An electrostatic chuck includes a dielectric disk having a support surface to support a substrate and an opposing second surface, wherein at least one chucking electrode is disposed within the dielectric disk; a radio frequency (RF) bias plate disposed below the dielectric disk; a plurality of lamps disposed below the RF bias plate to heat the dielectric disk; a metallic plate disposed below the lamps to absorb heat generated by the lamps; a shaft coupled to the second surface of the dielectric disk at a first end of the shaft to support the dielectric disk in a spaced apart relation to the RF bias plate and extending away from the dielectric disk and through the RF bias plate and the metallic plate; and a rotation assembly coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the dielectric disk with respect to the RF bias plate, lamps, and metallic plate.

An electrostatic chuck includes a dielectric disk having a support surface to support a substrate and an opposing second surface, wherein at least one chucking electrode is disposed within the dielectric disk; a radio frequency (RF) bias plate disposed below the dielectric disk; a plurality of lamps disposed below the RF bias plate to heat the dielectric disk; a metallic plate disposed below the lamps to absorb heat generated by the lamps; a shaft coupled to the second surface of the dielectric disk at a first end of the shaft to support the dielectric disk in a spaced apart relation to the RF bias plate and extending away from the dielectric disk and through the RF bias plate and the metallic plate; and a rotation assembly coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the dielectric disk with respect to the RF bias plate, lamps, and metallic plate.

A wafer placement table includes a ceramic substrate having a wafer placement surface on an upper surface thereof and containing an electrode therein, a cooling substrate made of a metal-ceramic composite and having a cooling medium passage therein, and a metal joining layer configured to join a lower surface of the ceramic substrate to an upper surface of the cooling substrate. A thickness of a lower part of the cooling substrate below the cooling medium passage is greater than or equal to 13 mm, or greater than or equal to 43% of an overall thickness of the cooling substrate.

An electrostatic chuck assembly includes a dielectric plate having an absorption electrode to generate an electrostatic force, the dielectric plate securing a substrate by the electrostatic force, a conductive base plate under the dielectric plate to be applied with a high frequency electric power, the conductive base plate being an electrode to generate plasma, and an insulating plate under the base plate, the insulating plate having an insulation body and an insulation sink, and the insulation sink having a dielectric constant lower than that of the insulation body.

The present invention provides a technology for reducing the attractive force of a chucking device at its surface contacting an object to be chucked to thereby eliminate or minimize the generation of dust when chucking and removing the object, and to enable control for making the attractive force of the chucking device uniform. The chucking device of the present invention includes: a main body portion 50 constituted by a dielectric and pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 for attracting and holding a substrate 10, the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 being provided in the dielectric, each of the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 being opposite in polarity; and a plurality of conductive films 51 arranged on a part of the main body portion 50 on the chucking side relative to the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 in such a manner as to respectively span across a positive electrode 11a and a negative electrode 11b constituting the pair of chucking electrodes 11 and across a positive electrode 12a and a negative electrode 12b constituting the pair of chucking electrodes 12.

The present invention provides a technology for reducing the attractive force of a chucking device at its surface contacting an object to be chucked to thereby eliminate or minimize the generation of dust when chucking and removing the object, and to enable control for making the attractive force of the chucking device uniform. The chucking device of the present invention includes: a main body portion 50 constituted by a dielectric and pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 for attracting and holding a substrate 10, the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 being provided in the dielectric, each of the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 being opposite in polarity; and a plurality of conductive films 51 arranged on a part of the main body portion 50 on the chucking side relative to the pairs of chucking electrodes 11 and 12 in such a manner as to respectively span across a positive electrode 11a and a negative electrode 11b constituting the pair of chucking electrodes 11 and across a positive electrode 12a and a negative electrode 12b constituting the pair of chucking electrodes 12.

A variable stiffening device that include a first electrode structure and a second electrode structure. The first electrode structure includes an electrode extension that extends into a cavity defined between an electrode of the first electrode structure and an opposing electrode of the second electrode structure. The first and second electrode structures may be arranged in a load-bearing state by applying a voltage thereto to electrostatically attract the electrode to the opposing electrode to press the electrode extension within the cavity. Friction between the electrode extension and engaging surfaces defining the cavity prevent the electrode extension from slipping within the cavity, thereby maintaining a structural relationship among the components of the first and second electrode structures in response to an application of a load to the variable stiffening device.

Control for pixelated electrostatic adhesion can be provided by a voltage converter configured to increase an input voltage to an output voltage; a first gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a first polarity to a first subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes; a second gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a second polarity opposite to the first polarity to a second subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes that are associated with and different from the first subset of electrodes; a first release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the first subset of electrodes to the second polarity; and a second release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the second subset of electrodes to the first polarity.

Control for pixelated electrostatic adhesion can be provided by a voltage converter configured to increase an input voltage to an output voltage; a first gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a first polarity to a first subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes; a second gripping circuit, configured to selectively provide the output voltage at a second polarity opposite to the first polarity to a second subset of electrodes of a plurality of electrodes that are associated with and different from the first subset of electrodes; a first release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the first subset of electrodes to the second polarity; and a second release circuit, configured to selectively reverse the output voltage provided to the second subset of electrodes to the first polarity.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for grasping an object. The apparatus includes a substrate comprising a plurality of electrode pixels; and a controller configured to energize each electrode pixel of the plurality of electrode pixels individually, wherein the apparatus is configured to grasp an object electrostatically using the substrate.