There are two types of the electrostatic chuck:  a coloumbic type, and the Johnsen-Rahbek type.  The surface of the latter type is made of a doped dielectric material.  When the wafer is placed on one surface of this dielectric surface, and a voltage is applied to a metal electrode on the opposite surface of this dielectric material, chucking of the wafer takes effect.   The controlled chucking is attributed to the Johnsen-Rahbek effect of the dielectric material.

The ESC can be operated in one of two configurations:  as a mono-polar, or bipolar configuration.  In the mono-polar configuration a dc-voltage is applied to the fixed metal electrode; the silicon substrate acts as the second electrode when the plasma is turned on.  In the bi-polar configuration, inter-digitized electrodes replaces the fixed electrode.  An alternating voltage is applied between the set of inter-digitized electrodes.