| abstract |
A plasma chamber defining an evacuated interior environment for processing a substrate includes a substrate support, an apertured gas distribution plate in spaced facing relationship to the substrate support, and adapted to flow process gases into the chamber interior environment adjacent the substrate support, the gas distribution plate and substrate support defining a substrate processing region therebetween. A hollow conduit having respective ends opening into the substrate processing region on opposite sides of the gas distribution plate, with the interior of the conduit sharing the interior environment. The conduit being adapted to accept irradiation by an RF field of processing gases within the conduit to sustain a plasma in a path extending around the conduit interior and across the substrate processing region within the chamber interior environment. |