Large-area film-coated high-current ion beam generating device and optimization method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a large-area film-coated high-current ion beam generating device and an optimization method thereof. The generating device comprises a high-current ion source and a three-electrode extraction system. The three-electrode extraction system comprises a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode and an extraction electrode. The hollow tubular parts of the three electrodes jointly form an exit channel of the ion beam current, and every two adjacent electrodes form a lateral channel. The extension direction of the lateral channel from the high-current ion source is at an acute angle with the beam exit axis. The optimization method provided by the application iteratively optimizes the predetermined intervals of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode, the angle or voltage related parameters in simulation to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam, and ensure sufficient beam intensity. The ion beam generating device provided by the application has low cost, high beam current and high ion beam uniformity.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Existing ion source sputtering coating technology is widely used in the fields of material processing and coating. However, traditional methods face certain challenges in achieving high-uniformity ion beams over large areas. Commonly used ion sources in existing technologies struggle to meet the beam uniformity and flux intensity requirements for large-area coating while maintaining low cost. Controlling ion beam uniformity has always been a key challenge, significantly impacting the performance and quality of the final coated product. Therefore, there is a need for a large-area, high-uniformity ion beam generator with low cost, high beam intensity, and high ion beam uniformity. 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 includes 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, the beam current intensity of which can meet the minimum current intensity required for large-area ion beam coating;

[0005] The three-electrode extraction system includes a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode, and an extraction electrode, which are arranged in sequence along the exit axis of the ion beam with a predetermined interval, and the hollow tubular portions of the three electrodes together form an exit channel for 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 further form a lateral channel through a nozzle portion configured to be inclined and converged toward the emission axis, and the extension direction of the lateral channel outward from the high-current ion source 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 adopts a 50mA-level high-current Penning source.

[0009] Preferably, 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.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for optimizing a high-current ion beam generator as described in any one of the first aspects of the present invention, which uses 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 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 a value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle between at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to a 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, velocity or scattering angle of the emitted ion beam;

[0014] evaluating the extracted beam quality by weighting the simulation results;

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

[0016] Preferably, the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by 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 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 uses 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 to meet the requirements of adjusting the uniformity and breadth of sputtering coating according to demand. The large-area coating high-current ion beam generation device provided by various embodiments of the present invention is low-cost, has high beam current intensity and high ion beam uniformity, and the corresponding optimization method can be widely applied; the extraction system can be designed according to the coating requirements for precise beam control; and it can be flexibly combined and modified 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 according to an 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 according to 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 according to 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 effects of different groups of extraction electrode distances on beam quality are given;

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

[0031] Figure 6 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 are shown;

[0032] Figure 7 Given Figure 6 The extracted beam quality evaluation results obtained from the three-electrode extraction system test of the embodiment;

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

[0034] Figure 9 Given different H + / H2 + / H3 + Comparison of optimized simulations of ion ratios;

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

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

[0037] Figure 12 The estimated sputtering depth of 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 below in conjunction 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 of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making 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 solutions of the present invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. can be adopted. 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. The processes in the embodiments are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all the content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can also be decomposed, while 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 this application. The device described in the present invention is intended to be used for 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 high-current ion beam generating device for large-area coating is provided in one embodiment. The ion beam generating device 1 includes 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 provided. A 50mA-class high-current Penning source is used to generate the 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 from left to right in the figure).

[0045] In which, 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 each formed with side channels 203 and 205 through a nozzle 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 the predetermined interval, angle or 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 current uniformity, scattering area and beam current intensity of the ion beam generated by a strong current ion source such as a Penning source, the inventor introduces a computer simulation method to optimize the structural features of a three-electrode extraction system. In an illustrative embodiment, the complete optimization method includes: providing a simulation environment for automatically compiling and calling the ibsimu open source software through a script based on a Linux platform; evaluating the extraction beam quality by normalizing and weighting a plurality of evaluation values, such as the average beam current density, the average energy of single particles, and the reciprocal of the variance of the position of each macro-particle to measure the beam uniformity; evaluating the influence of each optimization parameter on the beam quality by collecting particle information from the complete simulation of the physical scene of the ion source emitting an ion beam and being extracted by the three-electrode extraction system, and calculating the change of the evaluation values; screening the simulated particle information, performing secondary analysis, updating and iterating the parameters after each optimization, and finally finding the optimal solution corresponding to a certain predetermined condition. Thus, the inventor provides a method for automatically adjusting the electrode parameters. By nested loop and updating of each batch of excellent parameter combinations, the angles, distances and other parameters of the plasma electrode, suppression electrode and extraction electrode of the three-electrode extraction system are optimized.

[0047] The technical implementation and technical effects of the method described in the present application are illustrated below through a plurality of specific simulation optimization examples.

[0048] In an embodiment, an optimization method is provided for optimizing a strong current ion beam generation device as described in various embodiments of the present application. The method calls the ibsimu software as the underlying simulation engine to simulate the strong current ion beam generation device to optimize the structural features of the three-electrode extraction system, and the method includes:

[0049] Setting the initial values of the predetermined intervals, the included angles or voltages of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode;

[0050] Changing the values of at least one of the predetermined intervals or the included angles of at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode according to the ratio of high-charge-state ions to low-charge-state ions;

[0051] Performing the ion beam outflow process of the strong current ion beam generation device, and recording the simulation results of the energy, velocity or scattering angle of the outflowing ion beam;

[0052] Evaluating the extraction beam quality by weighting the simulation results;

[0053] Repeating the above steps, updating the predetermined intervals, the included angles or voltages by iteration to obtain an optimized extraction beam quality, until the extraction beam quality converges or a predetermined number of iterations is met.

[0054] Wherein, the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by 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 intensity are increased by reducing the predetermined interval between 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 extraction electrode distances on beam quality are shown. It can be seen that each of the three groups has its own advantages and disadvantages. Group 1, as the group with a flatter extraction electrode, sacrifices part of the beam current in exchange for a higher current intensity. The other two groups sacrifice ions with lower charges to obtain higher beam energy and uniformity. Comparing Groups 2 and 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, overall, the extraction electrode distance has a negligible effect on energy within the normal range, while its effect on current intensity and uniformity is inversely proportional, meaning 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 several different optimized electrodes are given. The best performing ones are the first group with l2 = 0.034, the second group with l2 = 0.05, and the third group with l2 = 0.035 and l2 = 0.055 in Table 4, and further compared and analyzed.

[0062] It can be found more clearly that under the same plasma pole conditions, a closer suppression electrode can obtain a more uniform beam, and the improvement of the uniformity of the extraction electrode pair is achieved at the expense of the 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, parameters such as the shape of the plasma electrode need to be readjusted. 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 induced electric field, the uneven beam is deflected and the beam is expanded to the maximum extent to meet the requirements 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. The angles and distances 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 were obtained. 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 requirement. 2 The above large area coating requirements.

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

[0067] The exact ratios of these ions vary 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 many factors, including 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 also affect the types of ions entering the ion beam. Depending on the extraction method, certain ion species may be preferentially extracted, thus affecting the ion composition of the beam.

[0069] The optimized 15KeV extraction simulation system was used to explore the effect of mixed ion ratio on the extraction system. The other two ion flux density ratios were fixed at 1:1, and the total extraction flux density was 100mA. + , H2+ , and H3 + , and H3 + , and H3 + , and H3 + The improvement of the uniformity is achieved by the limitation of the high charge state ions, i.e. mainly by sacrificing H3 + , and H3

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

[0071] Therefore, the inventors simulated the mixed ion beam with different ion ratios, and automatically optimized the angle, suppression electrode, and extraction electrode under different H + , and H3 + , and H3 + It is found that the loss of the current density caused by the increase of the uniformity with the sacrifice of the current density by the suppression electrode cannot be ignored as the proportion of the high charge state ions increases. The steep extraction electrode can compensate for the effect of the suppression electrode to some extent.

[0072] The inventors explored the optimization direction of the three-electrode extraction system by simulating different combinations of electrode angles, distances, and ion ratios. It is found that for low charge state ions, the angle of the plasma electrode and the distance of the suppression electrode need to be focused on to optimize the electric field between them to obtain a high uniformity beam. For high charge state ions, the method of obtaining high uniformity by the suppression electrode as for low charge state ions will cause unacceptable loss of current density, and it is more suitable to compensate the uniformity by the shape of the extraction electrode.

[0073] Figure 9 The optimization simulation comparison of different H + / H2 + / H3 + ion ratios is given.

[0074] The quality evaluation method used in the simulation optimization and device finished product testing is described below in combination with the embodiments.

[0075] The actual equation and function of the deposition efficiency and uniformity will be specific to the ion source, coating process, and material properties. The deposition rate (the amount of material deposited per unit time), the uniformity of the coating thickness can be used to measure the coating efficiency.

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

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

[0078] D=J×S

[0079] By comparing S with different common target materials, we can evaluate the core parameter of the extracted incident ion beam quality and compare the improvement effect of optimization. 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 linear cascade collision theory. The sputtering yield is used to characterize the number of target atoms knocked out 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 projected 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 arrest cross section.

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

[0085]

[0086] Where 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] Where 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 for most metals lies between 10 and 40 eV, a value related to the target material's sublimation heat. Once the incident ion energy reaches this threshold, the sputtering rate becomes proportional to the ion energy. However, as the incident ion energy increases to around 10 keV, the rate of sputtering rate growth gradually slows, moving from the impact energy range into cascade collision sputtering. However, due to the emergence of high-energy injection, the sputtering yield decreases above approximately 50 keV.

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

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

[0094] The parameters obtained by the inventors through optimization of the extraction system with an extraction potential energy of 1.5 KeV are as follows:

[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 show a cosine distribution, that is, the sputtering yield is lower in the normal direction of the target surface. 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 can be found that the angle θ between the target surface normal and the ion incident direction is controlled within 80°.

[0098] Figure 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] Among them, 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: Figure 12 shown.

[0103] Figure 12 The estimated sputtering depth of 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 applications. For example, but not limited to, thin film coating, where it can be used to optimize the extraction system to ensure uniform and high-quality film deposition during the thin film coating process; ion beam processing, where it can be applied to fields such as semiconductor processing, material modification, and micro-nano processing to achieve precise ion beam etching and ion implantation; plasma processing, where it can be used to control the plasma beam flow for applications such as plasma surface modification and cleaning; and scientific research, where it can be used to study particle beam behavior and optimize the extraction system to meet experimental requirements.

[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) having stored thereon electronically readable control signals that cooperate (or are capable of cooperating) 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 present invention is a data stream or a signal sequence representing the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the signal sequence can be configured to be transmitted via a data communication connection, such as 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 method for optimizing a high-current ion beam generator for large-area coating, which uses ibsimu software as the underlying simulation engine to simulate the high-current ion beam generator to optimize the structural characteristics of the three-electrode extraction system. The high-current ion beam generator includes a high-current ion source and a three-electrode extraction system. The high-current ion source is used to generate an ion beam current, the beam current intensity of which can meet the minimum current intensity required for large-area ion beam coating; The three-electrode extraction system includes a hollow tubular plasma electrode, a suppression electrode, and an extraction electrode, which are arranged in sequence along the exit axis of the ion beam with a predetermined interval, and the hollow tubular portions of the three electrodes together form an exit channel for 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 further 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 wherein the predetermined intervals, angles or voltages of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode and the extraction electrode are configured to enable a portion of the beam to deflect from the beam exit channel to at least one of the lateral channels to improve the beam uniformity and / or expand the beam; The method comprises: 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 a value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle between at least one of the plasma electrode, the suppression electrode, and the extraction electrode according to a 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, velocity or scattering angle of the emitted ion beam; evaluating the extracted beam quality by weighting the simulation results; Repeat the above steps to iteratively update the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage to obtain the optimized extracted beam quality until the extracted beam quality converges or meets a predetermined number of iterations. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high-current ion source is a 50 mA-level high-current Penning source. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the initial trajectory distribution of the ion beam is affected by configuring the predetermined interval, the angle or the voltage of the plasma electrode and the suppression electrode, respectively. 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the weighted evaluation of the extracted beam quality by the simulation results comprises weighted evaluation of at least one of the average beam current density, the average single particle energy, and the sputtering yield.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle between 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. 6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the beam current intensity of the beam is increased by increasing the predetermined interval between the suppression electrode and the plasma electrode. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the beam uniformity is improved by reducing the angle between the plasma electrodes.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein changing the value of at least one of the predetermined interval or the angle between 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. 9 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the beam uniformity and beam intensity are increased by reducing the predetermined interval between the extraction electrodes.

Images