A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a stage on which a wafer can be placed. A separator separates a beam of impurities to be introduced into the wafer into an ion component and a neutral component. A controller switches the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus between a first mode and a second mode, where in the first mode, the ion component is introduced into the wafer and in the second mode, the neutral component is introduced into the wafer.

An ion source including a chamber housing defining an ion source chamber and including an extraction plate on a front side thereof, the extraction plate having an extraction aperture formed therein, and a tubular cathode disposed within the ion source chamber and having an opening formed in a front half thereof nearest the extraction aperture, wherein a rear half of the tubular cathode furthest from the extraction aperture is closed.

An ion source with a target holder for holding a solid dopant material is disclosed. The ion source comprises a thermocouple disposed proximate the target holder to monitor the temperature of the solid dopant material. In certain embodiments, a controller uses this temperature information to vary one or more parameters of the ion source, such as arc voltage, cathode bias voltage, extracted beam current, or the position of the target holder within the arc chamber. Various embodiments showing the connections between the controller and the thermocouple are shown. Further, embodiments showing various placement of the thermocouple on the target holder are also presented.

Embodiments herein are directed to a linear accelerator assembly for an ion implanter. In some embodiments, the linear accelerator assembly may include a central support within a chamber, and a plurality of modules coupled to the central support, at least one module of the plurality of modules including an electrode having an aperture for receiving and delivering an ion beam along a beamline axis.

A Bernas ion source having a shield is disclosed. The shield is disposed between the distal portion of the filament and the first end of the chamber and serves to confine the plasma to the region between the shield and the second end of the chamber. The shield may be electrically connected to the negative leg of the filament so as to be the most negatively biased component in the chamber. In other embodiments, the shield may be electrically floating. In this embodiment, the shield may self-bias. The shield is typically made of a refractory metal. The use of the shield may reduce back heating of the filament by the plasma and reduce the possibility for thermal runaway. This may allow denser plasmas to be generated within the chamber.

The present disclosure describes a system and a method for providing a mixed gas to an ion implantation tool. The system includes a water supply, an electrical source, a gas generator. The gas generator is configured to generate a first gas from the water supply and the electrical source. The system also includes a first flow controller configured to control a first flow rate of the first gas, a gas container to provide a second gas, a second flow controller configured to control a second flow rate of the second gas, and a gas pipe configured to mix the first and second gases into a mixed gas. The mixed gas can be delivered to, for example, an ion source head of the ion implantation tool.

Systems and methods are described herein for the variable and dynamic control of a variable aperture masking unit to define, isolate and/or mask diffusion areas for dopant implantation and/or thermal annealing processes useful in wafer fabrication in the production of advanced semiconductor devices. A plurality of isolation material panels can be dynamically positioned to define a size, position and shape of a variable mask aperture between edges of the plurality of isolation material panels. The isolation material panels are connected between cooperating pairs of carriers that are coupled to and travel along a set of parallel tracks on opposite sides of the variable aperture masking unit.

An ion implanter includes a beam generator that generates anion beam, a beam scanner that performs reciprocating scan with the ion beam in a first direction, a platen driving device that performs reciprocating motion of a wafer in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, while holding the wafer so that a wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam subject to the reciprocating scan, and a control device that changes a beam scan speed in the first direction and a wafer motion speed in the second direction in accordance with a beam irradiation position in the first direction and the second direction at which the wafer processing surface is irradiated with the ion beam so that ions having a desired two-dimensional non-uniform dose distribution are implanted into the wafer processing surface.

An assembly present in an ion source for supporting an arc chamber upon a base plate includes a first arc support plate, a first screw, and a second screw. The first screw passes through a smooth through-hole in an arm of the first arc support plate and extends into a bore in the base plate. The second (or adjustable) screw passes through a threaded through-hole in an arm of the first arc support plate and engages an upper surface of the base plate itself, and can be used to change the altitude and angle of the first arc support plate relative to the base plate. This adjustment ability improves the beam quality of the ion source.

An ion source has an arc chamber having one or more arc chamber walls defining and interior region of the arc chamber. A cathode electrode is disposed along an axis. A repeller has a repeller shaft and a ceramic target member separated by a gap. The repeller shaft is not in electrical or mechanical contact with the target member, and the repeller shaft is configured to indirectly heat the target member. The target member, can be a cylinder encircling the repeller shaft, where the gap separates the cylinder from the repeller shaft. A top cap can enclose the cylinder can be separated from a top repeller surface of the repeller shaft by the gap. A target hole can be in the top cap. The target member can be supported by a bottom liner of the arc chamber or a support member mechanically and electrically coupled to the repeller shaft.