A holding device for a vacuum unit has a lifting table transferable between a lower end position and an upper end position for moving a support plate toward the underside of a disc-shaped workpiece. The workpiece is supported by a support ring carrying centring pins spaced to form an equilateral triangle, in the center of which the axis of the support plate is located. A clamping ring clamps the workpiece with the support ring. The centring pins engage the clamping ring to center the support ring and clamping ring relative to the support plate axis so they are not affected by thermal expansion.
The invention provides a removable first edge ring configured for pin and recess/slot coupling with a second edge ring disposed on the substrate support. In one embodiment, a first edge ring includes a plurality of pins, and a second edge ring includes one or more alignment recesses and one or more alignment slots for mating engagement with the pins. Each of the alignment recesses and alignment slots are at least as wide as the corresponding pins, and each of the alignment slots extends in the radial direction a length that is sufficient to compensate for the difference in thermal expansion between the first edge ring and the second edge ring.
