High-energy injection machine with small occupied area

Abstract

A high energy ion implantation system includes an ion source and a mass analyzer for forming and analyzing an ion beam along a beam path. The first radio frequency linear accelerator accelerates the ion beam to the outlet of the first accelerator, and the second radio frequency linear accelerator accelerates the ion beam to the outlet of the second accelerator along the beam path. A first magnet located between the first radio frequency linear accelerator and the second radio frequency linear accelerator changes a beam path along a first plane. The third radio frequency linear accelerator accelerates the ion beam, and a second magnet located between the second radio frequency linear accelerator and the third radio frequency linear accelerator changes the beam path along a second plane. The beam forming device is used for limiting the shape of the ion beam, and a third magnet located between the third radio frequency linear accelerator and the beam forming device changes the beam path along a third plane; wherein the first plane, the second plane and the third plane are not coplanar.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 474,402, filed September 26, 2023, entitled “High-Energy Injector with Small Footprint,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to ion implantation systems, and more specifically to ion implantation systems with a small footprint for providing a desired ion beam current for a desired charge state at a desired energy. Background Technology

[0003] In semiconductor device manufacturing, ion implantation is used to dope semiconductors with impurities. As opposed to diffusion via chemical processes, ion implantation is a physical process used in semiconductor device fabrication to selectively implant dopants into semiconductor workpieces and / or wafer materials. Therefore, the implantation behavior does not depend on the chemical interaction between the dopant and the semiconductor material. In ion implantation, dopant atoms / molecules are ionized and isolated, sometimes accelerated or decelerated, forming a beam that sweeps across the workpiece or wafer. The dopant ions physically bombard the workpiece, penetrate the surface, and typically remain below the surface within its crystal lattice structure.

[0004] Ion implantation systems are commonly used to dope workpieces (such as semiconductor wafers) with ions from an ion beam to produce n-type or p-type material doping, or to form passivation layers during integrated circuit manufacturing. This beam treatment is typically used to selectively implant impurities containing specified dopant materials into wafers at predetermined energy levels and controlled concentrations to produce semiconductor materials during integrated circuit manufacturing. When used to dope semiconductor wafers, ion implantation systems implant selected ion species into the workpiece to produce the desired intrinsic material. For example, when implanting ions into a silicon wafer, ions from source materials such as antimony, arsenic, or phosphorus result in "n-type" intrinsic material wafers, while ions from source materials such as boron, gallium, or indium typically generate "p-type" intrinsic material wafers. For instance, when implanting ions into a silicon carbide (SiC) wafer, nitrogen (n-type dopant) and aluminum (p-type dopant) are typically used as ion species.

[0005] High-energy ion implantation systems (e.g., systems configured to implant ions at energies greater than 1 MeV) typically comprise multiple beamline components, such as ion sources, linear accelerators, energy filter magnets, beamforming devices, and processing chambers. These beamline components are conventionally arranged in a horizontal plane, typically forming a polygonal chain. Consequently, conventional high-energy ion implantation systems have a considerable footprint. High-energy ion implantation systems typically require clean environments, also known as cleanroom environments, the construction and maintenance of which are generally expensive. Therefore, the large footprint of conventional high-energy ion implantation systems results in high costs for semiconductor chip manufacturers when designing and maintaining chip manufacturing facilities. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure recognizes that the significant demand for ion implantation formulations at high energy levels (e.g., ion beam energy, mass, charge value, beam purity, beam current, and / or total implanted dose level) requires higher beam current and sufficient beam purity without compromising the ion source. Therefore, this document provides various systems or methods for providing high beam current and high beam purity.

[0007] Therefore, a simplified overview of this disclosure is presented below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of this disclosure. This overview is not a comprehensive summary of this disclosure. It is neither intended to identify key or essential elements of the invention nor to depict the scope of the invention. Its purpose is to present some concepts of this disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0008] Various aspects of the present invention facilitate high-energy ion implantation processes for implanting ions into workpieces. According to one exemplary aspect, an ion implantation system is provided having an ion source configured to form an ion beam, a beamline assembly configured to selectively transmit the ion beam, and a terminal station configured to receive the ion beam for implanting ions into a workpiece.

[0009] According to one exemplary aspect of this disclosure, an ion source is configured to form an ion beam along a beam path, and a mass analysis magnet is configured to mass analyze the ion beam along the beam path. For example, a first radio frequency linear accelerator (e.g., a first accelerating stage) is configured to receive the ion beam from the mass analyzer at its first accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to a first accelerator outlet. For example, a second radio frequency linear accelerator (e.g., a second accelerating stage) is configured to receive the ion beam at its second accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to a second accelerator outlet. For example, a first magnet is disposed along the beam path between the first accelerator outlet and the second accelerator inlet, wherein the first magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90° along a first plane.

[0010] According to one example, the high-energy ion implantation system further includes a beamforming device having a beamforming inlet and a beamforming outlet along a beam path. For example, the beamforming device is configured to define the shape of the ion beam along the beam path. For example, the beamforming device may define an S-shaped deflection in the beam path of the ion beam. Furthermore, in this example, a second magnet is disposed along the beam path between the second accelerator outlet and the beamforming inlet, wherein the second magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90° along a second plane, and wherein the first plane and the second plane are not coplanar.

[0011] According to another exemplary aspect of this disclosure, the high-energy ion implantation system further includes a third radio frequency linear accelerator (e.g., a third accelerator stage) configured to receive an ion beam from a second magnet at its third accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along a beam path to a third accelerator outlet. For example, a third magnet is further provided, disposed along a beam path between the third accelerator outlet and the beamforming inlet. For example, the third magnet is further configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90° along a third plane, wherein the third plane and the second plane are not coplanar. For example, the first plane and the third plane may be substantially parallel to each other.

[0012] In one example, a first magnet is configured to maximize a first energy spectrum of the ion beam passing between a first accelerator exit and a second accelerator inlet. For example, a second magnet may be configured to maximize a second energy spectrum of the ion beam passing between the second accelerator exit and the third accelerator inlet. Furthermore, a third magnet may be configured to maximize a third energy spectrum of the ion beam passing between the second accelerator exit and the beam shaping inlet. In another example, one or more of the first, second, and third magnets are configured to minimize the energy dispersion of the ion beam.

[0013] According to another example, the first linear accelerator, the first magnet, and the second linear accelerator generally define a first U-shape of the beam path. For example, the second linear accelerator, the second magnet, and the third linear accelerator may generally define a second U-shape of the beam path, and the third linear accelerator, the third magnet, and the beam shaping apparatus may generally define a third U-shape of the beam path.

[0014] For example, the first, second, and third linear accelerators include corresponding first, second, and third RF acceleration stages of an RF linear accelerator, which includes a plurality of RF resonators configured to generate an accelerating RF field. In one alternative, the second and third linear accelerators include a combination of an RF linear accelerator and a DC accelerating column. In another example, the beamforming apparatus includes a scanner configured to scan an ion beam in a first direction to define the scanning ion beam. For example, an angle correction lens is further provided, configured to parallelize and deflect the scanning ion beam before it impacts a workpiece located in the processing chamber along the beam path. A final energy magnet (e.g., a magnet after the last linear accelerator) may be further provided, wherein the final energy magnet includes an energy-defining aperture. For example, the final energy magnet is configured to deflect the ion beam at a predetermined angle, wherein the energy-defining aperture is configured to allow only desired ions of a desired energy range or energy dispersion to pass through.

[0015] According to another example aspect of this disclosure, the first plane is offset relative to the second plane by more than about 45°. For example, the first plane is offset relative to the second plane by about 90°. For example, one or more of the first, second, and third magnets are configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by about 180° along the respective first, second, and third planes. One or more of the first, second, and third magnets include a plurality of pole faces configured to minimize the energy dispersion of the ion beam. For example, one or more of the first, second, and third magnets include one of a magnetic quadrupole or an electrostatic quadrupole.

[0016] According to another example of this disclosure, a high-energy ion implantation system is provided, comprising: an ion source configured to form an ion beam along a beam path; a mass analyzer disposed downstream of the ion source and configured to perform mass analysis on the ion beam along the beam path; a first radio frequency linear accelerator, for example, configured to receive the ion beam from the mass analyzer at its first accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to a first accelerator outlet; and a second radio frequency linear accelerator, for example, configured to receive the ion beam at its second accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to a second accelerator outlet.

[0017] A first magnet, for example, is disposed along the beam path between a first accelerator exit and a second accelerator inlet, wherein the first magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a first plane. A third radio frequency linear accelerator, for example, is configured to receive an ion beam at its third accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to a third accelerator exit. A second magnet, for example, is disposed along the beam path between a second accelerator exit and a third accelerator inlet, wherein the second magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a second plane.

[0018] A beamforming apparatus, for example, has a beamforming inlet and a beamforming outlet along a beam path, wherein the beamforming apparatus is configured to define the shape of the ion beam along the beam path. Furthermore, a third magnet is disposed along the beam path between a third accelerator outlet and the beamforming inlet, wherein the third magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a third plane, and wherein the first plane, the second plane, and the third plane are not coplanar.

[0019] The above overview is intended only to provide a brief summary of some features of some embodiments of this disclosure, and other embodiments may include additional and / or different features in addition to those described above. In particular, this overview should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Therefore, to achieve the above and related objectives, this disclosure includes the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and drawings illustrate certain illustrative embodiments of the invention in detail. However, these embodiments indicate several of the various ways in which the principles of the invention can be employed. Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a traditional ion implantation system with a basic planar ion beam path.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a simplified perspective view of a multi-deflection high-energy ion implantation system having a multi-planar beam path, according to various exemplary aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a simplified perspective view of another multi-deflection high-energy ion implantation system according to various exemplary aspects of this disclosure, which has another multi-planar beam path.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a simplified perspective view of yet another multi-deflection high-energy ion implantation system according to various exemplary aspects of this disclosure, which has yet another multi-planar beam path. Detailed Implementation

[0024] This invention generally relates to various apparatuses, systems, and methods associated with ion implantation of workpieces. More specifically, this disclosure relates to an ion implantation system having a small footprint and an increased ion beam current at high energies for desired charge states.

[0025] Therefore, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals may be used throughout to refer to like elements. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for purposes of explanation in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments or examples described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but is intended to be limited only to the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0026] It should also be noted that the accompanying drawings are provided to illustrate some aspects of embodiments of this disclosure, and therefore the drawings are to be considered illustrative only. In particular, the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and the placement of various elements in the drawings is chosen to provide a clear understanding of the respective embodiments and should not be construed as a representation of the actual relative positions of various components in an embodiment according to the invention. Furthermore, features of the various embodiments and examples described herein can be combined with each other unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0027] It should also be understood that, in the following description, any direct connection or coupling between functional blocks, devices, components, elements, or other physical or functional units shown in the figures or described herein may also be achieved through indirect connection or coupling. Furthermore, it should be understood that functional blocks or units shown in the figures may be implemented as separate features in one embodiment, and may also, or alternatively, be implemented wholly or partially in a common feature in another embodiment.

[0028] High-energy ion implantation systems (e.g., systems configured to implant ions at energies greater than 1 MeV, such as those implemented in the fabrication of image sensors) are typically too long. To minimize footprint and save cleanroom space, radio frequency linear accelerators or DC accelerating columns can be segmented and separated by deflecting magnets. Deflecting magnets, for example, allow for more compact beamlines by deflecting the ion beam at various desired angles. For example, the beamline can be V-shaped or a generally polygonal chain.

[0029] For example, a simple system may include first and second accelerating stages or a linear accelerator separated by deflecting magnets. With such an arrangement, this disclosure recognizes that it may be advantageous to add a so-called stripper after the first accelerating stage, wherein the stripper is configured to strip electrons from the ions in the ion beam, thereby increasing the charge state of the ions. In this way, the second accelerating stage can increase the energy to a multiple equal to the charge state. Such an arrangement can significantly reduce the system footprint compared to a system without deflecting magnets.

[0030] For example, the ion beam exiting the stripper contains ions in various charge states, including some with undesirable charge states. Using the aforementioned deflecting magnet, these undesirable charge states can be separated from the beam path, thus preventing ion beam contamination. However, this disclosure recognizes that when separating two or more linear accelerators using a deflecting magnet, the ion beam will still contain a degree of energy diffusion, which also needs to be transmitted through the deflecting magnet to maintain the beam current; otherwise, the beam current would be significantly reduced.

[0031] Such a deflecting magnet can be considered an achromatic system because it is somewhat independent of energy. This disclosure recognizes that one problem associated with separating the first and second linear accelerators while placing a stripper between them is that, on the one hand, the deflecting magnet should filter out undesirable charge states, and on the other hand, the deflecting magnet should be substantially achromatic (e.g., having low dispersion) in order to receive the ion beam and allow the ion beam, typically with 1%-2% energy dispersion, to pass through it.

[0032] This disclosure envisions a high-energy ion implantation system with a small footprint, wherein multiple beamline assemblies include a linear accelerator assembly consisting of multiple accelerating segments, and wherein the multiple accelerating segments are operatively joined or coupled along the beamline via multiple achromatic deflecting magnets. For example, this disclosure also provides an arrangement of multiple beamline assemblies in two or more planes. For example, the two or more planes may be orthogonal to each other, such as a horizontal plane and a vertical plane. Thus, at least a portion of the multiple beamline assemblies (e.g., one or more linear accelerator assemblies and one or more beamforming assemblies) can be effectively stacked on top of each other, thereby minimizing the footprint of the high-energy ion implantation system.

[0033] For example, Figure 1A schematic diagram of a conventional single-deflection high-energy ion implanter 10 is shown, which includes multiple components 12. For simplicity, some of the multiple components 12 are shown as including an ion source combined with an analytical magnet 14 (also referred to as an implanter), a linear accelerator 16, an energy filter magnet 18, a beam shaping section 20, and a processing chamber 22. When designed for high-energy ion implantation, the length 24 of the linear accelerator 16 of the single-deflection high-energy implanter 10 is typically increased due to the arrangement of n acceleration stages 26A…26n within the linear accelerator.

[0034] In one example, the footprint 28 of the single-deflection high-energy injector 10 can be reduced by splitting the linear accelerator 16 into multiple shorter linear accelerators (e.g., a first section including accelerator stages 26A-26C and a second section including accelerator stages 26D-26n). These shorter linear accelerators are separated from each other by deflection magnets, while keeping the linear accelerators in a plane substantially the same as the rest of the multiple components 12 (e.g., along the xy-axis). Conventionally, such splitting of the linear accelerator 16 has been shown to reduce the length 30 of the footprint 28 of the single-deflection high-energy injector 10, but this also correspondingly increases the width 32 of the footprint. Thus, conventional improvements to the single-deflection high-energy injector 10 (including the splitting of the linear accelerator 16) can only modestly reduce the footprint 28 in a production facility.

[0035] Compared to a conventional arrangement of multiple components generally along a single plane, this disclosure envisions an architecture in which multiple linear accelerators are coupled to each other, such that one or more deflecting magnets alter the arrangement to one or more additional planes, thereby providing a significant advantage in reducing the footprint of the resulting injection unit. Therefore, according to this disclosure, Figure 2 The example shown illustrates a multi-deflection high-energy injector 100. For instance, the multi-deflection high-energy injector 100 includes multiple beamline assemblies 102, such as an ion source 104, a linear accelerator device 106, an energy filter device 108, a beamforming device 110, and a processing chamber 112. The multiple beamline assemblies 102 generally define beamlines 114, whereby an ion beam 116 is formed, accelerated, shaped, and guided toward the processing chamber 112 by the multiple beamline assemblies along a beam path 118 (shown by dashed lines).

[0036] According to one example, the linear accelerator assembly 106 of the multi-deflection high-energy implanter 100 includes an offset linear accelerator assembly 120, which alters the beam path 118 from a first plane 122 (e.g., the xy plane) to a second plane 124 (e.g., the xz plane). In this example, the first plane 122 and the second plane 124 are offset from each other by approximately 90 degrees. However, this disclosure contemplates that the first plane 122 and the second plane 124 can be offset by any angle, such as an angle greater than approximately 45 degrees, thereby advantageously minimizing and / or controlling the size of the ion implantation system 100.

[0037] In this example, the first assembly group 126 of the plurality of wire harness assemblies 102 is generally aligned along a first plane 122, wherein the first assembly group of the plurality of wire harness assemblies generally defines a first U-shape 127 of the beam path 118. For example, the second assembly group 128 of the plurality of wire harness assemblies 102 is generally aligned along a second plane 124, wherein the second assembly group of the plurality of wire harness assemblies generally defines a second U-shape 129 of the beam path 118. It should be noted that, although in Figure 2 The first U-shape 127 and the second U-shape 129 shown provide a corresponding 180° deflection in the beam path 118, but this disclosure considers any U-shape angle in the range between 90° and 270°.

[0038] For example, the deflected linear accelerator device 120 includes a first accelerator section 130A, a second accelerator section 130B, a first deflecting magnet 132, at least a first portion 134 of a beamforming device 110, and a second deflecting magnet 136 (e.g., an energy filter device 108). The first accelerator section 130A and the second accelerator section 130B are separated, for example, by the first deflecting magnet 132 and are arranged generally along a first plane 122, generally forming a first U-shape 127. The second accelerator section 130B and at least a first portion 134 of the beamforming device 110 are separated, for example, by the second deflecting magnet 136 and are arranged generally along a second plane 124 to generally form a second U-shape 129. In this example, the second accelerator section 130B is generally coplanar with both the first plane 122 and the second plane.

[0039] In one example, the first accelerator segment 130A and the second accelerator segment 130B are vertically stacked or extended, and at least a first portion 134 of the second accelerator segment 130B and the beamforming device 110 extends horizontally, thereby giving the first deflecting magnet 132 and the second deflecting magnet 136 each a deflection angle of approximately 180°. Figure 2 In the example shown, the ion source 104 is generally positioned below the beam shaping apparatus 110 and the processing chamber 112.

[0040] In another example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first accelerator section 130A and the second accelerator section 130B are horizontally oriented, thereby vertically stacking at least a first portion 134 of the beamforming apparatus 110 relative to the second accelerator section. Therefore, the ion source 104 is generally positioned above the beamforming apparatus 110 and the processing chamber 112. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In any of the examples shown, the footprint 138 of the corresponding multi-deflection high-energy ion implantation system 100 can be significantly smaller than that of a conventional system because the first deflection magnet 132 and the second deflection magnet 136 are positioned to accelerate the ion beam 116 along the beam path 118 in two different planes (e.g., deflected at an angle greater than 45°).

[0041] Refer again Figure 2 For example, at least a first portion 134 of the first accelerator section 130A and the second accelerator section 130B, as well as the beam shaping apparatus 110, may be horizontally and vertically displaced relative to the beam path 118 at various angles to provide or customize the footprint 138 based on various considerations, such as horizontal and vertical space constraints associated with a cleanroom. This disclosure also envisions a final beam corrector 140, such as an S-shaped deflection magnet, a corrector magnet, or a P-type lens, which may be incorporated into a plurality of beamline assemblies 102 to collimate the diverging scanning ion beam along the beam path 118. For example, the final beam corrector 140 may further alter the beam path 118 in one or more of the first plane 122 and the second plane 124, thereby further reducing the footprint 138.

[0042] According to another example, Figure 4 The example shown illustrates a multi-deflection high-energy injector 200. In a similar manner to the above, for example, the multi-deflection high-energy injector 200 includes multiple beamline assemblies 202, such as an ion source 204, a linear accelerator device 206, an energy filter device 208, a beamforming device 210, and a processing chamber 212. The multiple beamline assemblies 202 generally define beamlines 214, whereby an ion beam 216 is formed, accelerated, shaped, and guided toward the processing chamber 212 by the multiple beamline assemblies along a beam path 218 (shown by dashed lines).

[0043] The linear accelerator assembly 206 of the multi-deflection high-energy injector 200 includes an offset linear accelerator assembly 220, wherein the offset linear accelerator assembly alters the beam path 218 between a first plane 222 (e.g., the xy plane) and a second plane 224 (e.g., the xz plane). In this example, the first plane 222 and the second plane 224 are offset from each other by approximately 90°. This disclosure also considers any offset of the first plane 222 and the second plane 224 by an angle greater than approximately 45°, thereby allowing advantageous control over the dimensions of the multi-deflection high-energy injector 200.

[0044] In this example, the first assembly group 226 of the plurality of beam assemblies 202 is generally aligned along a first plane 222, wherein the first assembly group of the plurality of beam assemblies generally defines a first U-shape 227 of the beam path 218. The second assembly group 228 of the plurality of beam assemblies 202 is generally aligned along a second plane 224, wherein the second assembly group of the plurality of beam assemblies generally defines a second U-shape 229 of the beam path 218. The offset linear accelerator device 220 in this example includes a first accelerator segment 230A, a second accelerator segment 230B, and a third accelerator segment 230C, wherein the first and second accelerator segments are separated by a first deflecting magnet 232, and the second and third accelerator segments are separated by a second deflecting magnet 234. In this example, the first component group 226 includes an ion source 204, a first accelerator segment 230A, a first deflecting magnet 232, and a second accelerator segment 230B, and the second component group 228 includes a second accelerator segment 230B, a second deflecting magnet 234, and a third accelerator segment 230C. Therefore, the second accelerator segment 230B is substantially coplanar with the first plane 222 and the second plane 224.

[0045] For example, the third accelerator section 230C and the first portion 236 of the beamforming device 210 are further separated by a third deflection magnet 238 (e.g., a final energy magnet). Thus, the third assembly group 240 of the plurality of beamlines 202 is generally aligned along a third plane 242, wherein the third assembly group of the plurality of beamlines generally defines a third U-shape 244 of the beam path 218.

[0046] As illustrated in this example, the first accelerator segment 230A and the second accelerator segment 230B are separated by a first deflecting magnet 232 and are arranged generally along a first plane 222, and the second accelerator segment 230B and the third accelerator segment 230C are separated by a second deflecting magnet 234 and are arranged generally along a second plane 224. For example, the first plane 222 and the second plane 224 are offset from each other by approximately 90°; however, other angular offsets are also considered. For example, the third accelerator segment 230C and the first portion 236 of the beamforming apparatus 210 are separated by a third deflecting magnet 238 and are arranged generally along a third plane 242, wherein the third plane is offset from the second plane 224 by approximately 90°, thereby making the third plane generally parallel to the first plane 222. However, it should be noted that the first plane 222, the second plane 224, and the third plane 242 may intersect each other at various angles, and all such angles are contemplated to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0047] Therefore, this disclosure provides a multi-deflection high-energy injector 200 to accommodate various sizes or shapes of its cleaning chamber, whereby any of the first U-shape 227, the second U-shape 229, and the third U-shape 244 advantageously provides a smaller footprint than conventionally seen. It should also be noted that the first U-shape 227, the second U-shape 229, and the third U-shape 244 can provide various advantages, such as positioning the ion source 204 and the processing chamber 212 in similar or different vertical positions for ease of operation or other considerations.

[0048] For example, the first accelerator section 230A and the second accelerator section 230B are vertically stacked, and the second accelerator section 230B and the third accelerator section 230C extend horizontally, so that the first deflecting magnet 232 and the second deflecting magnet 234 both have a deflection angle of approximately 180°. Furthermore, the third accelerator section 230C and the first portion 236 of the beamforming device 210 are vertically stacked, so that the third magnet 238 has a deflection angle of approximately 180°.

[0049] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, the ion source 204 is generally positioned adjacent to but offset from the processing chamber 212. Thus, the footprint 246 of the multi-deflection high-energy injector 200 can be significantly smaller than that of conventional systems. Similarly, a final beam corrector 248, such as an S-shaped deflection magnet, a corrector magnet, or a P-lens, can be provided to collimate the diverging scanning ion beam along the beam path 218. For example, the final beam corrector 248 can further alter the beam path 218 in one or more of the first plane 222 and the second plane 224, thereby further reducing the footprint 246.

[0050] Therefore, this disclosure provides the capability for longer and / or more accelerator stages, thereby providing higher energy injection while maintaining a relatively small footprint. Consequently, significant cost savings can be achieved by reducing expensive cleanroom space compared to conventional systems. This disclosure considers any one of the first, second, or third deflecting magnets 232, 234, 238 having a deflection angle greater than 90°. Thus, the first, second, and third linear accelerator sections 230A-230C and the first portion 236 of the beamforming device 210 can be non-parallel to each other, thereby reducing the footprint 246 to a smaller footprint than conventional systems along a generally single plane.

[0051] It should be noted that, for clarity, some features of the ion implantation system, such as the resonator, stripper, and correction magnet, have been omitted from the illustrations in this example. However, although not illustrated, these features are taken into account in this example, and therefore this disclosure not only offers an advantage in terms of floor space compared to conventional systems, but also helps to overcome various other shortcomings of conventional systems by meeting high-voltage isolation requirements and providing more convenient maintenance access.

[0052] This disclosure further envisions various deflecting magnets (e.g., first, second, and third deflecting magnets 232, 234, 238), some examples including fixed magnets, while in other examples, other deflection devices and methods are also considered for reorienting the ion beam 116, such as providing an electrostatic fan-shaped field (also referred to as a cylindrical or spherical capacitor). This disclosure also envisions employing an achromatic deflection system with minimal dispersion. Alternatively, quadrupole magnets and beam guiding devices may be used to refocus the various beam components, thereby guiding the ion beam to a desired direction or position. Therefore, a combination of achromatic deflecting magnets, quadrupole magnets, and beam guiding devices is advantageous. Furthermore, this disclosure envisions employing various diagnostic devices, such as movable Faraday cups, selectively positioned after each deflecting magnet, to tune the ion beam 116, thereby verifying the beam position and angle.

[0053] Therefore, this disclosure advantageously stacks linear accelerators along the beamline in two or more dimensions (e.g., in one or more vertical and horizontal directions, and / or any direction in between) to minimize the footprint of the ion implantation system. This disclosure recognizes numerous advantages in reducing the footprint of ion implantation systems, as these systems operate in cleanroom environments. As the energy of the ion implantation system increases, the size of the cleanroom typically expands, leading to increased costs associated with larger cleanrooms. This disclosure advantageously minimizes the size of high-energy ion implantation systems, allowing systems that previously required larger and more expensive cleanrooms to be accommodated in smaller cleanrooms.

[0054] The deflecting magnets 232, 234, and 238 of this disclosure are configured to deflect the ion beam by approximately 180°, thereby exhibiting low dispersion. This disclosure recognizes that the deflecting magnets 232, 234, and 238, associated with the linear accelerator device 206 and correspondingly having a deflection angle of approximately 180°, generally allow all energy diffusion. Additional magnets, such as the final energy magnet associated with the beamforming device, include apertures or energy-resolved slits prior to beamforming and scanning.

[0055] Although this disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to specific applications and implementations, those skilled in the art, upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings, will understand that equivalent changes and modifications can be made thereto. In particular, with respect to the different functions performed by the components (components, devices, circuits, systems, etc.) described above, unless otherwise specified, the terminology used to describe these components (including references to "device") is intended to correspond to any component that performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., functionally equivalent), even if it is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the functions described in the exemplary embodiments of the invention herein.

[0056] Furthermore, although a particular feature of this disclosure may be disclosed only for one of several embodiments, such a feature may be combined with one or more other features in other embodiments when this may be desirable and advantageous for any given or particular application. Additionally, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof as used in the detailed description or claims are intended to have an open-ended meaning similar to the term “including.”

Claims

1. A high-energy ion implantation system, comprising: An ion source, configured to form an ion beam along the beam path; A quality analyzer configured to perform quality analysis of the ion beam along the beam path; A first linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam from the mass analyzer at its first accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the first accelerator outlet. A second linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam at its second accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the second accelerator outlet. A first magnet is disposed between the first accelerator outlet and the second accelerator inlet along the beam path, wherein the first magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90º along a first plane. A beamforming apparatus having a beamforming inlet and a beamforming outlet along the beam path, wherein the beamforming apparatus is configured to define the shape of the ion beam along the beam path; and A second magnet is disposed between the second accelerator outlet and the beam shaping inlet along the beam path, wherein the second magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90° along a second plane, wherein the first plane and the second plane are not coplanar.

2. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, further comprising: A third linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam from the second magnet at its third accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the third accelerator outlet. as well as A third magnet is disposed along the beam path between the third accelerator exit and the beam shaping inlet, wherein the third magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by more than 90° along a third plane, wherein the third plane is not coplanar with the second plane.

3. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 2, wherein, The first plane is substantially parallel to the third plane.

4. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 2, wherein, The first magnet is configured to maximize a first energy spectrum of an ion beam passing between the first accelerator outlet and the second accelerator inlet, wherein the second magnet is configured to maximize a second energy spectrum of an ion beam passing between the second accelerator outlet and the third accelerator inlet, and wherein the third magnet is configured to maximize a third energy spectrum of an ion beam passing between the second accelerator outlet and the beamforming inlet.

5. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 2, wherein, The first linear accelerator, the first magnet, and the second linear accelerator generally define a first U-shape of the beam path, wherein the second linear accelerator, the second magnet, and the third linear accelerator generally define a second U-shape of the beam path, and wherein the third linear accelerator, the third magnet, and the beam shaping device generally define a third U-shape of the beam path.

6. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 2, wherein, The first linear accelerator, the second linear accelerator, and the third linear accelerator each include a corresponding first radio frequency acceleration stage, a second radio frequency acceleration stage, and a third radio frequency acceleration stage of a radio frequency linear accelerator, the radio frequency linear accelerator including a plurality of radio frequency resonators configured to generate an accelerated radio frequency field.

7. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The first linear accelerator, the first magnet, and the second linear accelerator generally define a first U-shape of the beam path, and wherein the second linear accelerator, the second magnet, and the beam shaping device generally define a second U-shape of the beam path.

8. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The first linear accelerator and the second linear accelerator include corresponding first and second radio frequency acceleration stages of the radio frequency linear accelerator.

9. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The first magnet is configured to maximize a first energy spectrum of the ion beam passing between the first accelerator outlet and the second accelerator inlet, and wherein the second magnet is configured to maximize a second energy spectrum of the ion beam passing between the second accelerator outlet and the beamforming inlet.

10. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The beamforming apparatus includes: A scanner device configured to scan the ion beam in a first direction, thereby defining the scanning ion beam; and An angle correction lens is configured to parallelize and deflect the scanning ion beam.

11. The high-energy ion implantation system of claim 1, further comprising a final energy magnet, the final energy magnet comprising an energy-defining aperture, wherein, The final energy magnet is configured to deflect the ion beam at a predetermined angle, and the energy-limiting aperture is configured to allow only desired ions with the desired energy to pass through.

12. The high-energy ion implantation system of claim 1, wherein the first plane is offset relative to the second plane by more than about 45°.

13. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 4, wherein, The first plane is offset by approximately 90° relative to the second plane.

14. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, One or more of the first magnet and the second magnet are configured to minimize the energy dispersion of the ion beam.

15. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The first magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along the first plane.

16. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 15, wherein, The second magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along the second plane.

17. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, One or more of the first magnet and the second magnet include a plurality of pole faces configured to minimize the energy dispersion of the ion beam.

18. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, One or more of the first magnet and the second magnet include one of a magnetic quadrupole and an electrostatic quadrupole.

19. The high-energy ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein, The beam shaping device defines an S-shaped deflection in the beam path of the ion beam.

20. A high-energy ion implantation system, comprising: An ion source, configured to form an ion beam along the beam path; A quality analyzer configured to perform quality analysis of the ion beam along the beam path; A first radio frequency linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam from the mass analyzer at its first accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the first accelerator outlet. A second radio frequency linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam at its second accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the second accelerator outlet. A first magnet is disposed between the first accelerator outlet and the second accelerator inlet along the beam path, wherein the first magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a first plane. A third radio frequency linear accelerator is configured to receive the ion beam at its third accelerator inlet and accelerate the ion beam along the beam path to the third accelerator outlet. A second magnet is disposed between the second accelerator outlet and the third accelerator inlet along the beam path, wherein the second magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a second plane. A beamforming apparatus having a beamforming inlet and a beamforming outlet along the beam path, wherein the beamforming apparatus is configured to define the shape of the ion beam along the beam path; and A third magnet is disposed along the beam path between the third accelerator outlet and the beam shaping inlet, wherein the third magnet is configured to change the trajectory of the beam path by approximately 180° along a third plane, and wherein the first plane, the second plane, and the third plane are not coplanar.

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