Abstract: A thin flexible removeable shield made of electrically conducting material presses against the interior walls of an apertured processing chamber to protect the processing chamber walls from erosion from the reactive plasma gases. The shield and walls are electrically interconnected with a sleeve-like conductive insert overlapping a surface portion of the shield and passing through the shield and lining a chamber aperture, with the insert also insuring the positioning of the insert against the wall. The remaining exposed surface of the shield has a protective anodization. A conductive connector preferably also connects the insert to another interior chamber structure at the same electrical potential as the chamber walls.

Abstract: A two piece throttling valve is disclosed. The valve assembly includes a stationary outer housing with an inner removable operable assembly. In this configuration the piping (pump stack) does not have to disassembled to remove, clean or replace the internal valve pieces or the in-line screen. The inner assembly can be quickly removed for cleaning. The entire valve assembly is heated to reduce deposition of volatile process byproducts on the internal valve surfaces and reduce the cleaning frequency. A wedge plate is provided in the outer stationary valve housing to mate with a sloped bottom surface of the inner valve housing such that when the inner assembly is in position in the outer valve housing there is a tight fit between adjacent sealing surfaces around the valve bore. A single flat surface seal provides vacuum sealing between the inner assembly and outer housing. A dual valve stem (shaft) seal seals the valve shaft.

Abstract: A high voltage contact assembly comprising two dielectric housing members adapted for fastening together, the first dielectric housing member having a first conductor inserted therein, the second dielectric housing member having a second conductor inserted therein and spring means sandwiched between the first conductor and the second conductor, the second conductor fastened to a high voltage cable member, such that, when the dielectric housing members are fastened together, the first conductor member extends above the surface of the first housing member. The contact assembly of the invention is useful for mounting in a base plate support for an electrostatic chuck in an etch chamber.

Abstract: An improved plasma etching apparatus is disclosed for the plasma etching of semiconductor wafers. The improvement includes conductive means for inhibiting arcing from electrical charges accumulating on one or more non-conductive protective surfaces on members at rf potential within the apparatus, such as the metal pedestal which supports the wafer being etched and supplies the rf potential to it, and the clamping ring mechanism which clamps the wafer to the pedestal. The conductive means may include one or more conductive plugs extending through one or more of the protective surfaces or a conductive ring surrounding the wafer on the top surface of the metal pedestal. The conductive material is selected from the class consisting of carbon; a silicide; titanium nitride; a carbide; and a semiconductor such as silicon doped to provide a resistivity ranging from about 0.001 to about 20 ohm-cm.