Patent ID: 8780522

Claim:
A method for identifying a signal perturbation characteristic of a dechucking event within a processing chamber of a plasma processing system, comprising: executing a dechucking step within said processing chamber to remove a substrate from a lower electrode, wherein said dechucking step includes generating a plasma capable of providing a current to neutralize an electrostatic charge on said substrate; employing a probe head to collect a set of characteristic parameter measurements of data related to characterizing said plasma capable of providing current during said dechucking step, said probe head being on a surface of said processing chamber, wherein said surface is within close proximity to a substrate surface; and comparing said set of characteristic parameter measurements against a pre-defined range of data related to characterizing said plasma capable of providing current, if said set of characteristic parameter measurements is within said pre-defined range, said electrostatic charge is removed from said substrate and said signal perturbation characteristic of said dechucking event is detected.