Ion implantation systems and methods for implanting aluminum using non-fluorine-containing halide species or molecules

Abstract

An ion implantation system, ion source and method are provided for forming an aluminum ion beam from an aluminum-containing species to the ion source. One or more of a halide species selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine and a halide molecule including a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine are introduced to an ion source. One or more of a halide species and a halide molecule clean one or more components of the ion source and further react with an aluminum-containing species to produce an aluminum halide vapor. The aluminum ion beam is further formed from at least the aluminum halide vapor.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 393,361, filed on July 29, 2022, entitled “Ion Implantation System and Method for Implanting Aluminum Using Non-Fluorine-Containing Halide Species or Molecules,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to ion implantation systems and, more particularly, to an ion implantation system configured to generate aluminum ions from atomic aluminum and aluminum-containing materials using non-fluorine-containing halide-containing species or molecules for implanting the aluminum ions into a workpiece. Background Art

[0004] There is a growing demand for ion implantation using metal ions. For example, aluminum implants are critical to the power device market, which is a small but rapidly growing market segment. For many metals, including aluminum, there are problems with feeding the ion source. Systems have previously been provided that use an evaporator, which is a small oven outside the arc chamber of the ion source whereby the metal salt is heated to generate sufficient vapor pressure to supply vapor to the ion source. However, the oven is remote from the arc chamber and requires time to heat to the required temperature, establish vapor flow, start the plasma, start the ion beam, etc. In addition, if a change from one metal species to some other species is required, time is required to wait for the oven to cool sufficiently to make this species change.

[0005] Another conventional technique is to place a metal-containing material, such as aluminum or another metal, within the arc chamber. For aluminum, the metal-containing material may include aluminum oxide, aluminum fluoride, or aluminum nitride, all of which can withstand the temperatures of the plasma chamber of approximately 800°C. In such a system, ions are sputtered directly from the material in the plasma. Another technique is to use a plasma containing an etchant such as fluorine to achieve chemical etching of the metal. While acceptable beam currents can be obtained using these various techniques, compounds of aluminum oxide, aluminum chloride, and aluminum nitride (all of which are good electrical insulators) tend to deposit on electrodes adjacent to the ion source within a relatively short period of time (e.g., 5-10 hours). As a result, various deleterious effects such as high voltage instabilities and associated variations in implanted ion doses can be seen. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure therefore provides a system and apparatus for producing an ion beam including aluminum ions from atomic aluminum and / or aluminum-containing materials using non-fluorine-containing halide species or molecules to implant aluminum ions into a workpiece. Therefore, a simplified overview of the present disclosure is given below in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present invention. This overview is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is neither intended to identify key or important elements of the present invention nor to describe the scope of the present invention. Its purpose is to present some concepts of the present invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an ion implantation system for implanting aluminum ions is provided. For example, the ion implantation system includes an ion source having an arc chamber and an electrode associated therewith. In one example, an ion source material is provided, wherein the ion source material includes an aluminum-containing species.

[0008] For example, the ion implantation system further includes a halide source, the halide source including one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule. For example, the halide source is configured to provide one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule to the ion source. Further, a heat source may be provided, and the heat source is configured to react one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum halide vapor for forming an ion beam, and wherein the ion source is substantially etched and / or cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule.

[0009] In one example, the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. For example, the halide molecule may include Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x l y In another example, the aluminum-containing species includes one or more of atomic aluminum, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3.

[0010] In another example, the electrode includes one or more of a cathode, a repeller, and an extractor electrode, and wherein the electrode is substantially cleaned by one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule. For example, the arc chamber may further include one or more side walls, and wherein the one or more side walls are substantially cleaned by one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule.

[0011] For example, the present disclosure further provides a conduit that fluidically couples a halide source to an ion source, wherein one or more of halide species and halide molecules are introduced into the vicinity of the ion source as a gas. For example, a gas ring may be further provided, wherein the gas ring substantially surrounds at least a portion of the ion source, and wherein the conduit is fluidically coupled to the gas ring.

[0012] In another example, the heat source includes one or more of a plasma formed in the arc chamber and an auxiliary heat source. For example, the auxiliary heat source includes one or more resistive heaters.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for forming an aluminum ion beam is provided, wherein the method includes providing an aluminum-containing species to an ion source. For example, one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule are introduced into the ion source, wherein the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine and atomic iodine, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine. Further, an aluminum ion beam is generated from an aluminum-containing species, wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules further react with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum halide vapor, and wherein the ion source is substantially cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules. For example, the generation of aluminum halide vapor substantially etches and / or cleans the ion source. Further, the method includes forming an aluminum ion beam from at least aluminum halide vapor. For example, an aluminum ion beam may be further formed from one or more aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components.

[0014] In one example, the halide molecules include Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x l y In another example, the one or more aluminum-containing species include one or more of atomic aluminum, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3. For example, the one or more aluminum-containing components include one or more arc chamber components positioned within an arc chamber of an ion source.

[0015] In one example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules are introduced as a gas into the vicinity of one or more arc chamber components, such as one or more of a cathode hood, an electrode, a repeller, a liner, a sidewall associated with the arc chamber, and a sidewall assembly operably coupled to the sidewall.

[0016] According to one approach, for example, one or more arc chamber components can be heated concurrently with the generation of the aluminum ion beam. For example, one or more arc chamber components are heated by the generation of the aluminum ion beam and / or by an auxiliary heating source. For example, the auxiliary heating source can include one or more resistive heaters.

[0017] In another example, the ion source includes an arc chamber substantially surrounded by an ion source housing, and wherein the method includes introducing one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules as a gas into the ion source housing. For example, the one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules may be introduced to the ion source via a gas ring substantially surrounding the arc chamber.

[0018] In another example, an ion source includes an extraction electrode disposed within an ion source housing, wherein the method includes cleaning a surface of the extraction electrode via one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule.

[0019] In yet another example, the aluminum-containing species includes gaseous dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC) or trimethylaluminum (TMA). In one example, the method further includes mixing the gaseous DMAC or TMA with the halide species in a common gas passage before providing it to an ion source housing or an arc chamber plasma chamber of the ion source.

[0020] In yet another example, the method includes heating one or more aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components or providing the aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components at room temperature outside the ion source. Thus, after passing through the one or more aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules can be introduced into the arc chamber of the ion source, thereby confining the aluminum halide vapor.

[0021] To achieve the foregoing and related purposes, the present disclosure includes the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention. However, these embodiments are indicative of several of the various ways in which the principles of the present invention may be used. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary vacuum system utilizing an aluminum ion containing source material and a non-fluorine halide species according to some aspects of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 An exemplary method of implanting aluminum ions into a workpiece using an aluminum ion-containing source material and a non-fluorine halide species is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In the ion implantation of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices, aluminum is increasingly replacing boron as a dopant. However, there are few aluminum-containing gases, and the use of such gases usually leads to problems associated with decomposition in the high temperature environment of the ion source. Materials such as AlI3 or AlCl3 can alternatively be provided to the ion source in solid form and evaporated via an evaporator, however, in conventional systems, the use of such materials may present problems associated with longer thermal transition times and material handling. In another alternative, aluminum-containing solids, such as AlN and Al2O3, can be provided as sputtering sources or targets in the ion source.

[0025] In addition, atomic aluminum can be placed inside the ion source or otherwise introduced into the ion source for sputtering aluminum ions therefrom. For example, such ion sources implementing sputtering sources are currently provided with fluorine-containing gases to chemically enhance the removal of aluminum material from the target. Typically, operating such ion sources with fluorine-containing gases can result in unstable operation of the ion source, including frequent high-voltage instabilities between the sputtering source and the suppression electrode. It is believed that this instability is the result of the deposition of aluminum fluoride material on the suppression electrode. For example, such deposited material has electrical insulating properties and has a low vapor pressure at typical temperatures for operation of the suppression electrode.

[0026] As a result, conventional ion sources experience poor performance, at least in part due to excessive burring of the ion source as the thickness of the deposited material increases, which results in charge accumulation on these insulating coatings causing electric field breakdown and ultimately leading to ion source failure. This failure mode is typically addressed by physically cleaning and / or replacing the coated electrodes as part of a preventive maintenance (PM) program. However, such cleaning or replacement methods are generally undesirable because performing such a PM program increases downtime, which adversely affects implanter productivity.

[0027] The present disclosure therefore recognizes that it would be desirable to provide an alternative method of providing aluminum to an ion source that minimizes buildup of insulating coatings during operation of the ion source and / or enables in-situ cleaning of such deposited coatings.

[0028] The present disclosure recognizes that an aluminum-containing gas, such as dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC) or trimethylaluminum (TMA), may be provided to an ion source for implantation, but this may result in the deposition of aluminum-containing and / or carbon-containing deposits. To reduce or eliminate such deposits, the present disclosure advantageously provides a chlorine-containing gas to the ion source simultaneously with the aluminum-containing gas to mitigate the deleterious effects observed to date.

[0029] Therefore, the present disclosure solves the traditional problems associated with insulating coatings, thereby allowing ion implanters to operate stably at high beam currents using aluminum-containing solids, liquids, and gases for ion implantation. The present disclosure also anticipates similar performance for higher halogens such as bromine (Br) and iodine (I). For example, compared to AlF3, which has a melting point of 1291°C, aluminum halides with higher atomic mass have lower boiling points (such as AlCl3, which has a boiling point of approximately 180°C, AlBr3, which has a boiling point of approximately 255°C, and AlI3, which has a boiling point of approximately 360°C), while the boiling point of AlF3 is significantly higher. In this way, higher halides are significantly easier to remove and pump out from the source region, resulting in stable and burr-free source operation, which is ideal for ion implanters.

[0030] Thus, the present disclosure provides chlorine or chlorine-containing molecules to the ion source to chemically etch aluminum or aluminum-containing solids or liquids located in or outside the ion source. Therefore, the material byproducts of the etching that are subsequently formed and / or deposited on the suppression electrode and other electrodes of the ion source have a high vapor pressure at the typical temperature of the ion source, so that such material byproducts can evaporate rapidly. In this way, the conductivity of the electroactive surface in the ion source is maintained, thereby greatly reducing the instability of the ion source. In addition, the beam current obtained by using the chlorine-based chemical of the present disclosure is substantially equivalent to the beam current achieved using fluorine-based chemical substances, without the harmful problems associated with fluorine-based chemical substances.

[0031] The present disclosure generally relates to an ion implantation system and ion source materials associated therewith, and a method of generating ions while avoiding harmful buildup of electrically insulating materials. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to components of the ion implantation system that use aluminum-containing ion source materials to generate atomic ions for electrically doping silicon, silicon carbide or other semiconductor substrates at various temperatures. Further, the present disclosure minimizes various deposits on extraction electrodes and source chamber components. Therefore, the present disclosure will reduce associated arcing and burrs, and will further improve the overall life of the ion source and associated electrodes.

[0032] Therefore, the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals may be used to represent the same elements throughout. It should be understood that the description of these aspects is merely illustrative, and they should not be construed as limiting. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In addition, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by the embodiments or examples described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but is intended to be limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0033] It should also be noted that the drawings are provided to give an illustration of some aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and are therefore considered to be schematic only. In particular, the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily proportional to each other, and the arrangement of the various elements in the drawings is selected to provide a clear understanding of the corresponding embodiments, and should not be interpreted as a representation of the actual relative positions of the various components according to the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise explicitly stated, the features of the various embodiments and examples described herein may be combined with each other.

[0034] It should also be understood that in the following description, any direct connection or coupling between functional blocks, devices, components, or other physical or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein may also be implemented by indirect connection or coupling. In addition, it should be understood that in one embodiment, the functional blocks or units shown in the drawings may be implemented as separate features, and in another embodiment, may also or alternatively be implemented in whole or in part in a common feature.

[0035] Ion implantation is a physical process used in semiconductor device manufacturing to selectively implant dopants into semiconductor and / or wafer materials. Therefore, the act of implantation is independent of the chemical interaction between the dopant and the semiconductor material. For ion implantation, dopant atoms / molecules from an ion source of an ion implanter are ionized, accelerated, formed into an ion beam, analyzed, and swept across the wafer, or the wafer is translated by the ion beam. The dopant ions physically bombard the wafer, enter the surface, and stay below the surface at a depth related to their energy.

[0036] The ion source in an ion implanter generally generates an ion beam by ionizing a source material in an arc chamber, wherein the composition of the source material is the desired dopant element. The desired dopant element is then extracted from the ionized source material in the form of an ion beam.

[0037] In order to gain a general understanding of the present disclosure, and according to one aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 1 An exemplary vacuum system 100 is shown. The vacuum system 100 in this example includes an ion implantation system 101, however various other types of vacuum systems are also contemplated, such as plasma processing systems, or other semiconductor processing systems. For example, the ion implantation system 101 includes a terminal 102, a beamline assembly 104, and an end station 106.

[0038] In general, an ion source 108 in the terminal 102 is coupled to a power supply 110 so as to ionize a dopant gas from the ion source into a plurality of ions to form an ion beam 112. The ion beam 112 in this example is directed through a mass analyzer 114 (e.g., a beam steering device) and exits an aperture 116 toward the end station 106. For example, the mass analyzer 114 includes a field generating component (such as a magnet) and is operative to provide a field on a path 117 of the ion beam 112 so as to deflect ions from the ion beam at different trajectories according to mass (e.g., mass-to-charge ratio). The ions traveling through the magnetic field are subjected to a force that directs individual ions having a desired mass along the path 117 and deflects ions having an undesirable mass off the path. In the end station 106, the ion beam 112 bombards a workpiece 118 (e.g., a semiconductor workpiece such as a silicon wafer, a display panel, etc.), which is selectively clamped or mounted on a chuck 120 (e.g., an electrostatic chuck or ESC). Once embedded in the crystal lattice of the workpiece 118, the implanted ions may alter the physical and / or chemical properties of the workpiece. Thus, ion implantation is used in semiconductor device manufacturing and metal finishing, as well as in a variety of applications in materials science research.

[0039] The ion beam 112 of the present disclosure may take any form, such as a pencil beam or spot beam, a ribbon beam, a scanned beam, or any other form of directing ions toward the end station 106, and all such forms are considered to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] According to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the end station 106 includes a processing chamber 122, such as a vacuum chamber 124, wherein a processing environment 126 is associated with the processing chamber. The processing environment 126 generally exists within the processing chamber 122, and in one example, the processing environment 126 includes a vacuum generated by a vacuum source 128 (e.g., a vacuum pump) coupled to the processing chamber and configured to substantially evacuate the processing chamber. Further, a controller 130 is provided for overall control of the vacuum system 100.

[0041] The present disclosure recognizes that it has been found that the workpiece 118 having a silicon carbide-based device formed thereon has better thermal and electrical properties than the silicon-based device, particularly in applications for high voltage and high temperature devices, such as electric vehicles, etc. However, unlike the dopants used for silicon workpieces, ion implantation into silicon carbide uses different types of implant dopants. In silicon carbide implantation, aluminum, phosphorus, and nitrogen are often implanted. For example, nitrogen implantation is relatively simple because nitrogen can be introduced as a gas and provides relatively easy adjustment, cleaning, etc. However, aluminum implantation is more difficult because there are few good gaseous solutions of aluminum currently known.

[0042] The present disclosure contemplates that an aluminum-containing ion source material 132 (also referred to as an ion source material), which may be, for example, an aluminum-containing species, may be provided to an arc chamber 134 of the ion source 108 for forming an ion beam 112. The ion beam 112 is extracted through an extraction aperture 140 of the arc chamber 134 via an electrical bias of an extraction electrode 142 associated therewith. For example, the aluminum-containing ion source material 132 may be a solid source material that may be placed in a heated evaporator assembly, and the gas produced thereby is fed to the arc chamber 134. For example, the aluminum-containing ion source material may include a solid high temperature ceramic (such as, Al2O3 or AlN) that is placed in the arc chamber 134 for etching or sputtering to form aluminum ions.

[0043] The present disclosure recognizes that when a fluorine-based dopant gas (e.g., BF3, NF3, PF3, PF5) is used to etch aluminum oxide (Al2O3) or aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics, the byproducts of the reaction (e.g., AlF x , Al, N, and neutrals of AlN and Al2O3) can form an insulating coating on the extraction electrode (e.g., at negative voltages), which in turn can lead to unwanted charge accumulation and subsequent discharge to the ion source arc slit optics (e.g., at positive voltages), further reducing tool productivity.

[0044] In one example, the ion implantation system 101 of the present disclosure contemplates providing gaseous dimethylaluminum chloride (C4H 10 AlCl), also known as DMAC, or gaseous trimethylaluminum (TMA) as the ion source material 132 to deliver the aluminum-containing material in gaseous form to the arc chamber 134 of the ion source 108. For example, providing DMAC or TMA in gaseous form to the arc chamber 134 enables faster transition times between species (e.g., less than 5 minutes), eliminates the need for waiting time for material to warm up and cool down, and does not form insulating material on the extraction electrode as seen in conventional systems.

[0045] For example, when the aluminum-containing ion source material 132 is provided to the ion source 108 and / or the arc chamber 134 as a gas, it can be stored in a pressurized gas cylinder. For example, an aluminum-containing ion source material 132 including an aluminum-containing species (e.g., one of DMAC, AlN, Al2O3, and AlC4) can be selectively provided to the arc chamber 134. For example, if the ion source material 132 is in a gaseous form, the ion source material can flow as a gas to the arc chamber 134 via a dedicated main gas line 136 because it can be a highly reactive material (pyrophoric). Alternatively, the ion source material 132 can be in a solid form and can be located inside or outside the arc chamber 134 or the ion source 108.

[0046] One or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 may be further introduced into the ion source 108. For example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 may be in gaseous form and may flow as a gas to the ion source 108 via a dedicated secondary gas line 146. For example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 may be introduced into the arc chamber 134 via a gas ring 148 that substantially surrounds the arc chamber 134. Alternatively, the halide species and / or halide molecules 144 may be mixed with the ion source material 132 and flow to the ion source 108 via the primary gas line 136. For example, the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine. For example, the halide molecules include halides selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine in molecular form (e.g., Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, CHB r3 , CH x I y For example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 further react with the ion source material 132 to form aluminum vapor.

[0047] In another example, the present disclosure further contemplates the aluminum-containing ion source material 132 as an integral part of one or more aluminum-containing components 150 associated with the ion source 108. For example, the one or more aluminum-containing components 150 may include one or more arc chamber components positioned within or near the arc chamber 134 of the ion source 108, such as a cathode hood, an electrode, a repeller, a liner, a sidewall associated with the arc chamber, and a sidewall component operably coupled to the sidewall. In another example, the one or more aluminum-containing components 150 may include one or more gas inlet path components associated with the main gas line 136.

[0048] Figure 2 An exemplary method 400 is provided for forming an aluminum ion beam, whereby the aluminum ion beam can be further used to implant aluminum ions into a workpiece. It should be noted that although the exemplary method is illustrated and described herein as a series of actions or events, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the illustrated order of these actions or events, as some steps may occur in a different order and / or simultaneously with other steps other than those illustrated and described herein in accordance with the present disclosure. In addition, not all illustrated steps are required to implement the method in accordance with the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that the method may be implemented in conjunction with the systems illustrated and described herein as well as in conjunction with other systems not illustrated.

[0049] According to an exemplary aspect, in Figure 2In act 402, an aluminum-containing species is provided to an ion source. For example, the aluminum-containing species may include one or more of atomic aluminum, AlN, Al2O3, and AlC4. For example, the aluminum-containing species may be provided in a solid form in an arc chamber of the ion source, provided in a solid form in an evaporator whereby the solid is evaporated and fed into the arc chamber, or fed into the arc chamber in a vapor form.

[0050] In act 404, one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule are introduced into an ion source, wherein the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine, and the halide molecule comprises a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. For example, the halide molecule may include Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x I y One or more of .

[0051] According to one example, one or more of the halide species or halide molecules are introduced as a gas into the vicinity of one or more arc chamber components located in the arc chamber of the ion source. For example, one or more ion source components include one or more of a cathode, a repeller, and a side wall of the arc chamber, wherein the one or more arc chamber components are heated while the aluminum ion beam is generated. In one example, the one or more arc chamber components are heated by the generation of the aluminum ion beam. In another example, the one or more arc chamber components are heated by an auxiliary heat source (such as one or more resistive heaters).

[0052] In action 406, one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are reacted with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum halide vapor, wherein the ion source is substantially cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules. For example, one or more arc chamber components are cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules. In one example, one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules may be introduced into the arc chamber via a gas ring that substantially surrounds the arc chamber. In another example, one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are introduced directly into the interior of the arc chamber. For example, the aluminum-containing species may be maintained in a solid or liquid form within the arc chamber, or may be maintained outside the arc chamber, whereby one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules pass through the heated material before being fed into the arc chamber. In this way, aluminum halide vapor is reactively generated and used to form an ion beam within the arc chamber.

[0053] In act 408, aluminum ions are generated from at least aluminum halide vapor within the arc chamber, and in act 410, the aluminum ions from the aluminum ion beam may be further implanted into the workpiece.

[0054] Thus, the present disclosure recognizes the use of non-fluorine halides, such as chlorine-containing molecules or bromine-containing molecules, as cleaning gases for periodic in-situ preventive maintenance. For example, by introducing these cleaning gases into the vicinity of components of an ion source, components that may be heated by ion formation or externally heated can be cleaned in-situ. For example, the cleaning gas can be introduced via a gas ring surrounding the arc chamber / source housing to maintain the cleanliness of various components in the vicinity of the gas ring.

[0055] Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment or certain embodiments, it should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of implementation of certain embodiments of the present invention, and the application of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the components (components, devices, circuits, etc.) described above, unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe these components (including references to "devices") are intended to correspond to any component that performs the specified function of the component (i.e., functionally equivalent), even if the structure is not equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention shown herein. In addition, although a specific feature of the present invention may be disclosed only for one of several embodiments, such a feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, which is desirable and advantageous for any given or specific application. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but is intended to be limited only by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An ion implantation system for implanting aluminum ions, the ion implantation system comprising: an ion source including an arc chamber having one or more arc chamber components associated therewith; an ion source material comprising an aluminum-containing species; a halide source comprising one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule, wherein the halide species and the halide molecule do not include fluorine, and wherein the halide source is configured to provide the one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule to the ion source; and A heat source is configured to react one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum halide vapor, and wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are further configured to substantially clean the one or more arc chamber components.

2. The ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein: The halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

3. The ion implantation system of claim 2, wherein the halide molecules include Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x l y One or more of .

4. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the aluminum-containing species comprises one or more of atomic aluminum, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3.

5. The ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more arc chamber components include an electrode.

6. The ion implantation system of claim 5, wherein the electrode comprises one or more of a cathode, a repeller, and an extractor electrode associated with the arc chamber.

7. The ion implantation system of claim 1 , wherein the arc chamber further comprises one or more side walls, and wherein: One or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are further configured to substantially clean the one or more sidewalls.

8. The ion implantation system of claim 1 , further comprising a conduit coupling the halide source fluid to the ion source, wherein One or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are introduced as a gas into the vicinity of the ion source.

9. The ion implantation system of claim 8, further comprising a gas ring substantially surrounding at least a portion of the ion source, wherein the conduit is fluidly coupled to the gas ring.

10. The ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein: The heat source includes one or more of plasma formed in the arc chamber and an auxiliary heat source.

11. The ion implantation system according to claim 10, wherein: The auxiliary heat source includes one or more resistive heaters.

12. A method for forming an aluminum ion beam, the method comprising: providing one or more aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components in an ion source; introducing one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule into the ion source, wherein the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine, and the halide molecule comprises a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine; reacting one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules with the one or more aluminum-containing species and / or the one or more aluminum-containing components to produce aluminum halide vapor, and further substantially etching and / or cleaning the ion source with the one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules; as well as The aluminum ion beam is generated from at least the aluminum halide vapor.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The halide molecules include Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x l y One or more of .

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more aluminum-containing species and / or the one or more aluminum-containing components include one or more of atomic aluminum, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more aluminum-containing components include one or more arc chamber components positioned within an arc chamber of the ion source.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: One or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are introduced as a gas into the vicinity of the one or more arc chamber components.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The one or more arc chamber components include one or more of a cathode hood, an electrode, a repeller, a sidewall associated with the arc chamber, and a sidewall assembly operably coupled to the sidewall.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The one or more arc chamber components are heated concurrently with the generation of the aluminum ion beam.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more arc chamber components are heated by generation of the aluminum ion beam and / or by an auxiliary heating source.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The ion source includes an arc chamber substantially surrounded by an ion source housing and wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are introduced as a gas into the ion source housing.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: One or more of the halide species and halide molecules are introduced to the ion source via a gas ring substantially surrounding the arc chamber.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The ion source includes an extraction electrode disposed within the ion source housing, and wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules clean a surface of the extraction electrode.

23. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The aluminum-containing species is provided in gaseous form.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The aluminum-containing species includes gaseous dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC) or trimethylaluminum (TMA).

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The gaseous DMAC or TMA is mixed with one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules in a common gas channel before being provided to an ion source housing or an arc chamber plasma cavity of the ion source.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein: The one or more aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components are heated or at room temperature outside the ion source, and wherein, after passing through the one or more aluminum-containing species and / or the one or more aluminum-containing components, the halide species and / or the halide molecules are introduced into the arc chamber of the ion source, thereby confining aluminum halide vapor.

27. A method for forming an aluminum ion beam, the method comprising: providing an aluminum-containing species to an ion source; introducing one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule to an ion source, wherein the halide species is selected from the group consisting of atomic chlorine, atomic bromine, and atomic iodine, and wherein the halide molecule comprises a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine; reacting one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum halide vapor; as well as The aluminum ion beam is generated from at least the aluminum halide vapor, wherein the ion source is further substantially cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules.

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