Patent 7312974 was granted and assigned to Kyocera Corporation on December, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The electrostatic chuck includes: a conductive base formed of metal or both metal and ceramics, serving as a chucking electrode; and an insulating film formed on one principal plane of the conductive base, the top face of the insulating film serving as a placing surface for placing a wafer; wherein the insulating film is formed of a uniform amorphous ceramics of an oxide and has a thickness in a range of 10 to 100 μm, thereby preventing cracking and insulation breakdown in the insulating film and improving characteristics of releasing the wafer.