WAFER CHUCK HAVING WITH INTERLEAVED HEATING AND COOLING ELEMENTS

摘要

A workpiece chuck used, for example, to support a semiconductor wafer during processing, is described. In one aspect, the chuck includes a thermal plate assembly which includes both heating and cooling capability. The heating element (12) can be a resistive heater in a coiled configuration disposed in a plane. The cooling can be performed via a cooling fluid circulated through cooling tubes (14) which are also disposed in a coiled configuration in a plane. The heating element and cooling tubes are coiled in an interleaved fashion to provide uniform heating and cooling while allowing them to simultaneously occupy the same plane. In another aspect, the chuck of the invention provides for interchangeable top surface assemblies used to support the workpiece chuck. The thermal plate assembly includes mechanical mounting for the top surface assembly. The interchangeable nature of the top surface assemblies permits the user to use multiple top surfaces with a single thermal plate.