Embodiments disclosed herein include an apparatus for measuring ion angles. In an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first plate with an array of first openings, where the first plate is electrically conductive, and a second plate with an array of second openings below the first plate, where the second plate is electrically conductive. In an embodiment, an actuator is coupled to the first plate or the second plate, where the actuator is configured to displace one of the first plate or the second plate. In an embodiment, a third plate is below the second plate, where the third plate is electrically conductive.

An ion angle detector includes a front plate that includes an aperture configured to form an ion beam from incident ions. An ion collector of the detector is configured to measure ion flux from the ion beam. A linear actuator is mechanically coupled to the ion collector and configured to move the ion collector in a direction parallel to the ion beam. Ion angular distribution of a plasma may be measured using the detector by moving the ion collector parallel to the ion beam, measuring ion flux while moving the ion collector to obtain the flux as a function of distance from the source location, and obtaining the angular distribution from the flux and the distance. The ion angle detector may be disposed in a chamber of a plasma system that has a controller operatively coupled to the detector and configured to measure ion angular distribution.

An ion implantation system has an ion source configured to form an ion beam along a beam path. An accelerator is downstream of the ion source and configured to accelerate the ion beam to a predetermined energy. An energy filter is downstream of the accelerator and has an entrance configured to accept the ion beam. A beam measurement device can be positioned downstream of the accelerator along the beam path and is configured to determine an angular orientation of the ion beam. A controller further controls one or more of the accelerator and final energy filter based on the angular orientation of the ion beam with respect to the entrance of the energy filter. The controller can control beam parameters of an energy filter formula based on the angular orientation of the ion beam, where the energy filter formula is based on a characterization of the energy filter.

A processing system. The processing system may include a plasma chamber to generate a plasma; an extraction system, to extract an ion beam from the plasma chamber and deliver the ion beam to a substrate position, external to the plasma chamber; and an in-situ beam metrology system, having at least one detector to image the ion beam in imaging region that extends between the plasma chamber and the substrate position.

A method of producing a non-uniform ion implant in a workpiece, including storing a target pattern as a target pattern array, analyzing the target pattern to identify maximal gradients, rotating the target pattern and the workpiece to align with a spot beam profile and a scan direction, and transposing the target pattern to a process array. The method further includes optimizing the process array, calculating a largest possible beam spot size, selecting a corresponding spot beam recipe, performing a test scan to determine a beam sweep angle of the spot beam, and rotating the target pattern, the process array, and the workpiece to account for the beam sweep angle. The method further incudes generating a predicted process dose pattern and comparing it to the target pattern, and calculating at least one measure of error representing a fidelity of the predicted process dose pattern to the target pattern.

A processing system that includes an ion source to direct an ion beam at a workpiece, and an angle measurement system, is disclosed. The angle measurement system includes a current measurement device, such as one or more Faraday sensors, that may be moved in at least two orthogonal directions. The current measurement device scans in a first direction, seeking the largest current measurement. The current measurement device then moves to a second position in the second direction and repeats the scanning procedure. Based on data collected at two different locations in the second direction, the angle of incidence of the incoming ion beam may be determined.

Systems and methods discussed herein can be used to form gratings at various slant angles across a grating material on a single substrate by determining an ion beam angle and changing the angle of an ion beam among and between ion beam angles to form gratings with varying angles and cross-sectional geometries. The substrate can be rotated around a central axis, and one or more process parameters, such as a duty cycle of the ion beam, can be modulated to form a grating with a depth gradient.