Patent 9728429 was granted and assigned to Lam Research on August, 2017 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Parasitic plasma in voids in a component of a plasma processing chamber can be eliminated by covering electrically conductive surfaces in an interior of the voids with a sleeve. The voids can be gas holes, lift pin holes, helium passages, conduits and/or plenums in chamber components such as an upper electrode and a substrate support.