wafer, a support member for supporting the chuck top, and a stand for supporting the support member. The chuck top has a thermal conductivity K1 and a Young's modulus Y1; the support member has a thermal conductivity K2 and a Young's modulus Y2; and the stand has a thermal conductivity K3 and a Young's modulus Y3. K1>K2 and K1>K3; and Y3>Y1 and Y3>Y2.

Abstract: A wafer holder that includes a cooling module for rapid cooling, that can further improve the heating uniformity of a wafer, and that can be appropriately used with a wafer prober, a coater/developer, or the like. The wafer holder includes a mounting stage arranged to mount a wafer on a mounting surface, a heat generator 1 arranged to heat the mounting stage, and a cooling module arranged to cool the mounting stage, wherein an outside diameter of the cooling module is smaller than an outside diameter of the mounting stage, and the heat generator 1 attached to the mounting stage is positioned further to the outside than the cooling module. Along with the heat generator 1, a supplementary heat generator may be positioned between the cooling module and the mounting stage or on a surface of the cooling module opposite the mounting stage.

Abstract: A wafer holder uniformly heats a wafer at high temperatures without being damaged. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided with this wafer holder. The contact surface area where the wafer and the wafer mounting surface of the wafer-holding part are in contact includes a contact surface area A in an outer circumferential area that is farther than 1/?2R from the center of the wafer, where R is the radius of the wafer, and a contact surface area B in an inner circumferential area that is within 1/?2R of the center. The contact surface area is established so that A>B. In order to obtain this relationship, the wafer-contacting part of the wafer mounting surface is preferably formed into annular convexities or embossed convexities.

Abstract: A wafer holder is provided with a mounting stage having a mounting surface for mounting a wafer, and a holding member for holding the mounting stage, wherein relationships are established such that K1>K2 and Y1<Y2, where K1 is the thermal conductivity of the mounting stage, Y1 is the Young's modulus of the mounting stage, K2 is the thermal conductivity of the holding member, and Y2 is the Young's modulus of the holding member. The wafer holder preferably comprises a supporting member on the lower part of the holding member, wherein a relationship is establish such that K2>K3, where K3 is the thermal conductivity of the holding member.

Abstract: A wafer holder less susceptible to deformation even under high load and having high heat-insulating effect and hence capable of improving positional accuracy, improving thermal uniformity and rapid heating and cooling of chips, as well as a heater unit including the wafer holder and a wafer prober including the heater unit are provided. The wafer holder includes a chuck top having a chuck top conductive layer on its surface and a supporter supporting the chuck top, and has a support member in a space between the chuck top and the supporter. Preferably, the support member is arranged concentric with the supporter or approximately at the center of the supporter, and more preferably, support members arranged concentrically and arranged at the center are both provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite having superior reliability and superior binding strength with respect to films formed on substrates by aerosol methods, and also provides a semiconductor manufacturing devices susceptor and a power module substrate. In the composite of the present invention, a film formed by an aerosol method is provided on a surface of a composite formed from a plurality of metals. Alternatively, a film formed by an aerosol method may be provided on the surface of a composite formed from a metal and a ceramic. The composite preferably has a thermal conductivity of 100 W/mK or greater, and the film formed by the aerosol method preferably has a thermal conductivity of 1 W/mK or greater.

Abstract: A heater unit that much improves accuracy in thermal uniformity of an object of heating during cooling, particularly rapid cooling, is provided. The heater unit in accordance with the present invention includes a heater substrate for mounting an object of heating and performing heat treatment thereon, and a cooling module for cooling the heater substrate, and between said heater substrate and the cooling module, an intervening body is arranged. Utilizing deformability of the intervening body, ratio of a non-contact portion can be reduced than when the intervening body is not provided, and temperature uniformity of the heater substrate at the time of cooling can be improved.

Abstract: A ceramic heater attaining more uniform temperature distribution from the start to the end of cooling is provided. Further, in a cooling module used for cooling the heater, liquid leakage during use is prevented, degradation in cooling capability is prevented and the performance is maintained for a long period of use, and the manufacturing cost of the module is decreased. The ceramic heater includes a ceramic heater body and a cooling module cooling the heater body, and the cooling module has a structure formed by arranging a pipe in a trench formed in a plate-shaped structure.

Abstract: A heater unit that can be fabricated in a simple manner and is highly reliable, as well as a wafer prober mounting the heater unit are provided. The heater unit of the present invention includes a mounting base mounting an object to be processed and a heater unit heating the mounting base, wherein the heater body has an insulating sheet and a heating body formed on the insulating sheet. Preferably, at least a part of the heating body is covered with a protective layer, and preferably, the material of the heating body is metal foil. Further, preferably, the material of the protective layer is heat-resistant rubber, and preferably, the material of the insulating sheet is heat-resistant resin.

Abstract: A semiconductor heater holder for setting a heater for heating a semiconductor, having an opening, wherein the heat capacity of the semiconductor heater holder is not more than 1.5 times the heat capacity of the heater, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising this semiconductor heater holder.

Abstract: A wafer holder that can improve throughput by improving heating rate and thermal uniformity of a prober, as well as a wafer prober having the same are provided. The wafer holder has a chuck top conductive layer on a surface of a chuck top, and a heater body at a portion other than the portion where the chuck top conductive layer is formed, wherein maximum outer diameter l of an area where the heater body exists is smaller than diameter L of the chuck top, and the maximum outer diameter l and thickness t of the chuck top are set such that the thickness t and diameter Wl of a wafer to be inspected satisfy the relation of 1+4t>Wl.

Abstract: A wafer holder and a wafer prober including the same are provided in which the positional accuracy of the wafer holder is very high when the wafer holder is moved to a prescribed position in probing, and the positional accuracy are less likely to vary even with repeated movements. The wafer holder in accordance with the present invention includes a chuck top having a chuck top conductive layer on a surface thereof and a support body supporting the chuck top. The weight of the wafer holder is 28000 g or less. Preferably, the weight of the chuck top is 6000 g or less. Preferably, the weight of the support body is 12000 g or less.

Abstract: A wafer holder for a wafer prober, a heater unit including the same, and a wafer prober including the heater unit are provided in which deformation or breakage of a chuck top can be prevented and proper measurement can be realized even in repeated use. A wafer holder in the present invention includes a chuck top having a chuck top conductive layer on a surface thereof and a support body supporting the chuck top. The chuck top and the support body are fixed to each other by a screw. The difference of thermal expansion coefficient between the screw and the chuck top is 5.0×10?6/K or less.

Abstract: A wafer holding body for placing a semiconductor wafer, a method of manufacturing the same, and an device using the wafer holding body are provided, wherein a channel is formed in the wafer holding body.

Abstract: The present invention provides a wafer prober wafer holder that is highly rigid and increases the heat insulating effect, thereby improving positional accuracy, thermal uniformity, and chip temperature ramp-up and cooling rates, as well as a wafer prober device equipped therewith. A wafer holder of the present invention includes a chuck top that mounts a wafer, and a support member that supports the chuck top. A cavity is formed between the chuck top and the support member, and a vacuum space member is provided to the lowest part of a member that is attached to a surface of the chuck top on the side opposite the wafer mounting surface.

Abstract: Noise leakage from a heater body can be reduced by a wafer holder including a chuck top for mounting a semiconductor wafer, provided with the heater body, and a supporter supporting the chuck top, at least partially covered with a metal member, and by a heater unit for a wafer prober and the wafer prober using the wafer holder. In the wafer holder in accordance with the present invention, the metal member covers the supporter, preferably apart from the supporter by a distance of at most 5 mm, more preferably at most 1 mm and particularly preferably at most 0.2 mm.

Abstract: A chuck top allowing reliable recognition of a wafer mounted on a wafer-mounting surface or on a chuck top conductive layer by a camera such as a CCD and hence allowing wafer inspection without problem is provided. The chuck top is used for a wafer prober mounting a wafer on the wafer-mounting surface for inspection, in which reflectance of a portion other than the portion for mounting the wafer of the wafer-mounting surface or the chuck top conductive layer is smaller than the reflectance of a peripheral end portion of the wafer to be inspected. The portion other than the portion for mounting the wafer of the wafer-mounting surface or the chuck top conductive layer of chuck top preferably has surface roughness Ra of at least 0.0001 ?m and at most 0.05 ?m.

Abstract: A wafer holder hardly deformable under high load and capable of effectively preventing a contact failure with a wafer and further capable of preventing temperature increase of a driving system of a wafer prober is provided. In a wafer holder having a chuck top and a supporter, variation in thickness of the chuck top from a wafer-mounting surface to a contact surface with the supporter, and variation in thickness of the supporter from a bottom surface to a contact surface with the chuck top are both set to at most 50 ?m. When the supporter is of a structure having a circular tube portion and a base portion separate from each other, variation in thickness of the circular tube portion from a contact surface with the chuck top to a contact surface with the base portion, and variation in thickness of the base portion from a bottom surface to a contact surface with the circular tube portion are preferably both set to at most 25 ?m.

Abstract: A heater that enables a more even temperature distribution in the time from commencement of heating until completion of cooling, and a device is equipped with the same, are provided. The heater for a semiconductor fabrication device of the present invention comprises a substrate having a heating surface that heats an article to be processed that is placed thereupon or separated therefrom by a set distance and a resistive heating element. The heat capacity of the substrate forms a distribution within the substrate. The substrate, or a portion thereof, is preferably made from one type of metal or a composite of two or more types of metal.

Abstract: A wet molding method in which a ceramic slurry is charged into a cavity and uniaxially pressed by a punch to remove excess liquid from a portion of the slurry facing the punch to effect molding, the method being improved by maintaining at least one of the following conditions; (a) the pressing of the slurry is stopped at a time between T and 1.5 T, T being defined as the pressing time necessary to remove sufficient excess liquid from the slurry in the mold to produce a molded mass; or (b) the punch displacement position at a time at which sufficient excess liquid is removed from the slurry in the mold to produce a molded mass is less than 17% of the total mold length.