APPARATUS COMPRISING ELECTROSTATIC CLAMP AND METHOD

An apparatus comprising an electrostatic clamp for clamping a component, and a mechanism for generating free charges adjacent to the electrostatic clamp. The electrostatic clamp comprises an electrode or a plurality of electrodes. The apparatus is configured to: operate in a first mode in which the or each electrode is set at a potential such that clamping electric fields are generated between the electrostatic clamp and the component to clamp the component, operate in a second mode in which the or each potential of the or each electrode is set such that the component is unclamped, and operate in a third mode in which the or each potential of the or each electrode is set such that the flux of free charges generated by the mechanism to a surface of the component adjacent to the electrostatic clamp is increased in comparison with operating in the first or second mode. 一种设备，包括：静电夹具，所述静电夹具用于夹持部件；和用于在所述静电夹具相邻处产生自由电荷的机构。所述静电夹具包括一电极或多个电极。所述设备被配置成：在第一模式中操作，在所述第一模式中，所述电极或每个电极被设置处于一电位，使得在所述静电夹具与所述部件之间产生夹持电场以夹持所述部件；在第二模