Patent ID: 6853953

Claim:
A method of characterizing the performance of an electrostatic chuck in a first vacuum chamber for use in a second vacuum chamber of a semiconductor processing system in a production line, the method comprising: providing a first reference value of a first performance characteristic correlated with satisfactory performance of a reference electrostatic chuck when placed in the second vacuum chamber of the semiconductor processing system in the production line and operated under standard conditions of operation; positioning the electrostatic chuck within the first vacuum chamber; measuring a first measured value for the first performance characteristic of the electrostatic chuck; comparing the first measured value of the first performance characteristic with the first reference value, the comparison providing an indication of the performance of the electrostatic chuck; and based on the result of the comparing step, determining whether the performance of the electrostatic chuck is adequate to install the electrostatic chuck in the second vacuum chamber of the semiconductor processing system in the production line.