Patent ID: 8017525

Claim:
A processing method employing a processing apparatus, which includes a transfer chamber, a processing chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, to process therein a target substrate, and an electrostatic chuck provided in the processing chamber to electrostatically adsorb the target substrate thereto, comprising: transferring the target substrate from the transfer chamber into the processing chamber by using a transfer mechanism; placing the target substrate on the electrostatic chuck displaced in the processing chamber; applying a direct current to an electrode embedded in the electrostatic chuck to electrostatically absorb the target substrate to the electrostatic chuck; processing the target substrate in the processing chamber, to thereby obtain a processed substrate; terminating the application of the direct current to the electrostatic chuck; supplying an N 2 gas into the processing chamber through a shower head installed at an upper part of the processing chamber; irradiating ultraviolet rays to the N 2 gas by using an ultraviolet irradiation unit provided at a sidewall of the processing chamber such that dissociated monatomic nitrogen atoms are generated to remove charge on the electrostatic chuck; and transferring the processed substrate into the transfer chamber using the transfer mechanism, wherein the dissociated monatomic nitrogen atoms are produced by applying energy, higher than dissociation energy of N 2 and lower than ionization energy of N 2 , to the N 2 gas.