Patent 6944006 was granted and assigned to Applied Materials on September, 2005 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A guard for an electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic annulus that has an inner surface shaped to fit around a circumference of the electrostatic chuck, and an outer surface having (i) a top portion with a recessed trench and (ii) a side portion. A metal coating is provided on the top portion of the outer surface.