Patent ID: 7685965

Claim:
A shield for protecting an access region of a process chamber window from an electric field that is generated adjacent to the process chamber window, the access region being defined by a port configured with a retainer groove on the sidewall of the port, the shield comprising: a shield member fabricated from material adapted to substantially block the electric field from entering the access region of the process chamber window, wherein the access region is defined by the port that is configured with the retainer groove on the sidewall of the port, the shield member having a longitudinal axis, the shield member being configured to substantially surround the access region and further being configured with a longitudinally-extending slot defining a retainer arm being parallel to the longitudinally-extending slot and a flexure junction between the retainer arm and the shield member, wherein the longitudinally-extending slot is an opening and defines a U-shape, and wherein the retainer arm is within the U of the U-shape and the flexure junction is at the open end of the U of the U-shape, the retainer arm having a retainer foot and an arm-position control tab, the flexure junction being configured to normally position the retainer arm away from the longitudinal axis to adapt the retainer foot to extend into the retainer groove by using the arm-position control tab upon insertion of the shield member into the port, the flexure junction being further configured to permit movement of the retainer arm toward the longitudinal axis to adapt the retainer foot to move out of the retainer groove by using the arm-position control tab to permit removal of the shield member from the port, wherein the arm-position control tab is external to the port to facilitate manual flexure of the flexure junction to adapt the retainer foot to extend into and to move out of the retainer groove.