Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Varian Semiconductor Associates, Inc.

Gregg Alexander Norris

Joseph C Olson

Morgan Evans

Shengwu Chang

Joseph P Dzengeleski

William Gray Callahan

Douglas Thomas Fielder

Atul Gupta

Jonathan Gerald England

George Gammel

Antonella Cucchetti

Rosario Mollica

Damian Brennan

Norman E Hussey

Gregory R Gibilaro

Marie J Welsch

Greg Gibilaro

David Olden

Tamer Onat

An ion beam current uniformity monitor, ion implanter and related method are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ion beam current uniformity monitor includes an ion beam current measurer including a plurality of measuring devices for measuring a current of an ion beam at a plurality of locations; and a controller for maintaining ion beam current uniformity based on the ion beam current measurements by the ion beam current measurer.

Ion beam current uniformity monitor, ion implanter and related method

A Faraday sensor test system includes a Faraday sensor configured to intercept a quantity of ions incident on said Faraday sensor, a primary conductor and a test conductor coupled to said Faraday sensor, and a controller. The controller is configured to automatically provide a test current into the test conductor in response to a test condition. The controller is further configured to receive a return current from the primary conductor in response to the test current and to compare the return current to a value representative of the test current to determine a condition of a conductive path comprising the test conductor, the Faraday sensor, and the primary conductor.

Automated faraday sensor test system

A beam density measurement system includes a shield, a beam sensor, and an actuator. The beam sensor is positioned downstream from the shield in a direction of travel of a beam. The beam sensor is configured to sense an intensity of the beam, and the beam sensor has a long dimension and a short dimension. The actuator translates the shield relative to the beam sensor, wherein the shield blocks at least a portion of the beam from the beam sensor as the shield is translated relative to the beam sensor, and wherein measured values of the intensity associated with changes in a position of the shield relative to the beam sensor are representative of a beam density distribution of the beam in a first direction defined by the long dimension of the beam sensor.

Methods and apparatus for beam density measurement in two dimensions

An ion beam tuning method, system and program product for tuning an ion implanter system are disclosed. The invention obtains an ion beam profile of the ion beam by, for example, scanning the ion beam across a profiler that is within an implant chamber; and tunes the ion implanter system to maximize an estimated implant current based on the ion beam profile to simultaneously optimize total ion beam current and ion beam spot width, and maximize implant current. In addition, the tuning can also position the ion beam along a desired ion beam path based on the feedback of the spot beam center, which improves ion implanter system productivity and performance by reducing ion beam setup time and provides repeatable beam angle performance for each ion beam over many setups.

Ion beam implant current, spot width and position tuning

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 high-efficiency ion implantation is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as an apparatus for high-efficiency ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise one or more measurement devices to determine a shape of an ion beam spot in a first dimension and a second dimension. The apparatus may also comprise a control module to control movement of the ion beam across a substrate according to a two-dimensional velocity profile, wherein the two-dimensional velocity profile is determined based at least in part on the shape of the ion beam spot, and wherein the two-dimensional velocity profile is tunable to maintain a uniform ion dose and to keep the ion beam spot from going fully off the substrate surface.

Technique for high-efficiency ion implantation

Growing community of inventors

Rockport, MA, United States of America

Gregg Alexander Norris