Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Damian Brennan

Joseph C Olson

Shengwu Chang

Morgan Evans

Jonathan Gerald England

Ashwin Madhukar Purohit

George Gammel

Donna Smatlak

Philip Sullivan

Grant Kenji Larsen

Gregg Alexander Norris

Dennis P Rodier

William Gray Callahan

William Bintz

Douglas Thomas Fielder

Robert A Poitras

Isao Tsunoda

Nobihiro Tokoro

The invention provides a method, system, and apparatus for improving doping uniformity during ion implantation, particularly during a high-tilt ion implantation. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for improving doping uniformity in a high-tilt ion implantation, the method comprising the steps of: positioning a wafer along an axis perpendicular to an ion beam scan plane to form an angle between a surface of the wafer and a plane perpendicular to the ion beam; measuring a current of the ion beam by moving a current detector across the ion beam in a path substantially coplanar with a surface of the wafer; and adjusting a doping uniformity of the ion beam current based on the measuring step.

Method, system, and apparatus for improving doping uniformity in high-tilt ion implantation

A technique for tuning an ion implanter system is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for tuning an ion implanter system having multiple beam-line elements. The method may comprise establishing one or more relationships among the multiple beam-line elements. The method may also comprise adjusting the multiple beam-line elements in a coordinated manner, based at least in part on the one or more established relationships, to produce a desired beam output.

Technique for tuning an ion implanter system

A technique for uniformity tuning in an ion implanter system is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for ion beam uniformity tuning. The method may comprise generating an ion beam in an ion implanter system. The method may also comprise tuning one or more beam-line elements in the ion implanter system to reduce changes in a beam spot of the ion beam when the ion beam is scanned along a beam path. The method may further comprise adjusting a velocity profile for scanning the ion beam along the beam path such that the ion beam produces a substantially uniform ion beam profile along the beam path.

Technique for uniformity tuning in an ion implanter system

A technique for uniformity tuning in an ion implanter system is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for uniformity tuning in an ion implanter system. The method may comprise measuring an ion beam at a plurality of predetermined locations along a beam path. The method may also comprise calculating an ion beam profile along the beam path based at least in part on the ion beam measurements at the plurality of predetermined locations. The method may further comprise determining a desired velocity profile along the beam path based at least in part on the calculated ion beam profile such that the ion beam, when scanned according to the desired velocity profile, produces a desired ion beam profile along the beam path.

A device for measuring an incidence angle of an ion beam impinging a planar substrate includes an aperture plate having an aperture for intercepting the ion beam and passing a beam portion therethrough, and a sensor located in the substrate plane or a plane parallel thereto behind the aperture plate and having a length along which the beam portion impinges on the sensor at a location which is a function of the incidence angle of the ion beam, the sensor configured to produce a sensor signal indicative of the location of impingement of the beam portion on the sensor and representative of incidence angle. A computing unit may be configured to compare the sensor signal to a predetermined function for determining the incidence angle of the ion beam. Spaced apart sensing devices may be used to determine beam divergence.

Ion beam incidence angle and beam divergence monitor

An ion implanter for low energy ion implantation includes an ion beam generator, a older for supporting a workpiece, such as a semiconductor wafer, and a voltage source electrically connected to the workpiece. The ion beam generator includes an ion source for generating ions and an extraction electrode having an extraction voltage applied thereto for accelerating the ions to form an ion beam. The voltage source applies to the workpiece a bias voltage that is of opposite polarity and smaller magnitude than the extraction voltage. The ions in the ion beam are implanted in the workpiece with an energy that is a function of the difference between the extraction voltage and the bias voltage.

Method and apparatus for low energy ion implantation

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Gloucester, MA, United States of America

Damian Brennan