Patent ID: 7147795

Claim:
A method for surface treatment for a substrate using a surface treatment apparatus, the substrate having one surface to which the surface treatment is to be carried out and the other surface opposite to the one surface, and the surface treatment apparatus having at least one enclosed space and a contact portion surrounding the enclosed space adapted to hermetically contact with the other surface of the substrate to produce negative pressure in cooperation with the enclosed space and the other surface of the substrate so that the substrate is attracted onto the surface treatment apparatus by means of the negative pressure to maintain such a state at least during the surface treatment, the method comprising: a first step in which the surface treatment apparatus and the substrate placed thereon in a state where the other surface of the substrate faces the surface treatment apparatus are conveyed to the inside of a decompression chamber to decompress the enclosed space thereby producing the negative pressure in the enclosed space; a second step in which the surface treatment apparatus and the substrate are brought out from the inside of the decompression chamber to environment under atmospheric pressure in a state where the substrate is being attracted to the surface treatment apparatus with the use of a difference between the negative pressure inside the closed space and atmospheric pressure; and a third step in which the surface treatment is carried out to the one surface of the substrate under the condition that the substrate is being attracted by the surface treatment apparatus.