Patent ID: 7864502

Claim:
A processing system, comprising: a processing tool; an electrostatic chuck (ESC) arranged within the processing tool; and a system that: detects an ESC bias spike and an ESC current spike of the ESC; and determines when an ESC bias voltage is zero or exceeds a threshold value, wherein the processing tool comprises a plasma processing apparatus, the processing system is a wafer processing system, the processing system: measures at least one of ESC voltage, ESC current, and ESC bias of a wafer, is structured and arranged to detect the ESC bias spike and the ESC current spike during processing, and compares at least one of: the ESC bias spike and/or the ESC current spike to predetermined values or ranges and determines when a statistical process control violation has occurred, and the ESC bias voltage to zero or the threshold value and determines when a statistical process control violation has occurred, evaluates at least one of: the ESC bias spike, the ESC bias voltage and the ESC current spike, and determines when a statistical process control violation has occurred, and diverts production away from the processing tool when the statistical process control violation has occurred and identifies the processing tool as requiring inspection, maintenance, and/or repair.