Electrostatic chuck with charge dissipation coating

An electrostatic chuck assembly configured to support a wafer substrate thereon, the electrostatic chuck assembly comprising:

• a surface including a main field area;
• an insulative material that comprises a first insulator layer having a plurality of embossments that extend above surrounding portions of the main field area and a first conductive coating with one or more gap portions in the first conductive coating that provide uncoated insulative material that are disposed between the plurality of embossments, wherein the plurality of embossments being disposed laterally in from an outside edge of the electrostatic chuck with each of the plurality of embossments having the first conductive coating and thus constitute conductively coated embossments which form one or more conductive bridges across sets of the embossments that are electrically coupled to ground wherein the conductively coated embossments are configured to support the wafer substrate over the main field and above the outside edge of the electrostatic chuck;
• a first electrode pattern disposed below the first insulator layer, the first electrode pattern having electrode elements located longitudinally below the one or more gap portions and located laterally between the one or more conductive bridges of embossments, wherein distal portions of the conductively coated embossments do not extend laterally over the electrode elements so as to form a longitudinal clearance reducing electrical coupling between the first electrode pattern and the one or more conductive bridges upon energization of the first electrode pattern;
• a second electrode pattern disposed below the first insulator layer, wherein the second electrode pattern is of opposite polarity from the first electrode pattern, wherein the first and second electrode patterns are configured to clamp the wafer substrate on the one or more conductive bridges of embossments upon energization;
• a plurality of conductive bridge paths formed from the electrically coupled plurality of embossments disposed in an interleaving configuration with electrodes within each of the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern;
• and
• an insulative body configured to support the first electrode pattern and the surface having the conductively coated embossments.