Method and apparatus for plasma dicing a semi-conductor wafer

A method for plasma dicing a substrate, the method comprising:

• providing the substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface having a plurality of device structures and unprotected street areas;
• providing a process chamber having a wall;
• providing a plasma source adjacent to the wall of the process chamber;
• providing a work piece support within the process chamber;
• providing an electrostatic chuck within said work piece support;
• placing the bottom surface of the substrate onto a support film on a frame to form a work piece;
• loading the work piece onto the work piece support;
• generating a plasma through the plasma source;
• etching the unprotected street areas on the top surface of the substrate of the work piece through the generated plasma;
• and
• providing a cover ring vertically disposed above the work piece during the plasma etching step, said cover ring not contacting said work piece during the plasma etching step, and said cover ring overlapping the frame but not overlapping the substrate during the plasma etching step.