Method for transporting and electrostatically chucking a semiconductor wafer or the like

摘要

An electrically conductive workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer or the like is transported between a staging area and an electrostatic chuck within a processing chamber using an electrostatic arm. The arm is used to apply an electrical charge to the wafer and to hold the wafer during transport by means of an electrostatic force of attraction between the arm and the wafer. The arm also pre-charges the wafer in preparation to be electrostatically chucked within the processing chamber. Pre-charging the wafer eliminates the need for using a gas plasma within the chamber for chucking and dechucking the wafer.