A heater for a semiconductor processing chamber is disclosed that includes a ceramic body, and a resistive heating element embedded in the ceramic body, the resistive heating element disposed in a heater coil having an inner central sector and an outer central sector, the inner central sector having a plurality of first peaks and the outer central sector having a plurality of second peaks, wherein the number of first peaks is less than about fifty-six, and the number of second peaks is less than about eighty.