Patent ID: 8277673

Claim:
A plasma processing method for holding a target substrate on a first electrode with an electrostatic attracting force within an evacuatable processing chamber by use of an electrostatic chuck provided in the first electrode and applying a first radio frequency (RF) power to the first electrode to perform desired plasma processing on the substrate, the electrostatic chuck including a dielectric film and a conductor encapsulated within the dielectric film, the method comprising: electrically grounding the conductor of the electrostatic chuck and the first electrode prior to starting the plasma processing; loading the substrate on the first electrode by operating a lift pin movable through the first electrode and the electrostatic chuck; starting application of a first direct current voltage with a first polarity to the conductor of the electrostatic chuck at a first time point after loading the substrate on the first electrode; switching the first electrode from an electrically grounded state to an electrically floating state at a second time point subsequent to the first time point; starting application of the first RF power to the first electrode at a third time point subsequent to the second time point; stopping application of the first RF power to the first electrode at a fourth time point after a specified time has lapsed from the third time point; switching the first electrode from the electrically floating state to the electrically grounded state at a fifth time point subsequent to the fourth time point; stopping application of the first direct current voltage to the conductor of the electrostatic chuck and restoring the conductor to a ground potential at a sixth time point subsequent to the fifth time point; and unloading the substrate from the first electrode by operating the lift pin at a seventh time point subsequent to the sixth time point.