Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Joseph P Dzengeleski

Svetlana Radovanov

James Paul Buonodono

Daniel Distaso

Gregg Alexander Norris

Frank Sinclair

Joseph C Olson

Morgan Evans

Costel Biloiu

Eric D Hermanson

Shengwu Chang

Robert J Mitchell

Jay Thomas Scheuer

Kevin M Daniels

Antonella Cucchetti

Tyler Burton Rockwell

Ernest E Allen

Rosario Mollica

Jon Ballou

Gregory R Gibilaro

Marie J Welsch

Greg Gibilaro

David Olden

Tamer Onat

Ashwin Shetty

Kenneth Swenson

Vinay Aggarwal

James W Wilkinson

An apparatus and method for the creation of negative ion beams is disclosed. The apparatus includes an RF ion source, having an extraction aperture. An antenna disposed proximate a dielectric window is energized by a pulsed RF power supply. While the RF power supply is actuated, a plasma containing primarily positive ions and electrons is created. When the RF power supply is deactivated, the plasma transforms into an ion-ion plasma. Negative ions may be extracted from the RF ion source while the RF power supply is deactivated. These negative ions, in the form of a negative ribbon ion beam, may be directed toward a workpiece at a specific incident angle. Further, both a positive ion beam and a negative ion beam may be extracted from the same ion source by pulsing the bias power supply multiple times each period.

Negative ribbon ion beams from pulsed plasmas

A processing apparatus including a process chamber, a plasma source disposed within the process chamber, wherein the plasma source is movable in a first direction and is configured to emit an ion beam along a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. The apparatus may further include a platen disposed within the process chamber for supporting a substrate, and an ion beam current sensor that is disposed adjacent to the platen.

Processing apparatus and method of treating a substrate

A system of measuring ion beam current in a process chamber using conductive liners is disclosed. A conductive liner is used to shield the walls of the process chamber. An ion measuring device, such as an ammeter, is used to measure the current created by the ions that impact the conductive liner. In some embodiments, a mechanism to contain secondary electrons generated in the process chamber is employed. Additionally, the ions that impact the scan system or workpiece may also be measured, thereby allowing the current of the entire ion beam to be measured.

Ion beam measurement system and method

Techniques for ion beam current measurement using a scanning beam current transformer are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for ion beam current measurement using a transformer. The apparatus may comprise a measurement device positioned adjacent a wafer and an ion dose control module coupled to the measurement device. The measurement device may comprise a transformer through which an ion beam passes onto the wafer. The ion dose control module may calculate ion beam current passing through the transformer and adjust dose based at least in part upon the calculated ion beam current.

Techniques for ion beam current measurement using a scanning beam current transformer

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

This disclosure provides an approach for magnetic monitoring of a Faraday cup for an ion implanter. In this disclosure, there is a vacuum chamber and a Faraday cup located within the vacuum chamber. The Faraday cup is configured to move within the path of an ion beam entering the vacuum chamber. A magnetic monitor located about the vacuum chamber, is configured to distinguish a magnetic field associated with the Faraday cup from stray magnetic fields.

Magnetic monitoring of a Faraday cup for an ion implanter

An ion implanter includes an ion beam generator configured to generate an ion beam and direct the ion beam towards a workpiece, wherein relative motion between the ion beam and the workpiece produces a scan pattern on a front surface of said workpiece. The scan pattern has an oscillating pattern on at least a portion of said front surface of said workpiece.

Scan pattern for an ion implanter

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 system, method and program product for determining the integrity of a faraday system are disclosed. The invention uses a computer infrastructure to control an automatic determination of a faraday system integrity, when the faraday system is not in operation. The determination is based on the variations on an impedance of the faraday system. An impedance of a faraday system is determined based on the discharge characteristics of a capacitor that discharges through the faraday system.

Faraday system integrity determination

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Newton, NH, United States of America

Joseph P Dzengeleski