A vacuum chuck apparatus, comprising: a chuck body having a substantially flat chucking surface; three or more collapsible bellows each collapsible by at least five hundred micrometers in a direction orthogonal to the flat chucking surface of the chuck body, wherein each collapsible bellows has a compliant shape configured to conform to a non-planar backside surface of a substrate; three or more lift structures, each lift structure coupled to one of the three or more collapsible bellows; a vacuum source, wherein elements of the lift structures are hollow such that they are configured to allow vacuum to be transmitted from the vacuum source to the collapsible bellows 102 through the elements of the lift structure; one or more actuators (105; 106) configured to move the three or more lift structures and the three or more collapsible bellows in a direction orthogonal to the flat chucking surface of the chuck body and into contact with the substrate to form a vacuum clamped connection between the three or more collapsible bellows and the substrate, the one or more actuators (105; 106) further configured to move the three or more lift structures, the three or more collapsible bellows, and the substrate toward the flat chucking surface of the chuck body; and one or more recessed annular channels in the chuck body, wherein each of the one or more recessed annular channels includes an extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) coupled to a bottom surface of the one or more recessed annular channels, wherein each extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) is configured to extend above the flat chucking surface of the chuck body, wherein the bottom surface of the one or more recessed annular channels has a dovetail feature fabricated therein within which a matching profile of the extensible sealing element fits within to mount the extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) to the bottom of the recessed annular channel. a chuck body having a substantially flat chucking surface; three or more collapsible bellows each collapsible by at least five hundred micrometers in a direction orthogonal to the flat chucking surface of the chuck body, wherein each collapsible bellows has a compliant shape configured to conform to a non-planar backside surface of a substrate; three or more lift structures, each lift structure coupled to one of the three or more collapsible bellows; one or more actuators (105; 106) configured to move the three or more lift structures and the three or more collapsible bellows in a direction orthogonal to the flat chucking surface of the chuck body and into contact with the substrate to form a vacuum clamped connection between the three or more collapsible bellows and the substrate, the one or more actuators (105; 106) further configured to move the three or more lift structures, the three or more collapsible bellows, and the substrate toward the flat chucking surface of the chuck body; and one or more recessed annular channels in the chuck body, wherein each of the one or more recessed annular channels includes an extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) coupled to a bottom surface of the one or more recessed annular channels, wherein each extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) is configured to extend above the flat chucking surface of the chuck body, wherein the bottom surface of the one or more recessed annular channels has a dovetail feature fabricated therein within which a matching profile of the extensible sealing element fits within to mount the extensible sealing element (103; 109; 111) to the bottom of the recessed annular channel.