Manufacturing Electrostatic Chucks via Ceramic 3D Printing: Formulation of Photopolymer Resin and Simulation-driven Structural Optimization

The electrostatic chuck is utilized to hold objects such as silicon wafers and LCDs securely. As advancements in related industries continue, research interest in electrostatic chucks is on the rise. Traditional manufacturing processes for these chucks primarily rely on APS (atmospheric plasma spraying) coating, a method that poses limitations in shape flexibility and consumes high energy. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces a method employing photopolymerization 3D printing, which combines ceramics with photopolymer resins. This 3D printing technology stands out for its exceptional precision and rapid production speeds. By integrating ceramic composite resin, it not only allows for the emulation of the physical properties of various ceramic materials but also vastly enhances design flexibility. To produce a ceramic composite resin tailored for photopolymerization 3D printing, a photopolymerization resin was formulated using two monomers: 1,6 hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) and Trimethylpropane triacrylate (TMPTA). The resin's printing attributes and performance were assessed by monitoring the curing properties in response to varying monomer ratios. Following this, BaTiO3 (BTO) powder was added in concentrations ranging from 0 to 30 vol.% to the best-performing resin to create a high dielectric constant BTO photopolymerization resin. To determine the optimal wavelength by evaluating the printability of the manufactured resin according to the optical characteristics of BTO, the curing characteristic behavior was analyzed according to the changes in the three wavelength bands of 385nm, 405nm, and 415nm. The dielectric properties of the 3D-printed BTO composite layers were evaluated to optimize the BTO content for peak dielectric performance, emphasizing both a high dielectric constant and breakdown strength. Based on this material insight, bipolar-type electrostatic chuck models were designed. Their structural optimization and corresponding chucking performance were enhanced using finite element analysis through COMSOL. In this study, by applying ceramic composite resin to photopolymerized 3D printing technology, we were able to fabricate electrostatic chucks with exceptional chucking performance through 3D ceramic printing.