Abstract: Provided is an electrostatic chuck (8) of self power supply type, which is capable of supplying power while generating power to be used by an attraction electrode (3) during processing of a substrate. The electrostatic chuck (8) attracts and holds a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus (11) that processes the substrate while generating optical energy. The electrostatic chuck (8) includes: an electrode sheet (5) including an attraction electrode (3); a metal base (1) having the electrode sheet (5) laminated on an upper surface side thereof; an internal power supply for obtaining power to be supplied to the attraction electrode (3); and a voltage boost circuit (7) for boosting voltage of the power obtained by the internal power supply. The internal power supply includes a solar cell (6), and converts the optical energy into the power during the processing of the substrate, to thereby cause the electrode sheet (5) to attract and hold the substrate.

Abstract: A bipolar electrostatic chuck which has excellent dielectric breakdown strength and provides excellent attracting performance. The bipolar electrostatic chuck eliminates difficulty in dismounting a sample from a sample attracting plane as much as possible after application of a voltage to electrodes is finished. The bipolar electrostatic chuck is provided with a first electrode and a second electrode in an insulator and permits a surface of the insulator to be the sample attracting plane. The insulator has the first electrode, an interelectrode insulating layer and the second electrode in this order from the sample attracting plane in the depth direction. The second electrode has a region not overlapping with the first electrode in a normal line direction of the sample attracting plane.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus for and a method of removing foreign materials from a substrate which reliably remove the foreign materials, eliminate a chance of redeposition of the foreign materials, and are applicable even to large-size substrates. The apparatus for removing foreign materials includes electrostatic chucks (2, 3) forming a substrate chucking surface (4) to which the substrate (1) is attracted; a resin sheet supplying means (9) for supplying a resin sheet (5) to the substrate chucking surface (4); resin sheet collecting means (13) for collecting the supplied resin sheet (5); and a substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate (1). The substrate (1) supplied to the electrostatic chucks (2, 3) by the substrate transfer means is attracted to the substrate chucking surface (4) through the resin sheet (5), and a foreign material (22) deposited on a side of the substrate chucking surface (4) of the substrate (1) is transferred onto the resin sheet (5) and removed.

Abstract: Provided are an electrostatic attracting structure which allows a strongly integrated structure to be maintained when used, and also allows the structure to be changed freely in configuration after the use, and a method of fabricating the same. The electrostatic attracting structure includes: a plurality of sheet members each having an electrode which is sandwiched between two dielectric materials; and at least one attraction power source, in which the plurality of sheet members are stacked, and by applying a voltage between the electrodes of facing sheet members, the facing sheet members are electrically attracted and fixed, when the electrostatic attracting structure is used, the dielectric material of any one of or both of outermost sheet members attracts the object to be attracted, and after the use, the stacked plurality of sheet members are made separable from one another by canceling the application of the voltage.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck having excellent chucking force and holding force is provided. The electrostatic chuck includes a laminate structure in which a first insulating layer, a first electrode layer, an interelectrode insulating layer, a second electrode layer and a second insulating layer are successively laminated on a metal base in an order of increasing distance from the metal base. The second electrode layer includes a pattern electrode having a plurality of opening portions within a flat area, and a shortest distance X between mutually opening portions and a length L of a line segment formed by feet of perpendiculars when barycenters of the adjacent opening portions are projected to a virtual line which is a straight line parallel to the shortest distance X satisfy L/X?1.5 and L<2.6 mm.

Abstract: Provided are a method and an apparatus capable of determining which attracting electrode in an electrostatic chuck of bipolar type has a capacitance abnormality occurring in its vicinity. In this inspection method, a positive auxiliary electrode (12) and a negative auxiliary electrode (14) are provided in a dielectric body (6) of an electrostatic chuck (4), and are connected to a ground potential portion. Then, transient currents (I1 to I4) flowing through the attracting electrodes (8 and 10) and the auxiliary electrodes (12 and 14) are measured when direct current voltages (+V and ?V) are applied or cease to be applied from a chuck power supply (26) to the electrostatic chuck (4) under a state in which an object (2) to be attracted is not mounted, and a transient current (I5) (=I1?I2 or I3?I4) is calculated. The obtained transient currents are compared to respective predetermined reference values, to thereby determine a capacitance abnormality in the electrostatic chuck (4).

Abstract: Provided is a two-sided attraction structure that can be used repeatedly with remarkable ease, thereby being free from the problem of material wasting or the like, is free from the problem of energy, and can be employed for various uses including an exhibition/information apparatus and a dust collecting apparatus.

Abstract: Provided is an electrostatic chuck (8) of self power supply type, which is capable of supplying power while generating power to be used by an attraction electrode (3) during processing of a substrate. The electrostatic chuck (8) attracts and holds a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus (11) that processes the substrate while generating optical energy. The electrostatic chuck (8) includes: an electrode sheet (5) including an attraction electrode (3); a metal base (1) having the electrode sheet (5) laminated on an upper surface side thereof; an internal power supply for obtaining power to be supplied to the attraction electrode (3); and a voltage boost circuit (7) for boosting voltage of the power obtained by the internal power supply. The internal power supply includes a solar cell (6), and converts the optical energy into the power during the processing of the substrate, to thereby cause the electrode sheet (5) to attract and hold the substrate.

Abstract: Provided is an electrostatic chuck device including attraction determining means, which enables a quick and accurate recognition of an attracted state of a substrate, and also provided is a method of determining an attracted state of a substrate, which enables a quick and accurate recognition of the attracted state of the substrate in the electrostatic chuck device. The electrostatic chuck device includes: an electrostatic chuck for attracting the substrate, the electrostatic chuck being provided on an upper surface side of a metal base; and attraction determining means for determining the attracted state of the substrate.

Abstract: Provided is a bipolar electrostatic chuck, which has excellent substrate attracting/holding performance when a voltage is applied, and excellent residual charges reducing performance when voltage application is stopped. The bipolar electrostatic chuck includes at least an electrode layer including a first electrode and a second electrode, and an upper insulating layer which forms a substrate attracting surface for attracting a substrate. In a case where a surface of the electrode layer is regarded to be divided into a plurality of virtual cells having a predetermined width (L) in an x direction and a y direction, first electrode sections forming the first electrode and second electrode sections forming the second electrode are alternately arranged in the plurality of virtual cells in the x direction, and are alternately arranged in the plurality of virtual cells in the y direction.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck electrode sheet which allows the difference in capacitance between electrodes due to the presence or absence of a substrate to be increased to a level which can be accurately detected using a known substrate detection device, and allows an electrostatic chuck to exhibit an excellent attraction force, and an electrostatic chuck using the electrode sheet, are disclosed.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus comprises storage to store a plurality of programs being managed as a group, and management information including group information of programs, an input unit, a reproduction unit, and a controller to control the reproduction unit to reproduce a highlight of a program in a group from a plurality of groups. The highlight of the program may be representative of an album. Thus, when the highlight of the program is reproduced, a user can easily search for a desired album.

Abstract: A bipolar electrostatic chuck which has excellent dielectric breakdown strength and provides excellent attracting performance. The bipolar electrostatic chuck eliminates difficulty in dismounting a sample from a sample attracting plane as much as possible after application of a voltage to electrodes is finished. The bipolar electrostatic chuck is provided with a first electrode and a second electrode in an insulator and permits a surface of the insulator to be the sample attracting plane. The insulator has the first electrode, an interelectrode insulating layer and the second electrode in this order from the sample attracting plane in the depth direction. The second electrode has a region not overlapping with the first electrode in a normal line direction of the sample attracting plane.

Abstract: A highlight of a representative track of each album stored in a recording medium and a highlight of each track of a designated album are pre-set. Highlights of representative tracks of albums are successively reproduced from album 1. As a result, albums are searched for a desired track. When the desired album has been found, highlights of tracks of the album are successively reproduced from track 1. As a result, the album is searched for the desired track.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for furnishing discs with additional information specific to a given device for disc management purposes. An information control unit references a disc management table in a data management memory to verify whether or not a disc ID acquired from a current disc information management unit has already been recorded. If the result reveals the disc has never been loaded, the information control unit adds disc information about the disc to the disc management table. A user may furnish the disc with such additional information as a local disc ID and a local disc name specific to the user's device. The information control unit enters the additional information into the disc management table in association with the disc ID.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus for and a method of removing foreign materials from a substrate which reliably remove the foreign materials, eliminate a chance of redeposition of the foreign materials, and are applicable even to large-size substrates. The apparatus for removing foreign materials includes electrostatic chucks (2, 3) forming a substrate chucking surface (4) to which the substrate (1) is attracted; a resin sheet supplying means (9) for supplying a resin sheet (5) to the substrate chucking surface (4); resin sheet collecting means (13) for collecting the supplied resin sheet (5); and a substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate (1). The substrate (1) supplied to the electrostatic chucks (2, 3) by the substrate transfer means is attracted to the substrate chucking surface (4) through the resin sheet (5), and a foreign material (22) deposited on a side of the substrate chucking surface (4) of the substrate (1) is transferred onto the resin sheet (5) and removed.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck having excellent chucking force and holding force is provided. The electrostatic chuck includes a laminate structure in which a first insulating layer, a first electrode layer, an interelectrode insulating layer, a second electrode layer and a second insulating layer are successively laminated on a metal base in an order of increasing distance from the metal base. The second electrode layer includes a pattern electrode having a plurality of opening portions within a flat area, and a shortest distance X between mutually opening portions and a length L of a line segment formed by feet of perpendiculars when barycenters of the adjacent opening portions are projected to a virtual line which is a straight line parallel to the shortest distance X satisfy L/X?1.5 and L<2.6 mm.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck electrode sheet which allows the difference in capacitance between electrodes due to the presence or absence of a substrate to be increased to a level which can be accurately detected using a known substrate detection device, and allows an electrostatic chuck to exhibit an excellent attraction force, and an electrostatic chuck using the electrode sheet, are disclosed.

Abstract: A bipolar electrostatic chuck which has excellent dielectric breakdown strength and provides excellent attracting performance. The bipolar electrostatic chuck eliminates difficulty in dismounting a sample from a sample attracting plane as much as possible after application of a voltage to electrodes is finished. The bipolar electrostatic chuck is provided with a first electrode and a second electrode in an insulator and permits a surface of the insulator to be the sample attracting plane. The insulator has the first electrode, an interelectrode insulating layer and the second electrode in this order from the sample attracting plane in the depth direction. The second electrode has a region not overlapping with the first electrode in a normal line direction of the sample attracting plane.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus comprises storage to store a plurality of programs being managed as a group, and management information including group information of programs, an input unit, a reproduction unit, and a controller to control the reproduction unit to reproduce a highlight of a program in a group from a plurality of groups. The highlight of the program may be representative of an album. Thus, when the highlight of the program is reproduced, a user can easily search for a desired album.