Patent ID: 7942973

Claim:
A method for cleaning a backing plate of an electrode assembly for a plasma processing apparatus, the method comprising: contacting the backing plate with a solvent and wiping an outer surface of the backing plate to remove particles from the outer surface; spraying the backing plate with water to remove particles from the outer surface of the backing plate and particles contained in gas passages of the backing plate; ultrasonically cleaning the backing plate; enclosing the backing plate in a flushing fixture defined by a base plate having a plurality of liquid passages and a cover plate configured to cover the base plate, the cover plate including at least one liquid passage; flushing the backing plate in the flushing fixture by introducing a flushing liquid under pressure through said at least one liquid passage in the cover plate, through the gas passages in the backing plate, and through the plurality of liquid passages in the base plate to remove particles contained in the gas passages of the backing plate; and supporting the backing plate on an upper surface of the base plate during flushing of the backing plate.