Ion implantation system and implantation method of aluminum using non-fluorine-containing halide species or molecules

Abstract

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

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001] [Cross - Reference to Related Applications] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional 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 content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Technical Field] The present disclosure generally relates to ion implantation systems, and more specifically to an ion implantation system configured to generate aluminum ions from aluminum atoms and aluminum - containing materials using non - fluorine - containing halide - containing species or halide - containing molecules for implanting aluminum ions into a workpiece.

[0003] [Background Art] The demand for ion implantation using metal ions is increasing. For example, the implantation of aluminum is important for the power device market, which has a small but rapidly growing market size. For many metals including aluminum, the supply of feedstock to the ion source is a problem. The system has previously been provided with a useful vaporizer, which is a small oven outside the arc chamber of the ion source and generates a vapor pressure sufficient to heat the metal salt and supply vapor to the ion source. However, the oven is located away from the arc chamber and it takes time to heat to the desired temperature, establish a vapor flow, start the plasma, and start the ion beam. Further, when changing from one metal species to another, it takes time to wait for the oven to cool sufficiently to change such metal species.

[0004] Another prior art is to place a metal-containing material such as aluminum or other metals in an arc chamber. In the case of aluminum, the metal-containing material may be composed of aluminum oxide, aluminum fluoride, or aluminum nitride, all of which can withstand the temperature of about 800 °C in the plasma chamber. In such a system, ions are directly sputtered from the material in the plasma. There is also a method of chemically etching the metal using a plasma containing an etchant such as fluorine. Using such various techniques, an acceptable beam current can be obtained. However, since the compounds of aluminum oxide, aluminum chloride, and aluminum nitride are all good electrical insulators, they tend to deposit on the electrode adjacent to the ion source in a relatively short time (for example, 5 to 10 hours). Therefore, various adverse effects such as high voltage instability and accompanying fluctuations in the ion implantation amount are observed.

[0005] 〔Overview〕 Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a system and apparatus for generating an ion beam containing aluminum ions from an aluminum atom and / or an aluminum-containing material using a fluoride-free halide-containing species or molecule for implanting aluminum ions into a workpiece. Accordingly, a simplified overview of the present disclosure is shown below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. This overview is not an extensive overview of the present disclosure. Nor does it identify important elements of the present disclosure or clarify the scope of the present disclosure. Its purpose is to present some concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description presented later.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an ion implantation system for implanting aluminum ions is provided. The ion implantation system includes, for example, an ion source having an arc chamber and associated electrodes. In one example, an ion source material is provided, and the ion source material includes an aluminum-containing species.

[0007] The ion implantation system further comprises a halide source containing, for example, one or more of halide species and halide molecules. The halide source is configured to supply, for example, one or more of halide species and halide molecules to the ion source. Further, a heat source may be provided and configured to react one or more of halide species and halide molecules with aluminum-containing species to generate aluminum-halide vapor for forming an ion beam, and the ion source is generally etched and / or cleaned by one or more of halide species and halide molecules.

[0008] In one example, the halide species is selected from the group consisting of chlorine atom, bromine atom, and iodine atom, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. The halide molecule may include, for example, one or more of Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x I y and the like. In another example, the aluminum-containing species includes one or more of aluminum atom, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3.

[0009] In another example, the electrode includes one or more of a cathode, a repeller, and an extraction electrode, and the electrode is generally cleaned by one or more of halide species and halide molecules. For example, the arc chamber may further include one or more side walls, and the one or more side walls are generally cleaned by one or more of halide species and halide molecules.

[0010] The present disclosure further provides, for example, a conduit fluidly coupling the halide source to the ion source, wherein one or more of halide species and halide molecules are introduced as a gas in the vicinity of the ion source. For example, a gas ring may be further provided, the gas ring generally surrounds at least a part of the ion source, and the conduit is fluidly coupled to the gas ring.

[0011] In another example, the heat source is composed of one or more of a plasma formed in the arc chamber and an auxiliary heat source. The auxiliary heat source can include, for example, one or more resistance heaters.

[0012] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of forming an aluminum ion beam is provided, the method including the step of supplying an aluminum-containing species to an ion source. One or more of a halide species and a halide molecule are introduced, for example, into the ion source, the halide species being selected from the group consisting of a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, and an iodine atom, and the halide molecule including a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. Further, an aluminum ion beam is generated from the aluminum-containing species, and one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule further react with the aluminum-containing species to generate an aluminum-halide vapor, and the ion source is generally cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule. The generation of the aluminum-halide vapor generally etches and / or cleans the ion source, for example. Further, the method includes the step of forming an aluminum ion beam from at least the aluminum-halide vapor. The aluminum ion beam can be further generated, for example, from one or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or one or more aluminum-containing components.

[0013] In one example, the halide molecule includes one or more of Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x I y and the like. In another example, one or more aluminum-containing species include one or more of an aluminum atom, AlN, Al2O3, and Al4C3. One or more aluminum-containing components include, for example, one or more arc chamber components disposed within the arc chamber of the ion source.

[0014] In one embodiment, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules are introduced as a gas in the vicinity of one or more arc chamber components, such as in the vicinity of a cathode shield, an electrode, a repeller, a liner, a side wall associated with the arc chamber, and one or more of the side wall components operably coupled to the side wall.

[0015] According to a first method, for example, one or more arc chamber components can be heated simultaneously with the generation of an aluminum ion beam. For example, one or more arc chamber components are heated by the generation of an aluminum ion beam and / or by an auxiliary heat source. The auxiliary heat source can be composed of, for example, one or more resistive heaters.

[0016] In another example, the ion source includes an arc chamber generally surrounded by an ion source housing, and the method includes introducing one or more of the halide species and halide molecules as a gas into the ion source housing. One or more of the halide species and halide molecules can be introduced into the ion source, for example, via a gas ring generally surrounding the arc chamber.

[0017] In another embodiment, the ion source includes an extraction electrode disposed within the ion source housing, and the method includes cleaning the surface of the extraction electrode via one or more of the halide species and halide molecules.

[0018] In yet another example, the aluminum-containing species include 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 channel before being supplied to the housing of the ion source or the arc chamber plasma cavity.

[0019] In yet another example, the method includes heating one or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or one or more of the one or more aluminum-containing components, or providing one or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or one or more of the one or more aluminum-containing components at room temperature outside of the ion source. Thus, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules are introduced into the arc chamber of the ion source after passing through one or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or one or more of the one or more aluminum-containing components, thereby defining aluminum-halide vapor.

[0020] To achieve the foregoing and related objects, the present disclosure comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. However, these embodiments are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the disclosure may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

[0021] [Brief Description of the Drawings] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary vacuum system that utilizes an aluminum-containing ion source material and non-fluoride halide species, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method of implanting aluminum ions into a workpiece using an aluminum-containing ion source material and non-fluoride halide species.

[0023] [Detailed Description] There is an increasing case of using aluminum as a dopant instead of boron in the ion implantation of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices. However, there is little gas containing aluminum, and when using such a gas, problems related to the decomposition in the high-temperature environment of the ion source often occur. Materials such as AlI3 or AlCl3 can alternatively be supplied to the ion source in solid form and vaporized through a vaporizer, but the use of such materials in conventional systems may have problems related to long heat transfer times and material handling. As another option, solids containing aluminum such as AlN or Al2O3 can be supplied as a sputter source or target within the ion source.

[0024] Furthermore, aluminum atoms can be placed inside the ion source or introduced into the ion source by other means to sputter aluminum ions therefrom. The ion source implemented in such a sputter source provides a fluorine-containing gas, for example, to chemically enhance the removal of aluminum material from the target. Generally, the operation of such an ion source with a fluorine-containing gas results in unstable operation of the ion source, including frequent high-voltage instabilities between the sputter source and the extraction electrode. Such instabilities are thought to be the result of the deposition of aluminum fluoride material on the extraction electrode. Such deposited material is, for example, electrically insulating and has a low vapor pressure at the typical temperature of the operation of the extraction electrode.

[0025] As a result, in conventional ion sources, at least partially, as the thickness of the deposited material increases, excessive glitching occurs in the ion source, charges accumulate in the insulating film and dielectric breakdown occurs, ultimately leading to the failure of the ion source, so the performance has deteriorated. This failure mode is usually addressed in a preventive maintenance (PM) scheme by physically cleaning and / or replacing the coated electrodes. However, such a cleaning or replacement approach is usually not desirable because it adds downtime for implementing such a PM scheme, thus adversely affecting the productivity of the implantation device.

[0026] Accordingly, the present disclosure highly values the desire to provide an alternative approach for supplying aluminum to an ion source that minimizes the deposition of insulating films during the operation of the ion source and / or enables in-situ cleaning of such deposited films.

[0027] The present disclosure evaluates that aluminum-containing gases such as dimethylaluminum chloride (DMAC) or trimethylaluminum (TMA) can be supplied to the ion source for implantation, but can result in the deposition of aluminum-containing deposits and / or carbon-containing deposits. To reduce or remove such deposits, the present disclosure advantageously supplies a chlorine-containing gas to the ion source simultaneously with the supply of the aluminum-containing gas to mitigate the detrimental effects seen heretofore.

[0028] Accordingly, the present disclosure solves the conventional problems associated with insulating films and enables stable operation of an ion implantation device at high beam currents using solids, liquids, and gases containing aluminum for ion implantation. The present disclosure further expects similar behavior for high atomic weight halides such as bromine (Br) and iodine (I). For example, high atomic weight halides of aluminum have considerably lower boiling points compared to AlF3 with a melting point of 1291 °C (for example, the boiling point of AlCl3 is about 180 °C, the boiling point of AlBr3 is about 255 °C, and the boiling point of AlI3 is about 360 °C). Thus, the higher halides provide a very desirable, stable and trouble-free operation of the source for the ion implantation device because removal and pumping from the source region is significantly easier.

[0029] Accordingly, the present disclosure supplies chlorine or a chlorine-containing molecule to an ion source to chemically etch aluminum or an aluminum-containing solid or liquid located inside or outside the ion source. Thus, subsequently, by-products of the etching that form and / or deposit on the suppression electrode and other electrodes of the ion source have a high vapor pressure at typical temperatures of the ion source, whereby such by-products can be rapidly evaporated. As a result, the conductivity of the electrically active surfaces within the ion source is maintained and the instability of the ion source is significantly reduced. Further, the beam current obtained by using the chlorine-based chemicals of the present disclosure is substantially equivalent to the beam current achieved with fluorine-based chemicals without the detrimental problems associated with fluorine-based chemicals.

[0030] The present disclosure is generally directed to an ion implantation system and related ion source materials, as well as a method for generating ions while avoiding detrimental depositions of electrically insulating materials. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to components for the ion implantation system that use aluminum-containing ion source materials for generating atomic ions for electrically doping silicon, silicon carbide, or other semiconductor substrates at various temperatures. Further, the present disclosure minimizes various deposits on the extraction electrodes and source chamber components. Accordingly, the present disclosure reduces associated arcs and glitches and further improves the overall lifetime of the ion source and related electrodes.

[0031] Accordingly, the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals may be used throughout to refer to like elements. It should be understood that the descriptions of these aspects are merely illustrative and should not be construed in a limiting sense. In the following description, for the sake of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure 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.

[0032] Also, note that the drawings are provided to give examples of some aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore to be regarded as being schematic only. In particular, the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale with each other, and the arrangement of the various elements in the drawings is selected to provide a clear understanding of each embodiment and is not necessarily to be construed as representing the actual relative positions of the various components in an implementation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the features of the various embodiments and examples described herein can be combined with each other unless otherwise stated.

[0033] Also, in the following description, it should be understood that the direct connections or couplings between the functional blocks, devices, components, or other physical or functional units shown in the drawings or described herein can also be implemented by indirect connections or couplings. Furthermore, it should be understood that the functional blocks or units shown in the drawings may be implemented as separate features in one embodiment and may be implemented in whole or in part in common features in another embodiment.

[0034] Ion implantation is a physical process in semiconductor device manufacturing that selectively implants dopants into semiconductor materials or wafer materials. Therefore, the implantation process can be carried out without relying on the chemical interaction between the dopant and the semiconductor material. In ion implantation, dopant atoms / molecules are ionized from the ion source of the ion implantation device, accelerated, formed into an ion beam, analyzed, and swept across the wafer or the wafer is translated parallel through the ion beam. The dopant ions physically collide with the wafer, enter the surface, and come to rest beneath the surface at a depth related to their energy.

[0035] The ion source of the ion implantation device typically generates an ion beam by ionizing the source material within an arc chamber, and the component of the source material is the desired dopant element. The desired dopant element is extracted from the ionized source material in the form of an ion beam.

[0036] To obtain a general understanding of the present disclosure and in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an exemplary vacuum system 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The vacuum system 100 of this embodiment is composed of an ion implantation system 101, but various other types of vacuum systems are also envisioned, such as plasma processing systems or other semiconductor processing systems. The ion implantation device 101 includes, for example, a terminal 102, a beamline assembly 104, and an end station 106.

[0037] Generally, the ion source 108 within the terminal 102 is coupled to a power supply 110, which ionizes dopant gas from the ion source into a plurality of ions to form an ion beam 112. The ion beam 112 in this embodiment passes through a mass spectrometer 114 (e.g., a beam steering device) and is emitted from an aperture 116 towards the end station 106. The mass spectrometer 114 includes, for example, a magnetic field generating component such as a magnet, and operates to provide a magnetic field across the path 117 of the ion beam 112 so as to deflect ions from the ion beam along various trajectories according to mass (e.g., mass-to-charge ratio). Ions moving in the magnetic field experience a force that causes individual ions of a desired mass to follow path 117 and deflect ions of an undesired mass from the path. At the end station 106, the ion beam 112 is selectively clamped to or impinges on a workpiece 118 (e.g., a semiconductor such as a silicon wafer, a display panel, etc.) that is attached to or clamped by a chuck 120 (e.g., an electrostatic chuck or ESC). When implanted into the lattice of the workpiece 118, the implanted ions change the physical and / or chemical properties of the workpiece. For this reason, ion implantation is used not only in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and metal finishing but also in various applications in materials science research.

[0038] The ion beam 112 of the present disclosure can take any form, such as a pencil beam or a spot beam, a ribbon beam, a scanning beam, or any other form in which ions are directed towards the end station 106, and all such forms are contemplated as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0039] According to one exemplary aspect, the end station 106 includes a process chamber 122 such as a vacuum chamber 124, and a process environment 126 is associated with the process chamber. The process environment 126 generally exists within the process chamber 122 and, as an example, includes a vacuum generated by a vacuum source 128 (e.g., a vacuum pump) coupled to and configured to substantially evacuate the process chamber. Further, a controller 130 is provided for overall control of the vacuum system 100.

[0040] The present disclosure evaluates that a workpiece 118 having a silicon carbide-based device formed thereon has been found to have better thermal and electrical properties than silicon-based devices, particularly in applications used for high-voltage and high-temperature devices such as electric vehicles. However, in ion implantation into silicon carbide, different types of dopants from those used for silicon processed products are used. In silicon carbide implantation, implantation of aluminum, phosphorus, and nitrogen is often performed. For example, nitrogen implantation is relatively simple because nitrogen can be introduced as a gas, and tuning and cleaning are also relatively easy. However, aluminum is currently more difficult because there is little known about excellent gas solutions of aluminum.

[0041] The present disclosure contemplates that, for example, an aluminum-containing ion source material 132 (also referred to as an ion source material) can be an aluminum-containing species supplied to an arc chamber 134 of an ion source 108 to form an ion beam 112. The ion beam 112 is drawn through an extraction opening 140 of the arc chamber 134 via an electrical bias of an associated extraction electrode 142. The aluminum-containing ion source material 132 can be, for example, a solid source material that can be disposed in a heated vaporizer assembly, and the resulting gas is supplied to the arc chamber 134. For example, the aluminum-containing ion source material can comprise a solid high-temperature ceramic such as Al2O3 or AlN disposed in the arc chamber 134 that is etched or sputtered to form aluminum ions.

[0042] The present disclosure, when using a fluorine-based dopant gas (e.g., BF3, NF3, PF3, PF5) to etch aluminum oxide (Al2O3) or aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics, the resulting reaction by-products (e.g., AlF x, Al, N, and neutral substances of AlN and AL2O3) form an insulating film on the extraction electrode (for example, in the case of a negative voltage), and as a result, cause harmful charge accumulation on the ion source arc slit optical plate and subsequent discharge (for example, in the case of a positive voltage), which may further reduce the productivity of the tool.

[0043] In one example, the ion implantation system 101 of the present disclosure is configured to supply gaseous dimethylaluminum chloride (C4H 10 AlCl) (also called DMAC) or gaseous trimethylaluminum (TMA) as the ion source material 132 to the arc chamber 134 of the ion source 108 to supply an aluminum-containing material in a gaseous state. By supplying DMAC or TMA in gaseous form to the arc chamber 134, for example, the transition time between species becomes faster (for example, less than 5 minutes), there is no waiting time for heating and cooling of the material, and no insulating material is formed on the extraction electrode as seen in conventional systems.

[0044] The aluminum-containing ion source material 132 can be stored in a pressurized gas bottle, for example, when supplied to the ion source 108 and / or the arc chamber 134 as a gas. The aluminum-containing ion source material 132 containing an aluminum-containing species (for example, one of DMAC, AlN, Al2O3, and AlC4) is selectively supplied to the arc chamber 134, for example. For example, when the ion source material 132 is gaseous, since the ion source material may be a pyrophoric material, it can be flowed into the arc chamber 134 as a gas through a dedicated primary gas line 136. Alternatively, the ion source material 132 is in solid form and can be disposed inside or outside the arc chamber 134 or the ion source 108.

[0045] One or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 are further introduced into the ion source 108. For example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 can be gaseous and flow as a gas into the ion source 108 via a dedicated secondary gas line 146. One or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 can be introduced into the arc chamber 134, for example, via a gas ring 148 that generally surrounds the arc chamber 134. Alternatively, the halide species and / or halide molecules 144 can be mixed with the ion source material 132 and flowed into the ion source 108 via the primary gas line 136. The halide species are selected, for example, from the group consisting of chlorine atoms, bromine atoms, and iodine atoms. The halide molecules are halides (e.g., Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, CHBr3, CH x I y etc.) selected from the group consisting of molecular chlorine, bromine, and iodine. One or more of the halide species and halide molecules 144 react further with the ion source material 132, for example, to form aluminum vapor.

[0046] In another example, the present disclosure further contemplates that the aluminum-containing ion source material 132 is a component of one or more aluminum-containing components 150 associated with the ion source 108. For example, the one or more aluminum-containing components 150 can include one or more arc chamber components disposed inside or near the arc chamber 134 of the ion source 108, such as a cathode shield, an electrode, a repeller, a liner, a side wall associated with the arc chamber, and one or more side wall components operably coupled to the side wall. In another embodiment, the one or more aluminum-containing components 150 can include one or more gas inlet path components associated with the primary gas line 136.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method 400 for forming an aluminum ion beam, whereby the aluminum ion beam can be further utilized to implant aluminum ions into a workpiece. The exemplary method is illustrated and described herein as a series of steps or events, but some steps may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other steps different from those illustrated and described herein, so it will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by the illustrated order of such steps or events. In addition, not all of the illustrated steps are necessary to implement the methodology according to the present disclosure. Further, it will be understood that the method can be implemented in connection with other systems not illustrated herein as well as the systems illustrated and described herein.

[0048] According to an exemplary aspect, in step 402 of FIG. 2, an aluminum-containing species is supplied to the ion source. The aluminum-containing species can include, for example, one or more of aluminum atoms, AlN, Al2O3, and AlC4. The aluminum-containing species can be provided, for example, in solid form within the arc chamber of the ion source, or provided in solid form within a vaporizer where the solid is vaporized and supplied to the arc chamber, or provided in vapor form so as to be supplied to the arc chamber.

[0049] In step 404, one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule are introduced into the ion source, where the halide species is selected from the group consisting of chlorine atoms, bromine atoms, and iodine atoms, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine. The halide molecule can include, for example, one or more of Cl2, CCl4, BCl3, Br2, I2, HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl3, CBr4, ChBr3, CH x I y and the like.

[0050] According to one embodiment, one or more of the halide species or halide molecules are introduced as a gas in the vicinity of one or more arc chamber components disposed within the arc chamber of the ion source. The one or more ion source components include, for example, one or more of a cathode, a repeller, and a sidewall of the arc chamber, and the one or more arc chamber components are heated simultaneously with the generation of the aluminum ion beam. 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.

[0051] In step 406, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules are reacted with the aluminum-containing species to produce aluminum-halide vapor, and the ion source is generally cleaned by one or more of the halide species and halide molecules. For example, one or more arc chamber components are cleaned by one or more of the halide species and halide molecules. In one example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules can be introduced into the arc chamber via a gas ring generally surrounding the arc chamber. In another example, one or more of the halide species and halide molecules are introduced directly into the interior of the arc chamber. The aluminum-containing species can be held, for example, in solid or liquid form inside or outside the arc chamber, whereby one or more of the halide species and halide molecules pass over the heated material before being supplied to the arc chamber. Thus, the aluminum-halide vapor is reactively produced and used for ion beam formation within the arc chamber.

[0052] In step 408, an aluminum ion beam is generated from at least the aluminum-halide vapor within the arc chamber, and in step 410, the aluminum ions from the aluminum ion beam can be further implanted into the workpiece.

[0053] Accordingly, the present disclosure evaluates the use of non-fluoride 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 in the vicinity of the components of the ion source, components that can be heated by ion formation or externally can be cleaned in-situ. For example, the cleaning gas is introduced through a gas ring around the arc chamber / source housing, and the cleanliness of various components in the vicinity of the gas ring can be maintained.

[0054] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to specific embodiments or embodiments, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments serve only as examples of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and the application of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, etc.), the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component that performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., is functionally equivalent), even if it is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated herein, unless otherwise indicated. In addition, although a particular feature of the present disclosure may be disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such a feature can be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments as desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the above-described embodiments, but is intended to be limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Claims

1. An ion implantation system for implanting aluminum ions, comprising: An ion source having one or more arc chamber components associated with an arc chamber; An ion source material containing aluminum-containing species; A halide source containing one or more of halide species and halide molecules; A heat source configured to react one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules with the aluminum-containing species to generate aluminum-halide vapor; The halide species and the halide molecules do not contain fluorine; The halide source is configured to supply one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules to the ion source; One or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are further configured to generally clean one or more of the arc chamber components. An ion implantation system.

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

3. The halide molecule is Cl ２ , CCl ４ , BCl ３ , Br ２ , I ２ , HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl ３ , CBr ４ , ChBr ３ , CH ｘ I ｙ The ion implantation system according to claim 2, comprising one or more of these.

4. The aluminum-containing species include one or more of an aluminum atom, AlN, Al ２ O ３ , and Al ４ C ３ The ion implantation system according to claim 1, which contains one or more of them.

5. The ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the arc chamber components include electrodes.

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

7. The arc chamber further includes one or more side walls; The ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are further configured to generally clean one or more of the side walls.

8. The ion implantation system further comprises a conduit fluidly connecting the halide source and the ion source; The ion implantation system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules are introduced as a gas in the vicinity of the ion source.

9. The ion implantation system further comprises a gas ring generally surrounding at least a portion of the ion source; The ion implantation system according to claim 8, wherein the conduit is fluidly connected to the gas ring.

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

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

12. A method for forming an aluminum ion beam, comprising: supplying one or more of aluminum-containing species and / or aluminum-containing components to an ion source; introducing one or more of halide species and halide molecules into the ion source, wherein the halide species is selected from the group consisting of a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, and an iodine atom, and the halide molecule includes a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine, wherein the method further comprises: reacting one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules with one or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or the aluminum-containing components to generate aluminum-halide vapor; further, generally etching and / or cleaning the ion source using one or more of the halide species and the halide molecules; and generating the aluminum ion beam from at least the aluminum-halide vapor.

13. The halide molecule is Cl ２ , CCl ４ , BCl ３ , Br ２ , I ２ , HCl, HBr, HI, CHCl ３ , CBr ４ , ChBr ３ , CH ｘ I ｙ The method according to claim 12, comprising one or more of these.

14. One or more of the aluminum-containing species and / or the aluminum-containing components include one or more of aluminum atoms, AlN, Al ２ O ３ , and Al ４ C ３ . The method according to claim 12, wherein the method comprises one or more of the above.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein one or more of the aluminum-containing components include one or more arc chamber components disposed in 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 in the vicinity of one or more of the arc chamber components.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein one or more of the arc chamber components include one or more of a cathode shield, an electrode, a repeller, a side wall associated with the arc chamber, and a side wall component operably coupled to the side wall.

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

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

20. The ion source comprises an arc chamber generally surrounded by an ion source housing, The method according to claim 12, 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 the halide molecules are introduced into the ion source via a gas ring generally surrounding the arc chamber.

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

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

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the aluminum-containing species comprises 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 supplied to the housing or the arc chamber plasma cavity of the ion source.

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

27. A method of forming an aluminum ion beam, comprising: supplying an aluminum-containing species to an ion source; introducing one or more of a halide species and a halide molecule into the ion source. The halide species is selected from the group consisting of a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, and an iodine atom, The halide molecule contains a halide selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, and iodine, The method is, reacting one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule with the aluminum-containing species to produce an aluminum-halide vapor; generating an aluminum ion beam from at least the aluminum-halide vapor, The method in which the ion source is further generally cleaned by one or more of the halide species and the halide molecule.

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