Patent ID: 8540844

Claim:
A movable plasma confinement structure in a plasma processing chamber during plasma processing of a substrate, said plasma processing chamber having a plasma region wherein a plasma is generated, said plasma region disposed above a lower electrode and between an upper electrode and said lower electrode, comprising: a cylindrical-shaped movable plasma-facing structure configured to surround said plasma region that is disposed above said lower electrode and between said upper electrode and said lower electrode to confine a plasma in said plasma region; and a cylindrical-shaped movable electrically conductive structure disposed outside of said movable plasma-facing structure and configured to be deployed and retracted with said movable plasma-facing structure as a single unit to facilitate handling of said substrate, said cylindrical-shaped movable electrically conductive structure is coupled to said cylindrical-shaped movable plasma-facing structure and includes a thermal expansion gap therebetween; means for RF grounding said movable electrically conductive structure at least during said plasma processing, wherein said movable plasma-facing structure is disposed between said plasma and said movable electrically conductive structure during said plasma processing such that RF current from said plasma flows to said movable electrically conductive structure through said movable plasma-facing structure during said plasma processing.