Oxford Instruments Nanotechnology Tools Limited

Joao L G Ferreira

Michael Cooke

Yiping Song

A method of electrostatically clamping a dielectric wafer to a processing table during plasma processing is described. The table has interdigitated electrodes embedded therein. The method comprises applying respective voltages of opposite first and second polarities to adjacent electrodes wherein polarization charges are induced in the wafer with opposite polarity to the respective underlying electrodes thereby electrostatically clamping the wafer to the table; and, after a predetermined time (t), reversing the polarities of the voltages so that the polarization charges and electrostatic clamping continues. The on time (t) of each of the first and second polarities is preselected to be The time (t) for switching between the first and second polarities is less than the time (T) and less than 2 seconds.

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Yatton, United Kingdom

Joao L G Ferreira