Temperature control device

Abstract

A temperature control device includes: a top plate; a heat exchanger plate; a thermoelectric module including a temperature-control-side electrode disposed near the top plate, a heat-exchanger-side electrode disposed near the heat exchanger plate and a thermoelectric element of which one side is connected with the temperature-control-side electrode and the other side is connected with the heat-exchanger-side electrode; and a polyimide film provided on the thermoelectric module near the top plate. The thermoelectric module is spaced apart from and surrounded by a seal wall having a ceramic outer circumference and disposed between the polyimide film and the heat exchanger plate. An adhesion sheet or an adhesive is interposed between the seal wall and the polyimide film.

Description

[0001]The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2011-229879 filed Oct. 19, 2011 and No. 2012-211942 filed Sep. 26, 2012 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a temperature control device for controlling a temperature of an object to be temperature-controlled.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]A semiconductor wafer (an object to be temperature-controlled) is placed on a stage plate of a susceptor provided in a vacuum chamber to be subjected to various semiconductor processing such as dry etching with a process gas in a plasma atmosphere. When the various semiconductor processing is performed, a temperature distribution on a surface of the semiconductor wafer has to be controlled as desired.[0006]A typically known temperature control device for performing the control includes a stage plate on which an object to be temperature-controlled is placed, a heat excha...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a temperature control device that can prevent corrosion of its thermoelectric module caused by highly corrosive gas. The device has a seal wall made of ceramic or aluminum oxide / aluminum nitride that surrounds the thermoelectric module, and a protection member made of polyimide film or ceramic plate that isolates the seal wall from the stage plate and prevents transfer of heat. The device also includes a bush or boss that prevents process gas from entering the thermoelectric module and avoids corrosion. Overall, the device is more durable, can provide better temperature control, and can improve the efficiency of its components.

Problems solved by technology

However, in a typical temperature-control device, since the seal member is made of resin as disclosed in Literature 1 or is made of metal as disclosed in Literature 2, the strength of the seal member is reduced on account of the heat of the high-temperature process gas or a high corrosivity of the process gas, resulting in a damage on the seal member is damaged.

Thus, a highly corrosive process gas enters the thermoelectric module to corrode the thermoelectric module, thereby inhibiting the proper operation of the temperature-control device.

However, when the thickness of the seal member is increased, since the space occupied by the seal member in the thermoelectric module plate increases, the thermoelectric module cannot be densely arranged, so that the temperature of the object to be temperature-controlled cannot be appropriately controlled.

Further, since a metal plate is interposed between the top plate of the thermoelectric module plate and the seal member of the typical temperature-control device disclosed in Literature 2, a differential in thermal expansion generated due to the heat of the process gas between the top plate of the thermoelectric module plate and the seal member cannot be absorbed, so that the temperature-control device is damaged through the bonding portion between the top plate of the thermoelectric module plate and the seal member and the durability of the temperature-control device is deteriorated.

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