An electrostatic chuck (E-Chuck, ESC) is a chuck that absorbs and fixes (chucks) a workpiece by using an electrical force that causes objects to attract each other with static electricity. E-Chucks are primarily used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment to semiconductor wafer clamping. When positive and negative voltages are applied to the internal electrodes of the chuck while the workpiece is placed on the chuck, the electric charges in the workpiece move so that they are attracted to the internal electrodes. This generates a Coulomb force between the electrodes and the workpiece, and the workpiece is adsorbed to the chuck.
Electrostatic chucks are divided into two types based on their chucking method. One is the Coulomb force type, which uses an insulating material as the dielectric. The other is the Johnsen-Rahbek force type, in which a small current flows through a small gap at the interface between the object and the dielectric, causing electrostatic polarization and induction. The Coulomb-type ESC is used slightly more often, accounting for about 60% of cases.
Since electrostatic chucks do not physically restrain objects, they are suitable for gripping very delicate workpieces such as metal foils and films. For this reason, they are used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment to transport wafers and as chucks during processing.
Matsusada Precision is a manufacturer of high voltage power supplies, and also produces specialized electrostatic chuck power supplies. We have a wide range of power supplies for electrostatic chucks that are compatible with both Coulomb force and Johnson-Rahbek force types.
Applications of electrostatic chucks:
- Semiconductor Fabrication Equipment
- Photolithography
- Semiconductor Wafer Handling
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
- Plasma Enhanced CVD (PECVD)
- Inductively Coupled Plasma CVD (ICPCVD)
- Ion Beam Deposition (IBD)
- Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
- Dry Etching
- Plasma Etching
- Reactive-ion Etching (RIE)
- Atomic Layer Etching (ALE)
- Flat Panel Handling
Electrostatic Chuck Manufacturers
- SHINKO Electric Industries https://www.shinko.co.jp/english/product/equipment/esc.php
- Sumitomo Osaka Cement https://www.soc.co.jp/service/new_material/semiconductor/semiconductor01/
- NGK INSULATORS https://www.ngk-insulators.com/en/product/sc-chack.html
- TOTO Ltd https://jp.toto.com/en/products/ceramics/elewafer/
- NTK CERATEC https://www.ceratech.co.jp/en/product/esc
- Kyocera Corporation https://global.kyocera.com/prdct/fc/industries/products/008.html
- Related words:
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- electrostatic chuck
- Coulomb force
- Johnsen-rahbek
- force wafer transfer
- semiconductor manufacturing equipment
- semiconductor adsorption
