Method of holding substrate and substrate holding system

A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a vacuum processing chamber, a gas supplying device for supplying a gas or plasma processing, and a substrate table having an electrostatic attraction device for holding the substrate in said vacuum processing chamber, said substrate table comprising:

• a ring-shaped protruded portion having a smooth surface disposed at a position corresponding to the periphery of said substrate, plural contact holding portions disposed between a position corresponding to the center of said substrate and said position corresponding to the periphery of said substrate, a gas supply hole of said gas supplying device disposed at a non-contact portion of said substrate table with said substrate, and at least one through-hole disposed at said plural contact holding portions penetrating said substrate table, and
• a pin disposed in said through-hole for pushing-up said substrate, wherein said electrostatic attraction device includes a dielectric substance affixed or formed on the surface of said substrate table including said ring-shaped protruded portion and said contact holding portions, said substrate processing method comprising steps of:
• transferring said substrate to be processed onto said substrate table by said pin,
• fixing said substrate on the substrate table by contacting the surface of said ring-shaped protruded portion and said contact holding portions with the back surface of said substrate, by said electrostatic attraction device,
• supplying said heat conduction gas between said back surface of said heat substrate and said substrate table from said gas supply hole in a state of holding said substrate,
• while plasma processing of the substrate, restraining leakage of said heat conduction gas supplied between said substrate and said substrate table to maintain said heat conduction gas pressure at a predetermined value for controlling the temperature of said substrate, and
• transferring said processed substrate from said substrate table by said pin.