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: A ceramic heater for a semiconductor producing/inspecting device which makes it possible to realize an even temperature distribution in a semiconductor wafer without corroding external terminals, wires and the like of the ceramic heater in the process of producing a semiconductor. The ceramic heater for a semiconductor producing/inspecting device includes a ceramic substrate and a resistance heating element formed inside the ceramic substrate, wherein a power feeding terminal is exposed and formed at the outside of a wafer-heating region in the ceramic substrate.

Abstract: A ceramic heater capable of reducing temperature uniformity at the periphery of through holes such as insertion holes and vacuum suction holes is provided, which protects wafer against thermal shocks and has improved controllability for temperature control parts such as thermocouples and temperature fuse. Further, a ceramic heater capable of uniform resin curing is provided. A heat generation body is disposed on the surface or inside of a ceramic substrate. Further, corners for the insertion holes, the recesses and the vacuum suction holes of the ceramic substrate are chamfered.

Abstract: It is to provide a ceramic joint body and a ceramic structural body effectively used in semiconductor production and inspection devices including a hot plate or the like, and proposes a ceramic joint body by joining ceramic bodies to each other, in which coarse pores having an average diameter larger than an average particle size of ceramic particles constituting the ceramic body and a size of not more than 2000 &mgr;m are formed in a joining interface between the one ceramic body and the other ceramic body as well as a method of joining ceramics to each other.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic heater making it possible to heat the whole of a subject to be heated uniformly. The ceramic heater of the present invention is a ceramic heater wherein a resistance heating element is arranged on a surface of a disc-shaped ceramic substrate or inside the substrate, characterized in that the resistance heating element is composed of a mixture of a resistance heating element having a concentric or spiral pattern and a resistance heating element having a pattern of repeated winding lines.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic heater making it possible to make the temperature of a face for heating a silicon wafer even and prevent damage of the silicon wafer. The ceramic heater of the present invention is a ceramic heater comprising resistance heating elements formed on a surface of a ceramic substrate in a disc form or inside the ceramic substrate, wherein the resistance heating elements composed of two or more circuits being divided in the circumferential direction are arranged in the outermost periphery of the ceramic substrate and further the resistance heating element composed of a different circuit is formed in the inner portion of the resistance heating elements being arranged in the peripheral portion.

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: The invention relates to a ceramic joint body and a method of producing the same and a ceramic structural body for a semiconductor wafer, and is particularly used in a semiconductor producing apparatus or an inspection apparatus such as a hot plate (ceramic heater), an electrostatic chuck, a wafer prober or the like, and basically relates to a joint body obtained by joining two or more same or different ceramic bodies, characterized in that ceramic particles grown are existent in joint interfaces of the ceramic bodies so as to infiltrate into the ceramic bodies located at both sides around the interface and the layer of a concentrated sintering aid is eliminated from the joint interface.

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: An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic bonded body comprising a ceramic substrate and a ceramic body such as a cylindrical body firmly bonded to each other and excellent in corrosion resistance in the ceramic substrate for the use for a semiconductor product producing/examining step. The ceramic bonded body according to the present invention comprises: a ceramic substrate in which a conductor is provided; and a ceramic body bonded to a bottom face of the ceramic substrate The ceramic bonded body has a region, where no conductor is formed, in at least a part of a region above a bonding interface between the ceramic substrate and the ceramic body.