Large-area coating high-current ion beam generation device and optimization method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a large-area coating high-current ion beam generation device and an optimization method thereof.The generation device comprises a high-current ion source and a three-electrode extraction system, and the three-electrode extraction system comprises a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode and an extraction electrode; hollow tubular parts of the high-current ion source, the high-current ion source and the high-current ion source jointly form an emitting channel of the ion beam current, every two adjacent high-current ion source and the high-current ion source form a lateral channel, and the lateral channel forms an acute included angle with the emitting axis of the beam current from the outward extending direction of the high-current ion source. The optimization method provided by the invention iteratively optimizes relevant parameters such as the predetermined interval, the included angle or the voltage of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode in simulation so as to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam, and ensures enough beam intensity. The ion beam generation device provided by the invention is low in cost, high in beam current intensity and high in ion beam uniformity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of nuclear science and technology, and in particular to a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device and an optimization method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The ion source sputtering coating technology of the prior art is widely used in the field of material processing and coating. However, in terms of achieving large-area, high-uniformity ion beams, traditional methods have certain challenges. The ion sources commonly used in the prior art are difficult to meet the beam uniformity and flux intensity requirements of large-area coating while taking into account low cost. Among them, the control of ion beam uniformity has always been a key problem, which has an important impact on the performance and quality of the final coated product. Therefore, a large-area, high-uniformity ion beam generating device with low cost, high beam flux and high ion beam uniformity is needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device, the generating device comprises a high-current ion source and a three-electrode extraction system, wherein

[0004] The high-current ion source is used to generate an ion beam current, and the beam current intensity can meet the minimum current intensity required for large-area ion beam coating;

[0005] The three-electrode extraction system comprises a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode and an extraction electrode, the three being arranged in sequence along the exit axis of the ion beam with a predetermined interval, and the hollow tubular parts of the three together forming an exit channel of the ion beam;

[0006] Wherein, on the side close to the high-current ion source, each adjacent two of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode also form a lateral channel through a nozzle portion that is configured to be inclined and converged toward the emission axis, and the extension direction of the lateral channel from the high-current ion source to the outside forms an acute angle with the beam emission axis; and

[0007] The predetermined intervals, angles or voltages of the plasma electrode, suppression electrode and extraction electrode are configured so that a portion of the beam can be deflected from the beam exit channel to at least one of the lateral channels to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam.

[0008] Preferably, the high-current ion source is a 50 mA-level high-current Penning source.

[0009] Preferably, the initial orbital distribution of the ion beam is affected by configuring the predetermined interval, angle or voltage between the plasma electrode and the suppression electrode.

[0010] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for optimizing the high-current ion beam generating device as described in any one of the first aspects of the present invention, which calls ibsimu software as an underlying simulation engine to simulate the high-current ion beam generating device to optimize the structural characteristics of the three-electrode extraction system, and the method comprises:

[0011] Setting the predetermined interval, the angle or the initial value of the voltage of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode;

[0012] Changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions;

[0013] Execute the ion beam emission process of the high-current ion beam generating device, and record the simulation results of the energy, speed or scattering angle of the emitted ion beam;

[0014] weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by the simulation results;

[0015] Repeat the above steps to iteratively update the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage to obtain an optimized extracted beam quality until the extracted beam quality converges or satisfies a predetermined number of iterations.

[0016] Preferably, the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality through the simulation results in the method includes weighted evaluation of at least one of the average beam current density, the average single particle energy, and the sputtering yield.

[0017] Preferably, in the method, changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions comprises:

[0018] If the proportion of ions in a low charge state is higher than a first predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is improved by shortening the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode.

[0019] Preferably, in the method, the beam current intensity of the beam is increased by increasing the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode.

[0020] Preferably, in the method, the beam uniformity is improved by reducing the angle of the plasma electrode.

[0021] Preferably, in the method, changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions comprises:

[0022] If the proportion of ions in a high charge state is higher than a second predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is compensated by increasing the angle of the extraction electrode.

[0023] Preferably, in the method, the beam uniformity and beam intensity are increased by reducing the predetermined interval between the extraction electrodes.

[0024] The present invention adopts a high-current ion source to generate a high-density plasma, and through the optimization of the extraction system, strengthens the uniformity control of the high-current ion beam, so as to meet the requirements of adjusting the uniformity and breadth of sputtering coating according to demand. The large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device provided by each embodiment of the present invention has low cost, high beam current intensity and high ion beam uniformity, and the corresponding optimization method can be widely used; the extraction system can be designed according to the coating requirements for precise beam control; and flexible combination changes can be made for different coating application scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 A brief schematic diagram of a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in one embodiment is given;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a Penning source 100 used in a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in a preferred embodiment is provided;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a three-electrode extraction system in a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in a preferred embodiment is provided, wherein only half of the cross section of the three-electrode extraction system 200 is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 The influence of different groups of extraction electrode distances on beam quality is given;

[0030] Figure 5 The simulation results of the extraction of several different optimized electrodes are given;

[0031] Figure 6 The parameter adjustment result of the three-electrode extraction system obtained by the simulation optimization method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0032] Figure 7 Given Figure 6 The extracted beam quality evaluation result obtained by testing the three-electrode extraction system of the embodiment;

[0033] Figure 8The simulation of the extracted beam quality with different ion ratios in mixed ion state is given;

[0034] Fig. 9 Different H + / H2 + / H3 + Comparison of simulations for optimization of ion ratios;

[0035] Fig.10 The optimized 1.5KeV extraction simulation is given;

[0036] Fig.11 The estimated sputtering yield of Ni target with optimized hydrogen ion extraction is given;

[0037] Fig.12 An estimate of the sputtering depth of a Ni target with optimized hydrogen ion extraction is given. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make appropriate adjustments to the components, parameters, etc. in the embodiments of the present invention based on the concept of the present invention. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. In other cases, well-known methods, devices, implementations or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring various aspects of the present invention.

[0039] In addition, the described features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solution of the present invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known methods, devices, implementations or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring the various aspects of the present invention. The flow in the embodiment is only an exemplary description, does not necessarily include all the content and operations / steps, and does not necessarily perform in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can also be decomposed, and some operations / steps can be merged or partially merged, so the order of actual execution may change according to actual conditions.

[0040] Although the various embodiments of the present invention are described using a low-cost Penning source as an example, the Penning source is only a preferred embodiment of the various high-current ion sources suitable for the present invention. The use of other similar high-current ion sources does not depart from the scope of protection of the present application. The device described in the present invention is intended to be applied to large-area coating, so "high current" is specifically agreed to indicate that its beam current intensity can meet the minimum current intensity required for large-area ion beam coating.

[0041] Figure 1 A brief schematic diagram of a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in an embodiment is given. The ion beam generating device 1 comprises a Penning source 100 and a three-electrode extraction system 200. Figure 1 Also shown are additional targets 300 and substrates 400.

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a Penning source 100 used in a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in a preferred embodiment is given. A 50mA-class high-current Penning source is used to generate an ion beam.

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a three-electrode extraction system in a large-area coating high-current ion beam generating device in a preferred embodiment is given, wherein only half of the cross section of the three-electrode extraction system 200 is shown.

[0044] The three-electrode extraction system 100 includes a hollow tubular plasma electrode 202, a suppression electrode 204 and an extraction electrode 206, which are arranged in sequence along the exit axis 201 of the ion beam, with a predetermined interval between adjacent ones, and the hollow tubular parts of the three together form the exit channel of the ion beam (that is, the free space of the ion beam along the exit axis 201 in the direction from left to right in the figure).

[0045] Wherein, on the side close to the high-current ion source, each adjacent two of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode are also each formed by a lateral channel 203 and 205 through a tube mouth portion that is constructed to be inclined and converged toward the exit axis, and the lateral channel extends outward from the high-current ion source and forms an acute angle with the direction of the exiting beam along the beam exit axis 201; and wherein the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage of the plasma electrode 202, the suppression electrode 204 and the extraction electrode 206 are configured so that a portion of the beam can deflect from the beam exit channel 208 to at least one of the lateral channels 203 and 205 to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam.

[0046] In order to optimize the beam uniformity, scattering area and beam intensity of the ion beam generated by a high-current ion source such as a Penning source in a coordinated manner. The inventor introduced computer simulation means to optimize and adjust the structural characteristics of the three-electrode extraction system. In an illustrative embodiment, the complete optimization method includes: based on the Linux platform, providing a simulation environment that automatically compiles and calls the ibsimu open source software through a script; a method for evaluating the quality of the extracted beam by setting multiple evaluation values ​​for normalized weighting, such as the average beam current density, the average energy of a single particle, and measuring the beam uniformity with the inverse of the variance of each macro particle position for a comprehensive evaluation of the beam quality; a method for evaluating the influence of each optimization parameter on the beam quality by collecting particle information and calculating the change in the evaluation value through a complete simulation of the physical scene in which the ion source emits an ion beam and is extracted by the three-electrode extraction system, and by screening the particle information obtained by the simulation, performing a secondary analysis, updating and iterating the parameters after each optimization, and finally finding the corresponding optimal solution after converging to a certain predetermined condition. Thus, the inventor provides a method for automatically adjusting electrode parameters. By nesting and updating each batch of excellent parameter combinations, we can find the parameters such as the angle, distance, etc. of the plasma electrode, suppression electrode, and extraction electrode of the three-electrode extraction system.

[0047] The following is a description of the technical implementation and technical effects of the method of the present invention through a number of specific simulation optimization examples.

[0048] In one embodiment, an optimization method is provided for optimizing the high-current ion beam generating device as described in various embodiments of the present invention. The method uses ibsimu software as the underlying simulation engine to simulate the high-current ion beam generating device to optimize the structural characteristics of the three-electrode extraction system. The method includes:

[0049] Setting the predetermined interval, the angle or the initial value of the voltage of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode;

[0050] Changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions;

[0051] Execute the ion beam emission process of the high-current ion beam generating device, and record the simulation results of the energy, speed or scattering angle of the emitted ion beam;

[0052] weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by the simulation results;

[0053] Repeat the above steps to iteratively update the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage to obtain an optimized extracted beam quality until the extracted beam quality converges or satisfies a predetermined number of iterations.

[0054] Wherein, the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality through the simulation results in the method includes weighted evaluation of at least one of the average beam current density, the average single particle energy, and the sputtering yield.

[0055] The method adjusts the simulation variables according to the ratio of ions in high charge state to ions in low charge state:

[0056] If the proportion of ions in a low charge state is higher than a first predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is improved by shortening the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode; and the beam intensity of the beam can be increased by increasing the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode; and the beam uniformity is improved by reducing the angle of the plasma electrode.

[0057] If the proportion of ions in a high charge state is higher than a second predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is compensated by increasing the angle of the extraction electrode.

[0058] Furthermore, the beam uniformity and beam current intensity are increased by reducing the predetermined interval of the extraction electrodes.

[0059] In one embodiment, the inventors found through simulation that when the beam does not hit the horizontal part of the extraction electrode, the length of the extraction electrode does not affect the beam quality. Therefore, the focus can be on studying the effect of the extraction electrode distance on the beam quality.

[0060] Figure 4 The effects of different groups of extraction electrode distances on beam quality are given. It can be found that the three groups have their own advantages and disadvantages. Group 1, as a group with a flatter extraction electrode, sacrificed part of the beam in exchange for a higher current intensity. The other two groups sacrificed ions with lower charge to obtain higher beam energy and uniformity. At the same time, by comparing Group 2 and Group 3, it can be found that the suppression electrode closer to the plasma pole has a greater restriction on ions with high charge states. As can be seen from the figure, in general, the extraction electrode distance has little effect on energy within the normal range, while the effect on current intensity and uniformity is inversely proportional, which means that if you do not want to sacrifice current intensity, you need to improve uniformity in other ways.

[0061] Figure 5 The simulation results of the extraction of several different optimized electrodes are given. The better performing ones in Table 4 are selected as l2=0.034 in the first group, l2=0.05 in the second group, and l2=0.035 and l2=0.055 in the third group for further comparison and analysis.

[0062] It can be found more clearly that under the same plasma pole condition, a closer suppression electrode can obtain a more uniform beam, and the improvement of uniformity of the extraction electrode pair is achieved at the expense of beam current intensity.

[0063] Among them, the current intensity of the first group can better meet the requirements of large-area uniform coating. In order to pursue higher uniformity, it is necessary to readjust parameters such as the shape of the plasma electrode. The inventor found that the corresponding l2 changes under different electrode shapes, electrode angles, and l1 will also have different effects, and vice versa. Under the influence of coupling, multiple parameters need to be iterated repeatedly until convergence to obtain the optimal solution under limited conditions. By modifying the shape of the plasma electrode and optimizing the lead-out electric field, the uneven beam is deflected and the beam is expanded to the maximum to meet the needs of large-area uniform coating.

[0064] Figure 6 The figure shows the parameter adjustment results of the three-electrode extraction system obtained by the simulation optimization method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the angles, distances, etc. of the corresponding plasma electrode, suppression electrode, and extraction electrode are set as optimized parameters, so that an extraction beam with high beam intensity and high ion beam uniformity can be obtained.

[0065] Figure 7 Given Figure 6 The three-electrode extraction system test results of the embodiment described above are obtained from the extraction beam quality evaluation results. Compared with the input version before optimization, it can be found that the cross-sectional area of ​​the beam at 12cm is increased by 57.6%, and the uniformity is also significantly improved. In practical applications, the extraction system length is extended to meet the 0.5m 2 The above large-area coating requirements.

[0066] In another preferred embodiment, the inventors simulated and optimized the three-electrode extraction system for a mixed ion beam.

[0067] The exact ratio of these ions varies due to complex interactions within the plasma, recombination reactions, and other competing ionization and dissociation processes. The ionization efficiency of H2 and the resulting species ratio depend on a variety of factors, including the electron energy distribution, gas pressure, and magnetic field strength. By optimizing these parameters to achieve higher ionization intensities, a richer variety of ions can be produced, including H + , H2 + , and H3 + .

[0068] The extraction and acceleration processes after ionization can also affect the type of ions entering the ion beam. Depending on the extraction method, certain ion species may be preferentially extracted, affecting the ion composition of the beam.

[0069] The optimized 15KeV extraction simulation system was used to explore the effect of the mixed ion ratio on the extraction system. The other two ion current density ratios were fixed at 1:1, and the total extraction current density was 100mA. + , H2+ , and H3 + The inventors found that, as described in 3.1.3, H + , H2 + , and H3 + Under the simulation optimization of the flow density ratio of 4:5:1, the uniformity is improved by limiting the highly charged ions, that is, mainly by sacrificing H3 + Therefore, when the proportion of high charge-to-mass ratio ions increases, the beam quality decreases accordingly.

[0070] Figure 8 The simulation of the extracted beam quality with different ion ratios in the mixed ion state is given.

[0071] Therefore, the inventors conducted targeted simulations on mixed ion beams with different ion ratios and + , H2 + , and H3 + Under the ratio, the angle, suppression electrode, and extraction electrode are automatically optimized. It is found that with the increase of the proportion of high-charge ions, the loss of current intensity caused by the suppression electrode sacrificing the uniformity of current intensity will not be ignored. The setting of a steeper extraction electrode can compensate for the effect of the suppression electrode to a certain extent.

[0072] The inventors explored the optimization direction of the three-electrode extraction system by simulating the combination of different electrode angles, distances and ion ratios. It was found that for low-charge ions, it is necessary to focus on the angle of the plasma electrode and the distance of the suppression electrode, and focus on optimizing the electric field between the two to obtain a high-uniformity beam. For high-charge ions, the same method of obtaining high uniformity through the suppression electrode as for low-charge ions will lead to unacceptable loss of flux intensity, and it is more suitable to compensate for uniformity through the shape of the extraction electrode.

[0073] Fig. 9 Different H + / H2 + / H3 + Comparison of optimized simulations of ion ratios.

[0074] The quality assessment method used in simulation optimization and device finished product testing is described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0075] The actual equations and functions for deposition efficiency and uniformity will be specific to the ion source, coating process, and material properties. Deposition efficiency can be measured using deposition rate (the amount of material deposited per unit time) and uniformity of coating thickness.

[0076] In actual experiments, the coating consistency and coating efficiency can be measured directly by measuring the coating thickness at each position of the sample. However, based on the simulation conditions, only the influence of the extraction beam quality on the coating efficiency is currently considered. Assuming that the subsequent deposition efficiency is consistent, the sputtering rate and the uniformity of the extraction beam are used to estimate the coating efficiency equivalently.

[0077] The beam uniformity is defined as the inverse of the mean square deviation of the flux intensity, and the number of particles sputtered from the target per unit time is taken as the sputtering rate D.

[0078] D=J×S

[0079] By comparing S under different common target materials, the core parameters of the incident ion beam quality can be evaluated and the improvement effect of optimization can be compared. Within a certain range, higher ion current density (flow intensity) can lead to faster deposition, while higher uniformity can lead to more uniform coatings.

[0080] The sputtering yield can be calculated by an empirical formula using Sigmud's linear cascade collision theory. The sputtering yield is used to characterize the number of target atoms ejected when the ion beam bombards the target.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, the sputtering yield is given by the Bohdansky empirical formula:

[0082]

[0083] Where α is the correction factor, α=0.15+0.13M2 / M1,R p / R is the average range R p Ratio to the projection range R, R p / R=(0.4M2 / M1+1) -1 , U S is the surface binding energy of each atom, E th is the sputtering threshold energy, S n (E) is the nuclear stopping cross section.

[0084] In another preferred embodiment, the sputtering yield is given by the Matusnami empirical formula:

[0085]

[0086] In the formula, S e (ε) is the electron stopping power.

[0087] Q is an empirical parameter. For Ni target, Q=0.94.

[0088] In another preferred embodiment, the sputtering yield is given by the Yamamura empirical formula:

[0089]

[0090] In the formula, k e is the correction factor of electron stopping power, Γ is the parameter describing the contribution of light ion sputtering target to the total sputtering yield, Γ=W(1+(1+M1 / 7) 3 ) -1 For Cu target, the empirical parameters are Q=1.0, W=0.73, s=2.5, and for Ni target, Q=0.94, W=1.33, s=2.5.

[0091] The sputtering threshold of most metals is between 10 and 40 eV, and the size of this value is related to the sublimation heat of the target material. When the incident ion energy reaches this threshold, the sputtering rate is proportional to the ion energy. However, when the incident ion energy increases to about 10 KeV, the growth rate of the sputtering rate gradually slows down, and it enters cascade collision sputtering from the impact energy range. However, due to the emergence of high-energy injection, the sputtering yield decreases after the ion energy is higher than about 50 KeV.

[0092] In a preferred embodiment, for a Ni target, the high point of H ions is between 1 KeV and 5 KeV.

[0093] Fig.10 The optimized 1.5KeV extraction simulation is given.

[0094] The inventor optimized the extraction system with an extraction potential of 1.5 KeV and obtained the following parameters:

[0095] When the angle θ between the target surface normal and the ion incident direction is small, the relationship between the sputtering yield and θ is: S∝1 / cosθ. However, when θ approaches 80°, the sputtering yield drops sharply. During the sputtering process, the sputtering yield and θ are distributed in a cosine-deficient manner, that is, the sputtering yield in the normal direction of the target surface is lower. Introducing the angle factor

[0096]

[0097] To estimate the change of sputtering yield with the incident angle, a and α are energy distribution coefficients, and their ratio is generally 0.5 to 1.5. In this embodiment, the ratio is taken as 1. Substituting the angle factor into the above empirical formula, the change of sputtering yield can be roughly estimated. The sputtering yield from the center of the circle along the radius outward is estimated using the empirical formula as follows Figure 8 As shown. The incident ion is H + There are three incident energies of 3031.64eV, 2945.02eV, and 2771.79eV, and their corresponding S n (E) are 4.375, 4.408, The target material is Ni target, E thIt is 102.12eV. It can be found that the angle θ between the target surface normal and the ion incident direction is controlled within 80°.

[0098] Fig.11 An estimation of the sputtering yield of Ni target with optimized hydrogen ion extraction is given.

[0099] In this field, the efficiency of sputtering deposition is usually evaluated by calculating the sputtering deposition rate, sputtering depth, and sputtering power density, as shown in the following formula:

[0100]

[0101]

[0102] Where P s is the sputtering power, ρ is the material density, and A is the material molar mass. M is the ion mass, and N is the ion flux. The sputtering power can be determined by the actual machine parameters used. The sputtering depths of Ni targets with three different charges for mixed hydrogen ions are estimated as follows: Fig.12 shown.

[0103] Fig.12 An estimate of the sputtering depth of a Ni target with optimized hydrogen ion extraction is given.

[0104] The three-electrode extraction system described in various embodiments of the present invention has a wide range of application scenarios. For example, but not limited to, for thin film coating: used to optimize the extraction system to ensure uniform and high-quality film deposition during thin film coating; for ion beam processing: can be applied to semiconductor processing, material modification and micro-nano processing to achieve precise ion beam etching and ion implantation; for plasma processing: used to control the plasma beam flow to achieve applications such as plasma surface modification and cleaning; or for scientific research: can be used to study particle beam behavior and optimize the extraction system to meet experimental needs.

[0105] In other embodiments according to the present application, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the optimization method described in the above method embodiment.

[0106] Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware device (e.g., a processor, a microprocessor, a programmable computer or an electronic circuit). In some embodiments, such a device may perform one or more of the most important method steps.

[0107] Depending on certain implementation requirements, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware or software. This implementation may be performed using a non-transitory storage medium (such as a digital storage medium, e.g., a floppy disk, DVD, Blu-ray, CD, ROM, PROM and EPROM, EEPROM or FLASH) on which electronically readable control signals are stored, which cooperate (or can cooperate) with a programmable computer system to perform the corresponding method. Thus, the digital storage medium may be computer readable.

[0108] Some embodiments of the invention comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals, which are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system, such that one of the optimization methods described herein is performed.

[0109] Another embodiment of the invention is a data stream or a signal sequence representing the computer program for performing one of the methods described in the invention. The data stream or the signal sequence can be configured, for example, to be transmitted via a data communication connection, for example via the Internet.

[0110] A further embodiment comprises a processing means, for example a computer or a programmable logic device, configured to or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein, which may comprise quantum processing means, and optionally classical processing means.

[0111] A further embodiment comprises a computer on which is installed the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein.

[0112] Although the present invention has been described through preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but includes various changes and modifications that may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for generating a high-current ion beam for large-area coating, the device comprising a high-current ion source and a three-electrode extraction system, wherein The high-current ion source is used to generate an ion beam current, and the beam current intensity can meet the minimum current intensity required for large-area ion beam coating; The three-electrode extraction system comprises a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode and an extraction electrode, the three being arranged in sequence along the exit axis of the ion beam with a predetermined interval, and the hollow tubular parts of the three together forming an exit channel of the ion beam; in, On a side close to the high-current ion source, each adjacent two of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode each form a lateral channel through a nozzle portion configured to be inclined and converged toward the emission axis, and an extension direction of the lateral channel outward from the high-current ion source forms an acute angle with the beam emission axis; and The predetermined intervals, angles or voltages of the plasma electrode, suppression electrode and extraction electrode are configured so that a portion of the beam can be deflected from the beam exit channel to at least one of the lateral channels to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam. 2 . The high-current ion beam generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the high-current ion source adopts a 50 mA-level high-current Penning source. 3 . The high-current ion beam generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the initial orbital distribution of the ion beam is affected by configuring the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage between the plasma electrode and the suppression electrode.

4. A method for optimizing the high-current ion beam generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method calls ibsimu software as an underlying simulation engine to simulate the high-current ion beam generator to optimize the structural characteristics of the three-electrode extraction system, the method comprising: Setting the predetermined interval, the angle or the initial value of the voltage of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode; Changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions; Execute the ion beam emission process of the high-current ion beam generating device, and record the simulation results of the energy, speed or scattering angle of the emitted ion beam; weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by the simulation results; Repeat the above steps to iteratively update the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage to obtain an optimized extracted beam quality until the extracted beam quality converges or satisfies a predetermined number of iterations. 5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by the simulation result comprises weighted evaluation of at least one of the beam average current density, single particle average energy, and sputtering yield.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions comprises: If the proportion of ions in a low charge state is higher than a first predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is improved by shortening the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the beam current intensity of the beam is increased by increasing the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the beam uniformity is improved by reducing the angle of the plasma electrode.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of the high-charge state ions to the low-charge state ions comprises: If the proportion of ions in a high charge state is higher than a second predetermined threshold, the beam uniformity is compensated by increasing the angle of the extraction electrode.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the beam uniformity and beam current intensity are increased by reducing the predetermined interval of the extraction electrodes.

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