Pixelated capacitance controlled ESC

A processing chamber comprising:

• chamber body;
• a pixilated electrostatic chuck (ESC) disposed in the chamber body, the pixilated ESC comprising:
• a dielectric body having a workpiece support surface configured to accept a substrate thereon;
• one or more chucking electrodes disposed in the pixilated ESC;
• and
• a plurality of pixel electrodes switchable between a floating state and a grounded state, having variable capacitance to ground, or both, the pixel electrodes and chucking electrodes forming a circuit operable to electrostatically chuck the substrate to the workpiece support surface.

A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

• applying power to a main chucking electrode formed in a pixilated electrostatic chuck;
• selectively coupling one or more of a plurality of pixel electrodes distributed laterally within the pixilated electrostatic chuck to ground to secure a substrate to the pixilated electrostatic chuck;
• and
• processing the substrate on the pixilated electrostatic chuck.