Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided for manufacturing an electrostatic clamp. An example method can include forming a dielectric layer that includes a plurality of burls for supporting an object. The example method can further include forming an electrostatic layer that includes one or more electrodes. The example method can further include generating, using the electrostatic layer, an electrostatic force to electrostatically clamp the object to the plurality of burls in response to an application of one or more voltages to the one or more electrodes. In some aspects, a first magnitude of the electrostatic force in a first region of the dielectric layer can be different than a second magnitude of the electrostatic force in a second region of the dielectric layer. For example, the first magnitude and the second magnitude can be part of a linear, non-linear, or stepped (e.g., multi-level) electrostatic force gradient.