Patent ID: 7740736

Claim:
A plasma processing system having a plasma processing chamber configured for processing substrates, the plasma processing system comprising: an upper chamber structure; a middle mounting plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, said first surface mated with a bottom surface of said upper chamber structure such that there exists a first gap between said mounting plate and said bottom surface of said upper chamber structure, said first gap being disposed along a RF current path during said processing, said mounting plate further having a recess in a first side, thereby forming a shoulder below said first surface, said shoulder and said bottom surface of said upper chamber structure forming a capturing structure; an outer electrode disposed below said middle mounting plate, said outer electrode mated with said second surface of said mounting plate; a single continuous dielectric sleeve having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a shelf protrusion, said shelf protrusion being captured in said capturing structure formed by said shoulder and said bottom surface of said upper chamber structure, said shelf protrusion being disposed under said bottom surface of said upper chamber structure, said shelf protrusion being disposed on said inner surface between an upper end of said dielectric sleeve and a lower end of said dielectric sleeve such that an upward projecting portion of said dielectric sleeve above said shelf protrusion surrounds at least a first portion of said upper chamber structure, and such that a downward projecting portion of said dielectric sleeve below said shelf protrusion covers both at least a first portion of said mounting plate and a first portion of said outer electrode, said outer surface of said dielectric sleeve being continuous across at least a second portion of said upper chamber structure, said mounting plate, and at least a second portion of said outer electrode so as to reduce contamination, wherein at least one of said shelf and said upward projecting portion of said dielectric sleeve covers said first gap; and a set of confinement rings surrounding a bottom portion of said outer electrode and surrounding a plasma sustaining region for confining plasma.