Temperature Uniformity Control of 12-Inch Semiconductor Wafer Chuck Using Double-Wall TPMS in Additive Manufacturing

In semiconductor inspection equipment, a chuck used to hold a wafer is equipped with a cooling or heating system for temperature uniformity across the surface of the wafer. Surface temperature uniformity is important for increasing semiconductor inspection speed. Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs) are proposed to enhance temperature uniformity. TPMSs are a topic of increasing research in the field of additive manufacturing and are a type of metamaterial inspired by nature. TPMSs are periodic surfaces with no intersections. Their continuous curve offers self-support during the additive manufacturing process. This structure enables the division of a single space into two domains. As a result, the heat transfer area per unit volume is larger than that of general lattice structures, leading to a superior heat transfer performance. This paper proposes a new structure called a double-wall TPMS. The process of creating a double-walled TPMS by adjusting the thickness of the sheet TPMS was investigated, and its thermal performance was studied. Finally, a double-wall TPMS was applied to the chuck. The optimal designs for the diamond and gyroid structures exhibited a difference in surface temperature uniformity of 0.23 °C and 0.66 °C, respectively. Accordingly, the models optimized with the double-wall TPMS are proposed.