Patent ID: 8964350
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A substrate removing method comprising: providing a substrate processing apparatus including an electrostatic chuck made of a dielectric material enclosing an electrostatic electrode plate to which DC voltage is applied, and a chamber having a ground potential and housing the electrostatic chuck on which a substrate is placed to be electrostatically adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck, and a plasma process is performed on the substrate; maintaining the potential of the electrostatic electrode plate after the plasma process is completed at a first predetermined potential which is the potential of the electrostatic electrode plate during the plasma process; setting the potential of the electrostatic electrode plate to the ground potential to increase the absolute value of the potential difference between the substrate and the chamber thereby generating DC discharge between the substrate and the chamber; applying, to the electrostatic electrode plate, DC voltage having the same potential as a second predetermined potential which is generated on the substrate after the DC discharge is generated at the setting to increase the absolute value of the potential difference between the substrate and the chamber again thereby re-generating DC discharge between the substrate and the chamber such that there exists substantially no potential difference between the substrate and the electrostatic electrode plate; re-setting the potential of the electrostatic electrode plate to the ground potential such that there exists substantially no potential difference between the substrate and the chamber; and removing the substrate from the electrostatic chuck while there exists substantially no potential difference between the substrate and the chamber.