Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to apparatus and methods for a plasma-processing chamber requiring less maintenance and downtime and possessing improved reliability over the prior art. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a substrate support resting on a ceramic shaft, an inner shaft allowing for electrical connections to the substrate support at atmospheric pressure, an aluminum substrate support resting on but not fixed to a ceramic support structure, sapphire rest points swaged into the substrate support, and a heating element inside the substrate support arranged in an Archimedes spiral to reduce warping of the substrate support and to increase its lifetime. Methods include increasing time between in-situ cleans of the chamber by reducing particle generation from chamber surfaces. Reduced particle generation occurs via temperature control of chamber components and pressurization of non-processing regions of the chamber relative to the processing region with a purge gas.