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The present invention is directed towards a chucking system, including, inter alia, a body having a surface with a pin extending therefrom having a throughway defined therein, and a land surrounding the protrusions defining a channel between the pin and the land. In a further embodiment, the body co

The present invention is directed towards a chucking system, including, inter alia, a body having a surface with a pin extending therefrom having a throughway defined therein, and a land surrounding the protrusions defining a channel between the pin and the land. In a further embodiment, the body comprises a plurality of protrusions.

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What is claimed is: 1. A chucking system comprising: a body having a surface with a plurality of pins extending therefrom, defining a plurality of channels therebetween, a subset of said plurality of pins having a throughway defined therein, with said surface having a plurality of apertures formed

What is claimed is: 1. A chucking system comprising: a body having a surface with a plurality of pins extending therefrom, defining a plurality of channels therebetween, a subset of said plurality of pins having a throughway defined therein, with said surface having a plurality of apertures formed therein in superimposition with a subset of said plurality of channels; and a land surrounding said pin defining a channel between said pin and said land. 2. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 wherein said surface further includes an aperture formed therein extending from plurality of apertures are in fluid communication with a first passageway and in fluid communication therewith, with said throughway being said plurality of throughways in fluid communication with a second passageway differing from said first passageway. 3. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 further including additional pins with said pin and said additional pins defining a plurality of pins, with wherein each of the pins of a subset of said plurality of pins including includes said throughway defined therein. 4. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 further including additional pins with said pin and said additional pins defining a plurality of pins categorized into first and second subsets, with each of the pins associated with said first subset being wherein an additional subset of said plurality of pins, differing from said subset, is solid and each of the pins associated with said second subset including said throughway. 5. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 further including additional pins with said pin and said additional pins defining a plurality of pins categorized into first and second subsets, with each of the pins associated with said first subset being wherein an additional subset of said plurality of pins, differing from said subset, is solid and each of the pins associated with said second subset including said throughway and said subset of said plurality of pins being in fluid communication with a common passageway. 6. The chucking system as recited in claim 2 wherein said surface further includes an aperture formed therein extending from a first passageway and in fluid communication therewith, with said throughway being in fluid communication with a second passageway and further including a first pressure control system in fluid communication with said first passageway to create a first fluid flow in said channel, and a second pressure control system in fluid communication with said second passageway to create a second fluid flow through said throughway. 7. The chucking system as recited in claim 2 further including first and second pressure control systems and additional pins with said pin and said additional pins defining a plurality of pins, with each of the pins associated with a subset of said plurality of pins including said throughway and being in fluid communication with a first passageway, with said surface including an aperture in fluid with a second passageway, said a first pressure control system being in fluid communication with said first passageway to create a first fluid flow in said throughway and a second pressure control system in fluid communication with said second passageway to create a second fluid flow through said aperture. 8. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 further including a pressure control apparatus and additional pins with said pin and said additional pins defining a plurality of spaced-apart pins with additional channels being formed therebetween, with said surrounding said plurality of pins defining said channel, with said channel and said additional channels defining a plurality of channels, said pressure control apparatus being in fluid communication with said channels and said plurality of pins to provide said wafer chuck chucking system with a plurality of vacuum sections having predetermined shapes. 9. The chucking system as recited in claim 1 wherein each pin of said subset of said plurality of pins having a throughway defined therein is a hollow pin, where said throughway is defined through a hollow section of each pin. 10. A chucking system comprising: a body having a surface with a plurality of pins extending therefrom, defining a plurality of channels therebetween, a subset of said plurality of pins having a throughway defined therein, with said surface having a plurality of apertures formed therein in superimposition with a subset of said plurality of channels, with said plurality of apertures being in fluid communication with a first passageway and said plurality of throughways being in fluid communication with a second passageway; and, a pressure control apparatus in fluid communication with said first and second passageways to create flows of fluid through said plurality of apertures and throughways with the characteristics of said fluid flow through said plurality of apertures differing from the characteristics of said flows of fluid through said plurality of throughways to provide said surface with differing chucking forces over an area of said surface. 11. The chucking system as recited in claim 10 wherein said plurality of apertures and throughways are arranged over said area to provide said wafer chuck with a plurality of vacuum sections having a shape selected from a set of shapes consisting essentially of polygonal and circular shapes. 12. The chucking system as recited in claim 10 wherein each pin of said subset of said plurality of pins having a throughway defined therein is a hollow pin, where said throughway is defined through a hollow section of each pin. 13. A chucking system comprising: a body having an aperture formed therein with a plurality of spaced-apart pins extending from said surface, with each of the pins associated with a first subset being solid and each of the pins associated with a second subset including a throughway and being in fluid communication with a first passageway, with said surface having a plurality of apertures formed therein in fluid communication with a second passageway, with a plurality of channels being defined between said plurality of pins; a first pressure control system in fluid communication with said first passageway; and a second pressure control system in fluid communication with said second passageway, with said first and second pressure control systems configured to create flows of fluid through said plurality of throughways and said plurality of apertures to provide differing chucking forces over an area of said surface. 14. The chucking system as recited in claim 13 wherein said plurality of pins are arranged over said surface to provide said chucking system with a plurality of vacuum sections having predetermined shapes in response to said flows of fluid. 15. The chucking system as recited 14 wherein said shapes are selected from a set consisting essentially of annular, polygonal and circular. 16. The chucking system as recited in claim 13 where said fluid flows are established so that fluid communication between said throughway and each of said plurality of channels ceases in response to a substrate resting upon one of said plurality of pins associated with said throughway. 17. The chucking system as recited in claim 13 wherein said flows of fluid associated with said throughway move in a direction opposite to said flows of fluid through said plurality of apertures. 18. The chucking system as recited in claim 13, wherein each pin of said second subset is a hollow pin, where said throughway is defined through a hollow section of each pin.