Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

An ion implementation system includes an ion source chamber having a textured surfaced to reduce surface film delamination on the interior walls of the ion source chamber. The residual stresses originated from the thermal expansion mismatch due to temperature changes and the tensile residual stress between film and the substrate (liners). The textured feature alters the width to thickness ratio so that it will peel off when it reaches its fracture tensile stress. The machine textures surface increases the mechanical interlocking of the film that builds up on the surface of the ion source chamber, which delays delamination and reduces the size of the resulting flake thereby reducing the likelihood that the flake will bridge a biased component to a ground reference surface and correspondingly increases the life of the ion source.

An ion implantation system and method is provided for varying an angle of incidence of a scanned ion beam relative to the workpiece concurrent with the scanned ion beam impacting the workpiece. The system has an ion source configured to form an ion beam and a mass analyzer configured to mass analyze the ion beam. An ion beam scanner is configured to scan the ion beam in a first direction, therein defining a scanned ion beam. A workpiece support is configured to support a workpiece thereon, and an angular implant apparatus is configured to vary an angle of incidence of the scanned ion beam relative to the workpiece. The angular implant apparatus comprises one or more of an angular energy filter and a mechanical apparatus operably coupled to the workpiece support, wherein a controller controls the angular implant apparatus, thus varying the angle of incidence of the scanned ion beam relative to the workpiece concurrent with the scanned ion beam impacting the workpiece.

An ion implantation system includes a beamline configured to direct an ion beam toward an end station configured to hold or support a workpiece, and a scanning system. The scanning system is configured to scan the end station past the ion beam in a two-dimensional fashion comprising a first scan axis along a first direction and a second scan axis along a second direction that is different than the first direction. The system further includes a supplemental scanning component operably associated with the scanning system, and configured to effectuate a scanning of the ion beam with respect to the end station along a third scan axis having a third direction that is different than the first direction.

A dosimetry system and method are provided for increasing utilization of an ion beam, wherein one or more side Faraday cups are positioned along a path of the ion beam and configured to sense a current thereof. The one or more side Faraday cups are separated by a distance associated with a diameter of the workpiece. The ion beam reciprocally scans across the workpiece, interlacing narrow scans and wide scans, wherein narrow scans are defined by reversing direction of the scanning near an edge of the workpiece, and wide scans are defined by reversing direction of the scanning at a position associated with an outboard region of the side Faraday cups. A beam current is sensed by the side Faraday cups concurrent with scanning the beam, wherein the side Faraday cups are connected to a dosimeter only concurrent with a wide scan of the ion beam, and are disconnected concurrent with narrow scans of the ion beam. The side Faraday cups are further connected to ground concurrent with narrow scans of the ion beam.

An electrostatic clamping system provides an electrostatic clamp (ESC) having a clamping surface, and a first and second pair of electrodes. Each of the first pair of electrodes are associated with a respective one-third of the clamping surface, and each of the second pair of electrodes are associated with a respective one-sixth of the clamping surface. A peripheral region of each of the first and second pairs of electrodes tapers in width toward the periphery of the clamping surface in a spiral. A power supply selectively outputs a DC and a three-phase AC clamping voltage. A controller selectively operates the ESC in a DC mode and an AC mode. The DC mode connects one of the first pair of electrodes and one of the second pair of electrodes to a positive terminal and the other one of the first pair of electrodes and other one of the second pair of electrodes to a negative terminal of the power supply. The AC mode electrically connects a first phase terminal of the power supply to one of the first pair of electrodes, a second phase terminal of the power supply to the other one of the first pair of electrodes, and a third phase terminal of the power supply to both of the second pair of electrodes.

A workpiece support has a vessel having a top interior wall and a bottom interior wall. An interior cavity is defined between the top interior wall and bottom interior wall, wherein a support surface configured to support a workpiece. A plate is positioned within the interior cavity, dividing the interior cavity into a top cavity and a bottom cavity. The top and bottom cavities are fluidly coupled about a periphery of the plate. A first taper defined in one or more of the top interior wall and a top portion of the plate provides a substantially constant volume across a radial cross-section of the top cavity. A second taper defined in one or more of the bottom interior wall and a bottom portion of the plate provides a substantially constant volume across a radial cross-section of the bottom cavity. First and second ports fluidly couple the top and bottom cavities to respective first and second fluid channels.

An electrostatic clamping system has an electrostatic chuck having one or more electrodes and a clamping surface and one or more fluid passages therethrough. A plurality of fluid sources has a respective plurality of fluids associated therewith, wherein each of the plurality of fluids are chemically distinct from one another and has a respective viable fluid temperature range associated therewith. A thermal unit is configured to heat and/or cool the plurality of fluids to one or more predetermined temperature setpoints. A valve assembly is configured to selectively fluidly couple each of the plurality of fluid sources to the one or more fluid passages of the electrostatic chuck. A controller is also configured to selectively fluidly couple the one or more fluid passages of the electrostatic chuck with a selected one or more of the plurality of fluid sources via a control of the valve assembly.

A dosimetry system and method are provided for increasing utilization of an ion beam, wherein one or more side Faraday cups are positioned along a path of the ion beam and configured to sense a current thereof. The one or more side Faraday cups are separated by a distance associated with a diameter of the workpiece. The ion beam reciprocally scans across the workpiece, interlacing narrow scans and wide scans, wherein narrow scans are defined by reversing direction of the scanning near an edge of the workpiece, and wide scans are defined by reversing direction of the scanning at a position associated with an outboard region of the side Faraday cups. A beam current is sensed by the side Faraday cups concurrent with scanning the beam, wherein the side Faraday cups are connected to a dosimeter only concurrent with a wide scan of the ion beam, and are disconnected concurrent with narrow scans of the ion beam. The side Faraday cups are further connected to ground concurrent with narrow scans of the ion beam.

An ion implantation system and method for implanting ions at varying energies across a workpiece is provided. The system comprises an ion source configured to ionize a dopant gas into a plurality of ions and to form an ion beam. A mass analyzer is positioned downstream of the ion source and configured to mass analyze the ion beam. A deceleration/acceleration stage is positioned downstream of the mass analyzer. An energy filter may form part of the deceleration/acceleration stage or may positioned downstream of the deceleration/acceleration stage. An end station is provided having a workpiece support associated therewith for positioning the workpiece before the ion beam is also provided. A scanning apparatus is configured to scan one or more of the ion beam and workpiece support with respect to one another. One or more power sources are operably coupled to one or more of the ion source, mass analyzer, deceleration/acceleration stage, and energy filter. A controller is configured to selectively vary one or more voltages respectively supplied to one or more of the deceleration/acceleration stage and the energy filter concurrent with the scanning of the ion beam and/or workpiece support, wherein the selective variation of the one or more voltages is based, at least in part, on a position of the ion beam with respect to the workpiece support.

An ion source chamber for ion implantation system includes a housing that at least partially bounds an ionization region through which high energy electrons move from a cathode to ionize gas molecules injected into an interior of the housing; a liner section defining one or more interior walls of the housing interior, wherein each liner section includes a interiorly facing surface exposed to the ionization region during operation the ion implantation system; a cathode shield disposed about the cathode; a repeller spaced apart from the cathode; a plate including a source aperture for discharging ions from the ion source chamber; wherein at least one of the repeller, the liner section, the cathode shield; the plate, or an insert in the plate defining the source aperture comprise silicon carbide, wherein the silicon carbide is a non-stoichiometric sintered material having excess carbon.