Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Other

Yongzhang Huang

Victor M Benveniste

John Zheng Ye

Bo H Vanderberg

Michael A Graf

John W Vanderpot

Patrick Richard Splinter

Robert D Rathmell

Que Weiguo

Neil K Colvin

Brian S Freer

Michael Cristoforo

David Tao

Christopher Godfrey

Hans J Rutishauser

Xiangyang Wu

Ilya Pokidov

Kevin J Hoyt

Xinping Hu

Zhang Jincheng

The present invention provides a mass analyzing magnet which can bend a very wide charged particle ribbon beams through angles between 90 to 200 degrees. The shorter dimension of the ribbon beam is aligned with the magnetic field. The magnet can focus the longer dimension of the ribbon beam through a resolving slot inside the magnet for mass or momentum analysis. The magnet pole is shaped to increase the mass resolving power and to provide the focusing force in the direction of the shorter dimension of the ribbon beam. This magnet can achieve high mass resolving power with very small system aberrations for very wide ribbon beam. This feature is of significant value, for example, in the ion implantation industry. The ribbon beam width can be 300 mm, 450 mm and even 1000 mm. Integrated with the present invention, the ion implanter systems can be built to provide mass analyzed ribbon beams for various applications. The system will have much lower cost and much better ribbon beam quality than the ion implanters which are using conventional mass analyzing magnet.

High mass resolution low aberration analyzer magnet for ribbon beams and the system for ribbon beam ion implanter

An ion implantation system comprising an ion source that generates an ion beam along a beam path, a mass analyzer component downstream of the ion source that performs mass analysis and angle correction on the ion beam, a resolving aperture electrode comprising at least one electrode downstream of the mass analyzer component and along the beam path having a size and shape according to a selected mass resolution and a beam envelope, a deflection element downstream of the resolving aperture electrode that changes the path of the ion beam exiting the deflection element, a deceleration electrode downstream of the deflection element that decelerates the ion beam, a support platform within an end station for retaining and positioning a workpiece which is implanted with charged ions, and wherein the end station is mounted approximately eight degrees counterclockwise so that the deflected ion beam is perpendicular to the workpiece.

Low contamination, low energy beamline architecture for high current ion implantation

A system and method extraction electrode system, comprising an extraction electrode, wherein the extraction electrode, further defines an aperture and forms a portion of the outside wall of the ion source and is configured to extract ions from the ion source, a suppression disk half assembly comprising two suppression electrode plate disk halves that form a variable suppression aperture, a ground disk half assembly comprising two ground electrode plate disk halves that form an variable ground aperture, wherein the suppression disk half assembly is configured between the extraction electrode and the ground disk half assembly, wherein the suppression aperture and the ground aperture variable in the direction perpendicular to the ion beam direction of travel, and wherein the extraction electrode system is used with a pendulum reciprocating drive apparatus.

Extraction electrode system for high current ion implanter

One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for profiling an ion beam. The apparatus includes a current measuring device having a measurement region, wherein a cross-sectional area of the ion beam enters the measurement region. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to periodically take beam current measurements of the ion beam and to determine a two dimensional profile of the ion beam by relating the beam current measurements to sub-regions within the current measuring device. Other apparatus and methods are also disclosed.

Method and system for ion beam profiling

An exemplary ion source for creating a stream of ions has a chamber body that at least partially bounds an ionization region of the arc chamber. The arc chamber body is used with a hot filament arc chamber housing that either directly or indirectly heats a cathode to sufficient temperature to cause electrons to stream through the ionization region of the arc chamber. A seals has a ceramic body having an outer wall that abuts the arc chamber body along a circumferential outer lip. The seal also has one or more radially inner channels bounded by one or more inner walls spaced inwardly from the outer wall.

Ion source arc chamber seal

A system, method, and apparatus for mitigating contamination associated with ion implantation are provided. An ion source, end station, and mass analyzer positioned between the ion source and the end station are provided, wherein an ion beam is formed from the ion source and selectively travels through the mass analyzer to the end station, based on a position of a beam stop assembly. The beam stop assembly selectively prevents the ion beam from entering and/or exiting the mass analyzer, therein minimizing contamination associated with an unstable ion source during transition periods such as a start-up of the ion implantation system.

Beam stop and beam tuning methods

The present invention is directed to a beam control circuit and method used to minimize particle contamination in an ion implantation system by reducing the duty factor of the ion beam. In one embodiment the beam control circuit comprises a high voltage switch connected in series with a power supply and an ion source portion of the ion implantation system, wherein the switch is operable to interrupt or reestablish a connection between the power supply and an electrode of the ion source including electrodes for plasma production. The beam control circuit also comprises a switch controller operable to control the duty factor of the ion beam by controlling the switch to close before a start of ion implantation and to open after a completion of implantation or at other times when the beam is not needed, thereby minimizing beam duty and particle contamination. The beam control technique may be applied to wafer doping implantation and duty factor reduction. Protection circuits for the high voltage switch absorb energy from reactive components and clamp any overvoltages.

Method of reducing particle contamination for ion implanters

A method derives a terminal return current or upstream current to adjust and/or compensate for variations in beam current during ion implantation. One or more individual upstream current measurements are obtained from a region of an ion implantation system. A terminal return current, or composite upstream current, is derived from the one or more current measurements. The terminal return current is then employed to adjust scanning or dose of an ion beam in order to facilitate beam current uniformity at a target wafer.

Closed loop dose control for ion implantation

A system, method, and apparatus for mitigating contamination during ion implantation are provided. An ion source, end station, and mass analyzer positioned between the ion source and the end station are provided, wherein an ion beam is formed from the ion source and travels through the mass analyzer to the end station. An ion beam dump assembly comprising a particle collector, particle attractor, and shield are associated with the mass analyzer, wherein an electrical potential of the particle attractor is operable to attract and constrain contamination particles within the particle collector, and wherein the shield is operable to shield the electrical potential of the particle attractor from an electrical potential of an ion beam within the mass analyzer.

Charged beam dump and particle attractor

The present invention is directed to a switch circuit and method to quickly enable or disable the ion beam to a wafer within an ion implantation system. The beam control technique may be applied to wafer doping repaint and duty factor reduction. The circuit and method may be used to quench an arc that may form between high voltage electrodes associated with an ion source to shorten the duration of the arc and mitigate non-uniform ion implantations. The circuit and method facilitates repainting the ion beam over areas where an arc was detected to recover dose loss during such arcing. A high voltage high speed switching circuit is added between each high voltage supply and its respective electrode to quickly extinguish the arc to minimize disruption of the ion beam. The high voltage switch is controlled by a trigger circuit which detects voltage or current changes to each electrode. Protection circuits for the HV switch absorb energy from reactive components and clamp any overvoltages.

System and method of ion beam control in response to a beam glitch

A system, apparatus, and method for changing source gases used for ion implantation is provided. A source chamber has a housing having one or more sidewalls and an extraction plate, wherein the one or more sidewalls and the extraction plate enclose an interior region of the source chamber. One or more inlets provide a fluid communication between one or more ignitable material sources and the interior region. An extraction aperture in the extraction plate provides a fluid communication between the interior region of the source chamber and a beam path region external to the source chamber. One or more diffusion apertures in the one or more sidewalls of the housing further provide a fluid communication between the interior region and a diffusion region external to the ion source chamber, wherein deposited ions are operable to diffuse out of the source chamber through the diffusion apertures.

High conductance ion source

An ion implantation apparatus, system, and method for controlling an ion beam, wherein a mass analyzer generally positioned between an ion source and an end station is configured to selectively control a path of a desired ion beam. The mass analyzer comprises one or more of an entrance pole mechanism positionable proximate to an entrance of the mass analyzer and an exit pole mechanism positionable proximate to an exit of the mass analyzer, wherein the position of the entrance pole mechanism and exit pole mechanism generally determines the path and focal point of the desired ion beam. A controller is configured to selectively position one or more of the entrance pole mechanism and exit pole mechanism, therein generally controlling the path of the desired ion beam at the exit of the mass analyzer, wherein the control may be based on one or more detected characteristics of the desired ion beam.

Beam tuning with automatic magnet pole rotation for ion implanters

A magnetic deflector for an ion beam is disclosed and comprises first and second coils. The coils are positioned above and below the beam, respectively, and extend along a width of the beam. Current passes through the coils to generate a magnetic field therebetween that is generally perpendicular to a direction of travel of the beam along substantially the entire width thereof. In another aspect of the invention, a method of deflecting a beam prior to implantation into a workpiece is disclosed. The method includes determining one or more properties associated with the beam and selectively activating one of a magnetic deflection module and an electrostatic deflection module based on the determination.

Hybrid magnetic/electrostatic deflector for ion implantation systems

A mass analyzer for a ribbon shaped ion beam is disclosed. The mass analyzer comprises a pair of coils that define an entrance end and an exit end of the analyzer. Field clamps are employed at or proximate to one or more of the entrance and exit ends of the mass analyzer. The field clamps operate to terminate fringing fields close to the entrance and exit ends of the mass analyzer, thereby reducing the impact of such fringing fields on the ribbon beam and improving beam uniformity.

High mass resolution magnet for ribbon beam ion implanters

An accelerating structure and related method for accelerating/decelerating ions of an ion beam are disclosed. The structure and related method are suitable for use in selectively implanting ions into a workpiece or wafer during semiconductor fabrication to selectively dope areas of the wafer. In addition to accelerating and/or decelerating ions, aspects of the present invention serve to focus as well as to deflect ions of an ion beam. This is accomplished by routing the ion beam through electrodes having potentials developed thereacross. The ion beam is also decontaminated as electrically neutral contaminants within the beam are not affected by the potentials and continue on generally traveling along an original path of the ion beam. The electrodes are also arranged in such a fashion so as to minimize the distance the beam has to travel, thereby mitigating the opportunity for beam blow up.

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Hamilton, MA, United States of America

Yongzhang Huang