High conductivity lower shield for process chamber

Abstract

This document provides embodiments of a processing kit used in a processing chamber. In some embodiments, a processing kit used in a processing chamber includes an annular ring configured to surround a substrate support; and an annular lip extending from an upper surface of the annular ring, wherein the annular ring includes a plurality of annular slots extending through the annular ring and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring, and wherein the annular lip includes a plurality of lip slots extending through the annular lip and arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to substrate processing equipment, and more particularly, to a process kit for use in a substrate processing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Processing chambers are known that are configured to perform pre-cleaning processes. For example, these chambers are configured to remove native oxides on metal contact pads of a substrate and remove other materials before physical vapor deposition (PVD) is used to deposit one or more barrier layers (e.g., titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), etc.) on the substrate. Pre-cleaning chambers typically use ion bombardment (including by RF plasma) to remove native oxides and other materials on the metal contact pads. For example, the pre-cleaning process can etch native oxides and materials from the substrate. The pre-cleaning process is configured to reduce the contact resistance between metal contacts on the substrate to enhance the performance and power consumption of the integrated circuit on the substrate, and to improve adhesion.

[0003] To perform a plasma cleaning process, an integrated circuit is placed in a plasma chamber and a pump removes most of the air from the chamber. Electromagnetic energy (e.g., radio frequency) is applied to an injected gas, such as argon, to excite the injected gas into a plasma state. The plasma releases ions that strike the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants and / or materials from the substrate. Atoms or molecules of the contaminants and / or substrate material are etched from the substrate and are mostly extracted from the chamber. However, some contaminants and / or etched materials may be deposited on the surface of the chamber. Process kits are typically used to reduce or avoid deposition of contaminants and / or etched materials onto the surface of the chamber. However, for some plasma cleaning or etching processes with increased contaminants or etched materials, the process kit may not provide adequate flow conductivity for removing the displaced material.

[0004] Accordingly, the inventors have provided embodiments of improved process kits. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments of process kits for use in a process chamber are provided herein. In certain embodiments, a process kit for use in a process chamber includes an annular ring configured to surround a substrate support; and an annular lip extending from an upper surface of the annular ring, wherein the annular ring includes a plurality of annular slots extending through the annular ring and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring, and wherein the annular lip includes a plurality of lip slots extending through the annular lip and arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip.

[0006] In certain embodiments, a process kit for use in a process chamber includes an annular ring configured to surround a substrate support, wherein the annular ring includes a plurality of first ring slots arranged through the annular ring and having a substantially rectangular shape and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring, and a plurality of second ring slots extending through the annular ring and having a substantially rectangular shape and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring and radially outward from the plurality of first ring slots; and an annular lip extending from an upper surface of the annular ring, wherein the annular lip includes a plurality of lip slots arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip.

[0007] In certain embodiments, a processing chamber includes a chamber body defining an interior volume and having a pump port; a substrate support disposed in the interior volume; a lower shield disposed about the substrate support, wherein the lower shield includes an annular ring and an annular lip extending from an upper surface of the annular ring, wherein the annular ring includes a plurality of annular slots extending through the annular ring and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring, and wherein the annular lip includes a plurality of lip slots extending through the annular lip and arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip; and a pump coupled to the pump port and configured to remove particles from the interior volume through the plurality of annular slots.

[0008] Other and further embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The embodiments of the present disclosure briefly summarized above and discussed in more detail below can be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, as the present disclosure may allow other equally effective embodiments.

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic side view of a processing chamber is depicted in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 A partially schematic cross-sectional side view of a processing chamber is depicted in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 An isometric view of a process kit is depicted in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 An isometric view of a process kit is depicted in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 Depiction Figure 4 A top plan view of a processing suite.

[0015] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used as much as possible to represent the same elements common to the drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. Elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated into other embodiments without further description. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Embodiments of a process kit for use in a process chamber are provided herein. The process chamber may be configured to perform any suitable process on a substrate. In certain embodiments, the process chamber is configured to perform an etching process, a deposition process, or a pre-cleaning process. The process chamber includes a substrate support to support the substrate. A pump may be coupled to the process chamber to remove particles from an interior volume of the process chamber. The inventors have discovered that substrates comprising organic materials have increased levels of outgassing during processing compared to conventional substrates. The process kit is arranged around the substrate support to advantageously reduce or avoid deposition of unwanted material on a chamber body of the process chamber while also providing high conductivity through the process kit.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic side view of a processing chamber (e.g., a plasma processing chamber) having a process kit according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted. In some embodiments, the plasma processing chamber is a pre-clean processing chamber. However, other types of processing chambers configured for different processes may also be used or modified for use with embodiments of the process kits described herein.

[0018] The chamber 100 is a vacuum chamber and is suitably adapted to maintain a sub-atmospheric pressure within an interior volume 120 during substrate processing. In certain embodiments, the chamber 100 can maintain a pressure of about 1 mTorr to about 10 mTorr. The chamber 100 includes a chamber body 106 covered by a lid 104, the chamber body 106 enclosing a processing space 119 located in an upper half of the interior volume 120. In certain embodiments, the chamber 100 includes an adapter 180 disposed between the chamber body 106 and the lid 104 and placed on a sidewall of the chamber body 106. The chamber 100 includes a process kit surrounding various chamber components to avoid unwanted reactions between these components and etched materials and other contaminants. The chamber body 106, the adapter 180, and the lid 104 can be made of metal, such as aluminum. The chamber body 106 can be grounded via coupling to a ground 115.

[0019] The substrate support 124 is disposed within the interior volume 120 to support and hold a substrate 122, such as a semiconductor wafer, or other such substrate that can be electrostatically held. The substrate support 124 may generally include a pedestal 136 (described below with respect to Figure 21 and 12. The chamber body 106 includes a substrate support 124 and a slit valve 184 that is coupled to the chamber body 106 to facilitate transferring the substrate 122 into and out of the interior volume 120.

[0020] In some embodiments, the process kit includes an inner shield 117 surrounding the substrate support 124. In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is placed on the adapter 180. In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is configured to define a processing volume 119. In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is made of metal, such as aluminum. In some embodiments, the process kit includes a lower shield 105 surrounding the substrate support 124. In some embodiments, the lower shield 105 is coupled to the base 136. In some embodiments, the lower shield 105 is made of metal, such as aluminum.

[0021] In certain embodiments, the hollow support rod 112 is coupled to a lift mechanism 113, such as an actuator or motor, which provides vertical movement of the electrostatic chuck 150 between an upper, processing position and a lower, transfer position. The bellows assembly 110 is disposed about the hollow support rod 112 and coupled between the electrostatic chuck 150 and the bottom surface 126 of the chamber 100 to provide a resilient seal that allows vertical movement of the electrostatic chuck 150 while reducing or preventing loss of vacuum from within the chamber 100. The bellows assembly 110 also includes a lower bellows flange 164 that contacts an O-ring 165 or other suitable sealing element that contacts the bottom surface 126 to help prevent loss of chamber vacuum.

[0022] The substrate lift 130 may include lift pins 109 fixed to the platform 108 and connected to rods 111, which are coupled to a second lift mechanism 132 for raising and lowering the substrate lift 130 so that the substrate 122 can be placed on or removed from the electrostatic chuck 150. The electrostatic chuck 150 may include through holes to accommodate the lift pins 109. A bellows assembly 131 is coupled between the substrate lift 130 and the bottom surface 126 to provide a resilient seal to maintain the chamber vacuum during the vertical movement of the substrate lift 130.

[0023] The hollow support rod 112 provides a conduit for coupling the backside gas supply 141, the clamping power supply 140, and the RF power supply 190 to the electrostatic chuck 150. In some embodiments, the clamping power supply 140 provides DC power to the electrostatic chuck 150 via the conduit 154 to hold the substrate 122. In some embodiments, the RF energy supplied by the RF power supply 190 may have a frequency of about 10 MHz or greater. In some embodiments, the RF power supply 190 may have a frequency of about 13.56 MHz.

[0024] In some embodiments, a backside gas supply 141 is disposed outside of the chamber body 106 and supplies gas to the electrostatic chuck 150. In some embodiments, the electrostatic chuck 150 includes a gas channel 138 extending from a lower surface of the electrostatic chuck 150 to an upper surface 152 of the electrostatic chuck 150. The gas channel 138 is configured to provide a backside gas, such as nitrogen (N), argon (Ar), or helium (He), to the upper surface 152 of the electrostatic chuck 150 to act as a heat transfer medium. The gas channel 138 is in fluid communication with the backside gas supply 141 via a gas conduit 142 to control the temperature and / or temperature profile of the substrate 122 during use. For example, the backside gas supply 141 can supply gas to cool the substrate 122 during use.

[0025] The chamber 100 is coupled to and in fluid communication with a vacuum system 114, which includes a throttle valve (not shown) and a pump (not shown), which are used to evacuate the chamber 100. In some embodiments, the vacuum system 114 is coupled to a pump port disposed on the bottom surface 126 of the chamber body 106. The pressure inside the chamber 100 can be adjusted by adjusting the throttle valve and / or the vacuum pump. In some embodiments, the pump has a flow rate of about 1900 liters per second to about 3000 liters per second.

[0026] The chamber 100 is also coupled to and in fluid communication with a process gas supply 118, which can supply one or more process gases to the chamber 100 for processing a substrate disposed thereon. In certain embodiments, the lid 104 includes a port through which gas from the process gas supply 118 can be introduced into the interior volume 120. In certain embodiments, the process gas supply 118 provides argon (Ar) gas. In certain embodiments, a diffuser 182 is coupled to the inner shield 117 to inject gas from the process gas supply 118 into the processing volume 119. In certain embodiments, the diffuser 182 is configured to inject gas from the center of the inner shield 117 into the processing volume 119.

[0027] In operation, for example, a plasma 102 may be established in the interior volume 120 to perform one or more processes. The plasma 102 may be generated by coupling power from a plasma power source (e.g., an RF power supply 190) to the process gas through the electrostatic chuck 150 to ignite the process gas and establish the plasma 102. The RF power supply 190 is also configured to attract ions from the plasma toward the substrate 122.

[0028] Figure 2 A partially schematic cross-sectional side view of a processing chamber according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted. In some embodiments, the base 136 includes a bottom housing 208 formed of metal and coupled to the hollow support rod 112. The bottom housing 208 is coupled to a ground (e.g., ground 115). In some embodiments, the base 136 includes an electrostatic chuck 150 disposed on the bottom housing 208, with an insulator 214 disposed therebetween. The insulator 214 is configured to electrically insulate the electrostatic chuck 150 and the bottom housing 208. In some embodiments, the insulator 214 is annular. In some embodiments, one or more lift pin holes 218 extend through the bottom housing 208, the insulator 214, and the electrostatic chuck 150 to allow one or more lift pins (e.g., lift pins 109) to pass therethrough. In one or more embodiments, a second insulator 216 is disposed around the insulator 214 and between the bottom housing 208 and the edge ring 187 to electrically isolate the edge ring 187 from the bottom housing 208.

[0029] In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is mounted on the adapter 180 and surrounds the electrostatic chuck 150. In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is disposed proximate to the lid 104 to define an upper portion of the processing volume 119. The inner shield 117 is configured to confine the plasma 102 during use. In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is coupled to the lid 104.

[0030] The inner shield 117 includes a tubular body 220 having an inner surface 212. The inner surface 212 defines a central opening 240 configured to surround the substrate support 124. In certain embodiments, the sidewalls of the tubular body 220 do not include any through holes. The upper end of the tubular body 220 is coupled to a top plate 222 at an interface 232. The top plate 222 substantially covers the central opening 240 at one end of the tubular body 220.

[0031] In some embodiments, the top plate 222 is circular in shape. In some embodiments, the top plate 222 has a diameter greater than the outer diameter of the tubular body 220. In some embodiments, the tubular body 220 extends straight downward from the top plate 222. In some embodiments, the central opening 240 of the tubular body 220 has a diameter of about 15.0 inches to about 19.0 inches.

[0032] In certain embodiments, the top plate 222 is coupled to the tubular body 220 at the interface 232 via fasteners disposed through one or more openings 224 equidistantly spaced from the center of the top plate 222 .

[0033] In some embodiments, the inner shield 117 is integrally formed with the top plate 222 and the tubular body 220 welded, brazed, bonded, or otherwise formed together. In some embodiments, the top plate includes a plurality of mounting holes 242 configured to secure the top plate 222 to the adapter 180. In some embodiments, the mounting holes 242 are arranged radially outward from the first annular groove 206. In some embodiments, the adapter 180 includes a lug 244 extending radially inward, and the inner shield 117 is coupled to the adapter 180 via the lug 244.

[0034] In some embodiments, the top plate 222 has an upper portion 250 and a lower portion 260. In some embodiments, the upper portion 250 extends radially outward from the lower portion 260. In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the lower portion 260 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the tubular body 220. The top plate 222 includes a gas inlet 226 configured to provide a process gas therethrough (e.g., a process gas from the process gas supply 118). In some embodiments, the gas inlet 226 has a diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate support 124.

[0035] In some embodiments, the upper surface 228 of the top plate 222 includes a first annular groove 206 configured to accommodate an O-ring to provide a vacuum seal between the internal shield 117 and the cover 104. In some embodiments, the upper surface 228 of the top plate 222 includes a second annular groove 230 exposed to atmospheric pressure to provide atmospheric cooling. In some embodiments, the second annular groove 230 is arranged radially inward from the first annular groove 206. In some embodiments, the upper surface 228 of the top plate 222 includes a third annular groove 234 surrounding the gas inlet 226 and configured to accommodate a seal to reduce or avoid gas leakage from the gas inlet 226. In some embodiments, the second annular groove 230 is arranged between the first annular groove 206 and the third annular groove 234. In some embodiments, the bottom surface of the first annular groove 206 is substantially coplanar with the bottom surface of the third annular groove 234. In some embodiments, the first annular groove 206 and the third annular groove 234 have a depth of about .001 inches to about .030 inches. In some embodiments, the second annular groove 230 has a greater depth than the first annular groove 206 and the third annular groove 234. In some embodiments, the upper surface 228 of the top plate 222 includes one or more maintenance openings 236 configured to facilitate removal of the inner shield 117 from the chamber 100 for maintenance or replacement. In some embodiments, the maintenance opening 236 is disposed in the second annular groove.

[0036] In certain embodiments, the lower shield 105 is coupled to the bottom housing 208 to support and ground the lower shield 105. The lower shield 105 includes an annular ring 246 configured to surround a substrate support and an annular lip 252 extending from an upper surface 248 of the annular ring 246.

[0037] In certain embodiments, the outer diameter of the tubular body 220 is smaller than the inner diameter of the annular lip 252, such that the annular lip 252 is disposed about the tubular body 220. In certain embodiments, one or more metal strips 210 are disposed between the inner shield 117 and the lower shield 105 to advantageously ground the inner shield 117. In certain embodiments, the one or more metal strips 210 are coupled to the annular lip 252. In certain embodiments, the metal strips 210 are configured to contact the tubular body 220 when the chamber 100 is in the processing position, and are configured to be spaced apart from the tubular body 220 when the chamber 100 is in the transfer position.

[0038] The pump port 204 is coupled to a pump (eg, a pump of the vacuum system 114 ) and facilitates removal of particles from the interior volume 120 through the gap between the tubular body 220 and the substrate support 124 .

[0039] Figure 3An isometric view of a process kit according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 3 , the top plate 222 of the internal shield 117 includes a countersunk hole 312 formed on an upper surface 228 of the top plate 222. In some embodiments, the gas inlet 226 extends from the countersunk hole 312 to the lower surface of the top plate 222. In some embodiments, the countersunk hole 312 defines a lower surface 316 having a plurality of openings 318. In some embodiments, the plurality of openings 318 are configured to couple the top plate 222 to a diffuser, such as the diffuser 182. In some embodiments, the lower surface 316 includes an RF gasket groove 268 to accommodate an RF gasket to reduce or avoid RF leakage. In some embodiments, the top plate 222 includes a plurality of alignment slots 304 extending radially inward from an outer sidewall 306 of the top plate 222. In some embodiments, the upper surface 228 of the top plate 222 includes a plurality of clamp mounting holes arranged around the gas inlet 226 and configured to couple the clamp to the top plate. The clamp may be any clamp suitable for providing a force to a seal disposed in the third annular groove 234 and configured to provide a seal between the gas inlet 226 and a conduit providing gas from the process gas supply 118 .

[0040] Figure 4 and 5 An isometric view and a top plan view, respectively, of a process kit according to at least some embodiments of the present disclosure are depicted. Figure 4 and 5 , the process kit includes a lower shield 105 having an annular lip 252 extending from an upper surface 248 of an annular ring 246. In some embodiments, the annular lip 252 is disposed radially inward from an outer sidewall 408 of the annular ring 246. In some embodiments, the annular lip 252 is disposed proximate to the outer sidewall 408 of the annular ring 246 and radially inward from the outer sidewall 408. In some embodiments, the annular lip 252 extends substantially vertically from the annular ring 246. In some embodiments, the lower shield 105 has an outer diameter of about 16.0 inches to about 21.0 inches. In some embodiments, the lower shield 105 has a height of about 1.0 inches to about 2.0 inches.

[0041] The annular ring 246 includes a plurality of annular slots 404 extending through the annular ring 246. In certain embodiments, the plurality of annular slots 404 are arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring 246. In certain embodiments, the plurality of annular slots include a plurality of first annular slots 510 and a plurality of second annular slots 520. In certain embodiments, the plurality of second annular slots 520 are arranged radially outward from the plurality of first annular slots 510. In certain embodiments, the annular lip 252 includes a plurality of lip slots 410 extending through the annular lip 252. In certain embodiments, the plurality of lip slots 410 are arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip 252.

[0042] The plurality of ring slots 404 and the plurality of lip slots 410 are advantageously sized to provide increased conductivity therefrom while maintaining minimal plasma leakage through the slots. As such, the plurality of ring slots 404 are sized based on the pressure in the interior volume 120, the temperature in the interior volume 120, and the frequency of the RF power provided to the chamber 100, for example, via the RF power supply 190. The pump port 204 is configured to facilitate the removal of particles from the interior volume 120 through the plurality of ring slots 404 and the plurality of lip slots 410 of the lower shield 105.

[0043] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ring slots 404 has a width that is less than its length. In some embodiments, the plurality of first ring slots 510 are separated from the plurality of second ring slots 520 by gaps 506. In some embodiments, the gaps 506 have a substantially constant width. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ring slots 404 and the plurality of lip slots 410 has a rectangular shape. Although in Figure 4 and 5 4, the plurality of ring slots 404 and the plurality of lip slots 410 may have any suitable shape. In some embodiments, each slot of the plurality of lip slots 410 defines a larger total open area than each slot of the plurality of ring slots 404. In some embodiments, each slot of the plurality of second ring slots 520 defines a larger total open area than each slot of the plurality of first ring slots 510. In some embodiments, the plurality of second ring slots 520 includes the same number of slots as the plurality of first ring slots 510.

[0044] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ring slots 404 is about 0.08 inches to about 0.19 inches wide. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ring slots 404 is about 0.60 inches to about 0.76 inches long. In some embodiments, the annular ring 246 has a total open area defined by the plurality of ring slots 404 that is about 40 percent to about 60 percent of the total area of ​​the annular ring 246. In some embodiments, the annular lip 252 has a total open area defined by the plurality of lip slots 410 that is about 30 percent to about 50 percent of the total area of ​​the annular lip 252. In some embodiments, the plurality of ring slots 404 define a total open area of ​​about 35.0 square inches to about 45.0 square inches. In some embodiments, the plurality of lip slots 410 define a total open area of ​​about 50.0 square inches to about 65.0 square inches.

[0045] In certain embodiments, the annular ring 246 includes a plurality of openings 406 disposed radially inwardly from the plurality of annular slots 404 and configured to facilitate coupling the lower shield 105 to the substrate support 124 (e.g., the bottom housing 208). In certain embodiments, the annular ring 246 includes a plurality of notches 416 disposed radially outwardly from the annular lip 252 and configured to reduce concentrations of material stress and for ease of manufacturing.

[0046] In some embodiments, the annular lip 252 includes a plurality of first openings 412 configured to couple the annular lip 252 to another process kit component (e.g., the metal strip 210). In some embodiments, the plurality of first openings 412 are arranged at regular intervals proximate to an upper edge of the annular lip 252. In some embodiments, a plurality of lip slots 410 are arranged between the annular ring 246 and the plurality of first openings 412. In some embodiments, a plurality of second openings 414 are arranged at regular intervals between adjacent slots of the plurality of lip slots 410. In some embodiments, the plurality of first openings 412 are vertically aligned with the plurality of second openings 414. In some embodiments, each metal strip of the one or more metal strips 210 is coupled to at least one of one of the plurality of first openings 412 and one of the plurality of second openings 414.

[0047] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.

Claims

1. A processing kit for use in a processing chamber, comprising: an annular ring configured to surround the substrate support; and an annular lip extending from an upper surface of the annular ring, wherein the annular ring includes a plurality of annular slots extending through the annular ring and arranged at regular intervals along the annular ring, and wherein the annular lip is arranged radially outward from the plurality of annular slots and includes a plurality of lip slots extending through the annular lip and arranged at regular intervals along the annular lip, wherein the annular lip is arranged radially inward from an outer sidewall of the annular ring, The plurality of ring slots include a plurality of first ring slots and a plurality of second ring slots arranged radially outward from the plurality of first ring slots, and each of the plurality of lip slots defines a larger total opening area than each of the plurality of first ring slots and each of the plurality of second ring slots.

2. The process kit of claim 1, wherein each slot of the second plurality of ring slots defines a greater total open area than each slot of the first plurality of ring slots.

3. The process kit of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of ring slots comprises the same number of slots as the first plurality of ring slots.

4. The process kit of claim 1, wherein the annular ring includes a notch radially outward from the annular lip.

5. The process kit of claim 1, wherein the annular lip comprises a plurality of first openings configured to couple the annular lip to another process kit component.

6. The process kit of claim 5, wherein the plurality of lip slots are disposed between the annular ring and the plurality of first openings.

7. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each slot of the plurality of ring slots has a width that is less than a length.

8. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each slot of the plurality of ring slots and each slot of the plurality of lip slots has a substantially rectangular shape.

9. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each slot of the plurality of ring slots is about 0.08 inches to about 0.19 inches wide by about 0.60 inches to about 0.76 inches long.

10. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular ring comprises a plurality of openings disposed radially inward from the plurality of ring slots and configured to facilitate coupling the annular ring to the substrate support.

11. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular lip extends substantially perpendicularly from the annular ring.

12. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular lip is disposed proximate to and radially inward from an outer sidewall of the annular ring.

13. The process kit of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the annular lip has a total open area defined by the plurality of lip slots, the plurality of lip slots being about 30 percent to about 50 percent of the total area of ​​the annular lip.

14. A processing chamber comprising: a chamber body defining an interior volume and having a pump port; a substrate support disposed in the interior volume; a lower shield arranged to surround the substrate support, wherein the lower shield comprises a process kit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6; and A pump is coupled to the pump port and is configured to remove particles from the interior volume through the plurality of annular slots.

15. The processing chamber of claim 14, wherein each slot of the plurality of annular slots has a width that is less than a length.

16. The processing chamber of claim 14, wherein the substrate support comprises an electrostatic chuck disposed on a bottom housing with an insulator disposed therebetween.

17. The processing chamber of claim 16, wherein the lower shield is coupled to the bottom housing.

18. The processing chamber of claim 14, further comprising: an inner shield having a tubular body configured to surround the substrate support and having a top plate coupled to an upper end of the tubular body and substantially covering a central opening of the tubular body, wherein the top plate has a gas inlet; and One or more metal straps are disposed between the lower shield and the inner shield to advantageously ground the inner shield to the lower shield.

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