A method of inspecting a wafer quality includes injecting ions into a wafer using an ion beam in an ion implantation process, collecting data about the ion beam by using a Faraday cup, extracting first data from the data about the ion beam, extracting a wafer section from the first data, calculating a feature value of a wafer from the wafer section, and evaluating a quality of the wafer by comparing the feature value with a predetermined threshold or range.

An ion implantation system and method provide a non-uniform flux of a ribbon ion beam. A spot ion beam is formed and provided to a scanner, and a scan waveform having a time-varying potential is applied to the scanner. The ion beam is scanned by the scanner across a scan path, generally defining a scanned ion beam comprised of a plurality of beamlets. The scanned beam is then passed through a corrector apparatus. The corrector apparatus is configured to direct the scanned ion beam toward a workpiece at a generally constant angle of incidence across the workpiece. The corrector apparatus further comprises a plurality of magnetic poles configured to provide a non-uniform flux profile of the scanned ion beam at the workpiece.

An apparatus for monitoring of an ion beam. The apparatus may include a processor; and a memory unit coupled to the processor, including a display routine, where the display routine operative on the processor to manage monitoring of the ion beam. The display routine may include a measurement processor to receive a plurality of spot beam profiles of the ion beam, the spot beam profiles collected during a fast scan of the ion beam and a slow mechanical scan of a detector, conducted simultaneously with the fast scan. The fast scan may comprise a plurality of scan cycles having a frequency of 10 Hz or greater along a fast scan direction, and the slow mechanical scan being performed in a direction parallel to the fast scan direction. The measurement processor may also send a display signal to display at least one set of information, derived from the plurality of spot beam profiles.

A system and method for creating a beam current profile that eliminates variations that are not position dependent is disclosed. The system includes two Faraday sensors; one which is moved across the ion beam and a second that remains at or near a certain location. The reference Faraday sensor is used to measure temporal variations in the beam current, while the movable Faraday sensor measures both the position dependent variations and the temporal variations. By combining these measurements, the actual position dependent variations of the scanned ion beam can be determined. This resultant beam current profile can then be used to control the scan speed of the electrostatic or magnetic scanner.

In an example, a substrate is oriented to a target axis, wherein a residual angular misalignment between the target axis and a preselected crystal channel direction in the substrate is within an angular tolerance interval. Dopant ions are implanted into the substrate using an ion beam that propagates along an ion beam axis. The dopant ions are implanted at implant angles between the ion beam axis and the target axis. The implant angles are within an implant angle range. A channel acceptance width is effective for the preselected crystal channel direction. The implant angle range is greater than 80% of a sum of the channel acceptance width and twofold the angular tolerance interval. The implant angle range is smaller than 500% of the sum of the channel acceptance width and twofold the angular tolerance interval.

An ion implantation system and method are provided where an ion beam is tuned to a first process recipe. The ion beam is scanned along a scan plane at a first frequency, defining a first scanned ion beam. A beam profiling apparatus is translated through the first scanned ion beam and one or more properties of the first scanned ion beam are measured across a width of the first scanned ion, thus defining a first beam profile associated with the first scanned ion beam. The ion beam is then scanned at a second frequency, thus defining a second scanned ion beam, wherein the second frequency is less than the first frequency. A second beam profile associated with the second scanned ion beam is determined based, at least in part, on the first beam profile. Ions are subsequently implanted into a workpiece via the second scanned ion beam.

An apparatus for monitoring of an ion beam. The apparatus may include a processor; and a memory unit coupled to the processor, including a display routine, where the display routine operative on the processor to manage monitoring of the ion beam. The display routine may include a measurement processor to receive a plurality of spot beam profiles of the ion beam, the spot beam profiles collected during a fast scan of the ion beam and a slow mechanical scan of a detector, conducted simultaneously with the fast scan. The fast scan may comprise a plurality of scan cycles having a frequency of 10 Hz or greater along a fast scan direction, and the slow mechanical scan being performed in a direction parallel to the fast scan direction. The measurement processor may also send a display signal to display at least one set of information, derived from the plurality of spot beam profiles.

In an example, a substrate is oriented to a target axis, wherein a residual angular misalignment between the target axis and a preselected crystal channel direction in the substrate is within an angular tolerance interval. Dopant ions are implanted into the substrate using an ion beam that propagates along an ion beam axis. The dopant ions are implanted at implant angles between the ion beam axis and the target axis. The implant angles are within an implant angle range. A channel acceptance width is effective for the preselected crystal channel direction. The implant angle range is greater than 80% of a sum of the channel acceptance width and twofold the angular tolerance interval. The implant angle range is smaller than 500% of the sum of the channel acceptance width and twofold the angular tolerance interval.

A system and method for controlling an ion implantation system as a function of sampling ion beam current and uniformity thereof. The ion implantation system includes a plurality of ion beam optical elements configured to selectively steer and/or shape the ion beam as it is transported toward a workpiece, wherein the ion beam is sampled at a high frequency to provide a plurality of ion beam current samples, which are then analyzed to detect fluctuations and/or nonuniformities or unpredicted variations amongst the plurality of ion beam current samples. Beam current samples are compared against predetermined threshold levels, and/or predicted nonuniformity levels to generate a control signal when a detected nonuniformity in the plurality of ion beam current density samples exceeds a predetermined threshold. A control system can be configured to generate a control signal for interlocking the ion beam transport in the ion implantation system or for varying an input to at least one beam optical element to control variations in beam current.

In one embodiment, an ion implantation apparatus includes an ion source configured to generate an ion beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner configured to change an irradiation position with the ion beam on an irradiation target. The apparatus further includes a first electrode configured to accelerate an ion in the ion beam. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to change at least any of energy and an irradiation angle of the ion beam according to the irradiation position by controlling the ion beam having been generated from the ion source.