Novellus Systems Incorporated

Dan Ye

Timothy W Kueper

Michael D Kilgore

Jaime Onate

Jimmy Lam

A semiconductor workpiece processing system for treating a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, is provided. A related operating control method is also provided. The system includes an electrostatic chuck configured to receive a workpiece, and a clamping voltage power supply coupled to the electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck has a clamping electrode assembly, and the clamping voltage power supply is coupled to the clamping electrode assembly. The clamping voltage power supply includes a direct current (DC) voltage generator configured to generate a DC clamping voltage for the clamping electrode assembly, an alternating current (AC) voltage generator configured to generate an AC excitation signal for the clamping electrode assembly, and a processing architecture coupled to the clamping electrode assembly. The processing architecture is configured to analyze attributes of a workpiece presence signal obtained in response to the AC excitation signal, and, based on the attributes, verify proper/improper positioning of the workpiece relative to the electrostatic chuck.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Dan Ye