Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate processing method comprising:

• (a) loading a substrate onto an elevated substrate lifting device;
• (b) lowering the substrate lifting device and chucking the substrate onto an electrostatic chuck body using an electrostatic force so that a process is ready to proceed;
• (c) de-chucking the substrate from the electrostatic chuck body by deactivating the electrostatic force;
• (d) preliminarily raising up the substrate to a de-chucking check vertical level using the substrate lifting device so that a de-chucked state of the substrate can be identified at the de-chucking check vertical level;
• and
• (e) lifting the substrate from the electrostatic chuck body by raising up the substrate lifting device so that the substrate identified as being successfully de-chucked is unloaded from the electrostatic chuck body.

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• an electrostatic chuck body configured to chuck a substrate using an electrostatic force;
• a substrate lifting device installed at the electrostatic chuck body and configured to ascend such that the substrate is seated thereon in a substrate loading operation, or to lift the substrate from the electrostatic chuck body in a substrate unloading operation;
• and
• a controller configured to apply a control signal to the substrate lifting device,
• wherein the substrate lifting device includes:
• at least one lift pin movable so as to be in contact with the substrate;
• a lift pin moving table configured to support the at least one lift pin thereon and to be vertically movable;
• a moving table lifting device configured to vertically move the lift pin moving table;
• and
• a load measurement device installed between the at least one lift pin and the lift pin moving table, or installed between the lift pin moving table and the moving table lifting device, wherein the load measurement device is configured to measure a load applied to the at least one lift pin,
• wherein before the substrate unloading operation, the controller is configured to apply a preliminarily ascend control signal to the moving table lifting device to preliminarily raise up the lift pin to a de-chucking check vertical level at which a de-chucked state of the substrate is identified,
• wherein the de-chucking check vertical level is a vertical level within an elastic deformation range of the substrate as a range in which the substrate is raised up such that the substrate is not damaged from a state in which the substrate has been chucked on the electrostatic chuck body,
• wherein when the at least one lift pin has been preliminarily raised up to the de-chucking check vertical level, the controller is configured to receive load measurement information from the load measurement device, and to compare the load measurement information with a reference value, and to determine the de-chucked state of the substrate based on the comparing result, and to output the determined de-chucked state,
• wherein when the load measurement information is within a range of the reference value, the controller is configured to determine that de-chucking of the substate is successful,
• wherein when the load measurement information exceeds the reference value, the controller is configured to determine that de-chucking of the substate fails,
• wherein when the load measurement information is smaller than the reference value, the controller is configured to determine that the substrate has escaped from the electrostatic chuck body,
• wherein when the load measurement information deviates from the reference value, the controller is configured to apply a lift pin movement stop control signal to the moving table lifting device, and to apply a notification signal to a notification device.