Vacuum processing apparatus, vacuum processing method, and electronic device manufacturing method

An electronic device manufacturing method using a sputtering apparatus for performing a vacuum process while keeping a substrate holder electrostatically chucking a substrate, the substrate holder being provided in an evacuatable vacuum chamber, having a substrate chuck surface vertically facing down, and including an electrostatic chuck mechanism which electrostatically chucks the substrate, comprising the steps of:

• a first step of causing a substrate transport mechanism to move a substrate table from a conveyance chamber into the vacuum chamber and to transport the substrate located on the substrate table to a space beneath the substrate holder, through an opening of a shield which is provided in the vacuum chamber and for separating a process space of the substrate from a space on a side of an inner wall of the vacuum chamber;
• a second step of transferring the substrate located on the substrate table from the substrate table to substrate support members, beneath the substrate holder, in an orientation that allows the substrate chuck surface to chuck the substrate;
• a third step of bringing the substrate chuck surface in a vertical direction into contact with the substrate while keeping the substrate support members in a stationary manner;
• a fourth step of operating the electrostatic chuck mechanism to electrostatically chuck the substrate while keeping the substrate and the substrate chuck surface in contact with each other;
• a fifth step of, after the substrate has been chucked, making the substrate support members retreat from a position where the substrate has been chucked to the space on the side of the inner wall through the opening of the shield;
• and
• a sixth step of, performing the vacuum process for the electrostatically chucked substrate.