NOVELTY - The chamber (1) has a bottom ground electrode (106) located at a bottom side to form a gap between a top ground electrode (108) and the bottom ground electrode. The gap is formed to facilitate reception of a process gas, where the process gas is excited with radio frequency power to generate plasma within the gap. An optical signal monitor (142) is positioned to provide a view through a window of a wall of the chamber, where the view is formed toward the gap to monitor intensities of the plasma. The intensities determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap.    USE - Plasma processing chamber i.e. bevel edge etching system, for a plasma confinement monitoring system (claimed) used to clean a bevel edge region with integrated circuits of a substrate. Can also be used for removing contamination on parts used in a space program, or other high technology areas such as surface science, energy, optics, microelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), flat-panel processing, solar cells and memory devices.    ADVANTAGE - The signal monitor is positioned to include the view through the window of the wall of the chamber, where the view is formed toward the gap to monitor intensities of the plasma, and the intensities determine whether the plasma is confined or unconfined within the gap to reliably monitor the confinement of a plasma so as to protect integrated circuits on the substrate from unconfined plasma. The determination of the unconfined plasma is detectable due to a degree of fluctuation of the intensity such that degree of fluctuation is tracked by the signal monitor for halting the process when the fluctuation is indicative of an unconfined condition.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a plasma confinement monitoring system.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a simplified cross sectional view of a processing chamber.    Plasma processing chamber (1)    Process gas supply (6)    Bottom ground electrode (106)    Top ground electrode (108)    Optical signal monitor (142)