Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a hot plate which is superior in thermal conductivity, is superior in temperature-rising/dropping property, particularly in temperature-dropping property, and has high cooling thermal efficiency at the time of cooling. The hot plate of the present invention is a hotplate comprising: a ceramic substrate; and a resistance heating element formed on the surface of said ceramic substrate or inside said ceramic substrate, wherein said ceramic substrate has a leakage quantity of 10−7 Pa·m3/sec (He) or less by measurement with a helium leakage detector.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a carbon-containing aluminum nitride sintered body wherein no short circuit is caused since its volume resistivity at a high temperature range of 200° C. or higher (for example, about 500° C.) is sufficiently high, that is, at least 1×108 &OHgr;·cm or more, and also wherein covering-up capability, a large radiant heat amount and measurement accuracy with a thermoviewer can be assured. The carbon-containing aluminum nitride sintered body of the present invention is comprising carbon whose peaks appear near 1580 cm−1 and near 1355 cm−1 in laser Raman spectral analysis in a matrix made of aluminum nitride.

Abstract: There is provided a laser processing apparatus, a multilayer printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus, and a manufacturing method to form via holes of ultra-fine diameter. The laser beam from the CO2 laser oscillator (60) is converted to the shortened wavelength beam by a tellurium crystal (94) to control diffraction of the laser beam. Simultaneously, when the laser beam is condensed, a limit value of the condensation limit is reduced. Thereby, the spot diameter of laser beam is reduced and a hole for via hole is bored on the interlayer insulation resin on a substrate (10). Therefore, even when the laser beam output is raised to form a deeper hole, the hole diameter is not widened and thereby a hole for a small diameter via hole can be formed.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a ceramic substrate for semiconductor manufacture and/or inspection conducive to decrease radiated &agr;-rays and to minimize changes in thermal conductivity as a function of time, thereby yielding a superior temperature controllability. This invention is related to a ceramic substrate for apparatuses for use in semiconductor manufacture and/or inspection, wherein the level of &agr;-rays radiated from said ceramic substrate exceeds 0.25 c/cm2·hr and is not higher than 50 c/cm2·hr.

Abstract: This invention has its object to provide a ceramic board which, when used as a heater, heats a silicon wafer uniformly throughout and, hence, does not damage the wafer and, when used as an electrostatic chuck, provides a sufficient chucking force.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ceramic heater which makes it possible to make the distance between a semiconductor wafer and the heating surface of a ceramic substrate constant at any time, heat the semiconductor wafer at an even temperature and prevent contamination of the semiconductor wafer, and which does not cause dropping-out of a supporting pin. The ceramic heater of the present invention comprises a ceramic substrate on a surface of which or inside which a heating element is formed, wherein the ceramic heater is constituted to have a structure that an object to be heated can be held apart from a surface of said ceramic substrate and heated.

Abstract: A hot plate for a semiconductor producing/examining device, in which hot plate, when an object to be heated such as a silicon wafer is heated in a state that the object is distanced by a certain distance from the heating face, air is less likely to stagnate between the silicon wafer and the heating face and thus the object to be heated can be evenly heated. Specifically, the hot plate for a semiconductor producing/examining device includes a resistance heating element formed on a surface of a ceramic substrate or inside the ceramic substrate, wherein the glossiness of the heating face of the ceramic substrate is 1.5% or more.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a ceramic substrate for a semiconductor producing/examining device which has high fracture toughness value, excellent thermal shock resistivity, high thermal conductivity and an excellent temperature rising and falling properties, and is preferable as a hot plate, an electrostatic chuck, a wafer prober and the like. A ceramic substrate, for a semiconductor producing/examining device, having a conductor formed inside thereof or on the surface thereof of the present invention is the ceramic substrate, wherein said ceramic substrate has been sintered such that a fractured section thereof exhibits intergranular fracture.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide an aluminum nitride sintered body making it possible to keep a volume resistivity of 108 &OHgr;·cm or more, and guarantee covering-up capability, a large radiant heat amount and measurement accuracy with a thermoviewer. A carbon-containing aluminum nitride sintered body of the present invention of the present invention comprising: carbon whose peak cannot be detected on its X-ray diffraction chart or whose peak is below its detection limit thereon; in a matrix made of aluminum nitride.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic substrate that is superior in heat uniformity and thermal shock resistance, and has a large chuck power in the case that the ceramic substrate is made to be an electrostatic chuck. The ceramic substrate of the present invention is a ceramic substrate comprising a conductor layer formed therein, characterized in that a section of the edge of the conductor layer is in a peaked shape.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ceramic substrate which can keep a sufficiently large breakdown voltage even if the pore diameter of its maximum pore is 50 &mgr;m or less to be larger than that of conventional ceramic substrates, can give a large fracture toughness value because of the presence of pores, can resist thermal impact, and can give a small warp amount at high temperature. The ceramic substrate of the present invention is a ceramic substrate for a semiconductor-producing/examining device having a conductor formed on a surface of the ceramic substrate or inside the ceramic substrate, wherein: the substrate is made of a non-oxide ceramic containing oxygen; and the pore diameter of the maximum pore thereof is 50 &mgr;m or less.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic substrate for a semiconductor-producing/examining device, in which it is possible to promptly raise its temperature, a heating face thereof has a small temperature variation, and no semiconductor wafer and the like is damaged or distorted by thermal impact. The present invention is a ceramic substrate for a semiconductor-producing/examining device having a resistance heating element formed on a surface thereof or inside thereof, wherein a projected portion for fitting a semiconductor wafer is formed along the periphery thereof and a large number of convex bodies, which make contact with the semiconductor wafer, are formed inside the projected portion.

Abstract: A ceramic substrate in which even if rapid temperature rising or rapid temperature falling is conducted, no problem of cracking or warp of the ceramic substrate occurs. In a case that the ceramic substrate is a ceramic substrate constituting an electrostatic chuck, local dispersion of chuck power is eliminated, in a case that the ceramic substrate is a ceramic substrate constituting a hot plate, local dispersion of temperature of a wafer treating face is eliminated, and in a case that the ceramic substrate is a ceramic substrate constituting a wafer prober, dispersion of applied voltage of a guard electrode or a ground electrode is eliminated and a stray capacitor or noise can be eliminated. The ceramic substrate is provided with a conductor layer on the surface of the ceramic substrate or inside the ceramic substrate. A ratio (t2/t1) of the average thickness of the conductor layer (t2) to the average thickness of the ceramic substrate (t1) is less than 0.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor-producing/examining device which can maintain a preferable connection state for a predetermined period of time and which can easily remove a ceramic substrate from a supporting case. The present invention is a semiconductor producing/examining device comprising: a ceramic substrate having a conductor layer formed on the surface thereof or inside thereof; and a supporting case; in which an external terminal is connected to the conductor layer, wherein a connection between the conductor layer and the external terminal is performed such that the external terminal is pressed on the conductor layer or the external terminal is pressed on another conductor layer connected to the conductor layer by using the elastic force and the like of an elastic body.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a ceramic substrate hardly causing cracks and damages and the like attributed to pushing pressure and the like since the strength of the above-mentioned ceramic substrate is higher than that of a conventional one even in the case of manufacturing a large size ceramic substrate capable of placing a semiconductor wafer with a large diameter and the like. The present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a ceramic substrate having a conductor formed on the surface thereof or internally thereof, including the steps of: firing a formed body containing a ceramic powder to produce a primary sintered body; and performing an annealing process to the primary sintered body at a temperature of 1400° C. to 1800° C., after the preceding step.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a ceramic substrate which does not generate any crack by a shock when the ceramic substrate is fitted to a supporting case or taken off therefrom or any crack resulting from a thermal stress, a thermal shock and the like when the ceramic substrate is heated after the fixation thereof to the supporting case, and which is capable of being prevented from being rotated. The present invention is a ceramic substrate having a conductor layer formed inside thereof or on the surface thereof, wherein a notch is formed.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck which allows sufficiently rapid temperature rising/dropping thereof, in case that the diameter of a ceramic substrate is 190 mm or more or especially in case that the diameter of the ceramic substrate is quite large, exceeding 300 mm. The electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic substrate equipped with a temperature controlling means, an electrostatic electrode formed on the ceramic substrate, and a ceramic dielectric film provided on the electrostatic electrode. The ceramic substrate has a diameter exceeding 190 mm and a thickness of 20 mm or less, and the ceramic dielectric film contains oxygen in an amount of 0.1 to 20 weight %.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck which does not have a dispersion in chucking force depending on place and is capable of adsorbing a semiconductor wafer evenly. A process for manufacturing an electrostatic chuck according to the present invention comprises steps of: printing a conductor containing paste for an electrode on a green sheet which has a surface roughness, Rmax, of 200 &mgr;m or less; forming a lamination by stacking another green sheet or other green sheets on said green sheet; and then sintering said lamination.

Abstract: A ceramic board which, when used as a heater, heats a silicon wafer uniformly throughout and, hence, does not damage the wafer and, when used as an electrostatic chuck, provides a sufficient chucking force. The ceramic board for semiconductor manufacture apparatuses comprising a ceramic substrate and a semiconductor wafer mounted thereon directly or supported indirectly at a fixed distance from its surface, wherein the surface of said ceramic substrate, where said semiconductor wafer is to be mounted or supported, is controlled to a flatness of 1 to 50 &mgr;m over a measurement range of [(diametric end-to-end length) −10 mm].

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a heater wherein even if a through hole into which lifter pins and the like for supporting a semiconductor wafer will be inserted is made, the temperature in the vicinity of the through hole is not lowered so that the temperature in its heating face is even. The present invention is a ceramic heater comprising a ceramic substrate; and a resistance heating element formed on the surface of the ceramic substrate or inside above-mentioned ceramic substrate, above-mentioned ceramic substrate being equipped with a through hole, wherein the wall face of above-mentioned through hole has a surface roughness of Rmax=0.05 to 200 &mgr;m based on JIS B 0601.