Particles emanating from the walls, shields, and other components of the chambers in which integrated circuit wafers are processed, are among the factors which have been shown to contribute to the formation of defect sites on the completed wafers. Typically, the generation rate of these particles is influenced by the final treatment that the surfaces of these components receive prior to installation in the chamber, whether or not the components are new or recycled. Parameters affecting one such source of particulate contamination have been examined in the present studies.