METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUS LARGE-AREA SCANNING IMPLANTATION PROCESS

• US 20080038908A1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Genesis
• Original Assignee: Silicon Genesis
• Inventors: Henley, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 8,153,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/530
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/184 Vacuum locks
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/30 Electron or ion beam tubes for processing objects
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31 Processing objects on a macro-scale
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/185 Means for transferring objects between different enclosures of different pressure or atmosphere
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/20 Means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support introducing the objects H01J37/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3171 for ion implantation plasma immersion ion implantation H01J37/32412
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32412 Plasma immersion ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67754 horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1804 comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method for manufacturing doped substrates using a continuous large area scanning implantation process is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a movable track member. The movable track member is provided in a chamber. The chamber includes an inlet and an outlet. In a specific embodiment, the movable track member can include one or more rollers, air bearings, belt member, and/or movable beam member to provide one or more substrates for a scanning process. The method may also include providing a first substrate. The first substrate includes a first plurality of tiles. The method maintains the first substrate including the first plurality of tiles in a vacuum. The method includes transferring the first substrate including the first plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member. The first plurality of tiles are subjected to a scanning implant process. The method also includes maintaining a second substrate including a second plurality of tiles in the vacuum. The method includes transferring the second substrate including a second plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member. The method includes subjecting the second plurality of tiles to an implant process using the scanning implant process.

Claims

1. A method for forming substrates using a continuous implant process, the method comprising:

providing a movable track member, the movable track member being provided within a chamber, the chamber including an inlet port, an outlet port and a process chamber;

maintaining a first substrate including a first plurality of tiles in the inlet port, the chamber being maintained in a vacuum environment;

transferring the first substrate including the first plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member;

subjecting the first plurality of tiles to a first implant process using a scanning implant process, while the chamber including the first plurality of tiles being maintained in a vacuum environment;

maintaining a second substrate including a second plurality of tiles in the inlet port, the inlet port being maintained in a vacuum environment while the first plurality of tiles are being implanted;

transferring the second substrate including a second plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member; and

subjecting the second plurality of tiles to a second implant process using the scanning implant process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are provided by load lock systems coupled to the chamber.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process forms a thickness of material defined by a cleave plane within a thickness of each of the tiles on the first substrate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process forms a thickness of material defined by a cleave plane within a thickness of each of the tiles on the second substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of tiles and the second plurality of tiles are respectively subjected to a controlled cleaving process after the scanning implant process.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process is provided by movement of an implant beam.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process is provided by spatial movement of the first substrate by the movable track member.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first substrate comprises a tray device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the movable track member includes a plurality of rollers, air bearing, or movable track.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process includes a co-implant of hydrogen and helium species.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process includes a hydrogen implant process and a helium implant process.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process includes a first helium implant process and a hydrogen implant process.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process comprises a high energy implant process to cause formation of a thickness of material defined by a cleave plane within a thickness of each of the tiles, the thickness of material being at least 500 nanometers as provided by the high energy implant process

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process comprises a first implant process and a second implant process.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a mask to shield a peripheral region of each of the plurality of tiles.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting each of the tiles to a thermal process to heat each of the tiles during the scanning implant process.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting each of the tiles to a thermal process to heat each of the tiles during the scanning implant process, the thermal process being selected from conduction, infra-red radiation, convection, or combination of these.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the chamber is coupled to another chamber for implanting species into each of the tiles.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of tiles and the second plurality of tiles are respectively subjected to a thermal separation process after the scanning implant process.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of tiles and the second plurality of tiles are respectively subjected to a porous silicon separation process after the scanning implant process.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process forms at least one impurity regions within a thickness of each of the tiles on the first substrate.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process forms at least one impurity regions within a thickness of each of the tiles on the second substrate.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process provides a P type impurity species in a thickness of each of the first plurality of tiles and in a thickness of each of the second plurality of tiles, the P type impurity species include a boron species or others.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning implant process provides implant of a N type impurity species in a thickness of each of the first plurality of tiles and in a thickness of each of the second plurality of tiles, the N type impurity species include a phosphorus species, an antimony species, an arsenic species, or others.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein:

subjecting the first plurality of tiles to a first implant process comprises subjecting the first plurality of tiles to implantation including at least a hydrogen bearing species using a scanning implant process operable at a high energy range greater than a first determined amount suitable to form a free standing thickness of material cleaved from at least one of the first plurality of tiles, while the chamber including the first plurality of tiles being maintained in a vacuum environment; and

subjecting the second plurality of tiles to a second implant process comprises subjecting the second plurality of tiles to implantation including at least a hydrogen bearing species using the scanning implant process operable at the high energy range greater than the first determined amount.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the first determined amount ranges from about 550 keV to about 5 MeV for the first implant process;

and wherein the first plurality of tiles are composed of a silicon material.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the first determined amount ranges from about 550 keV to about 5 MeV for the first implant process;

and wherein the first plurality of tiles are composed of a single crystal silicon material.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the hydrogen bearing species is substantially H+ or H2+ or H3+.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first plurality of tiles comprises a surface region having a screen layer to screen one or more contaminants.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting the plurality of first tiles to a thermal process after the first scanning implant process.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the first scanning implant process maintains a substantially constant power density.

32. A method for forming substrates using a scanning process, the method comprising:

providing a movable track member;

providing a substrate including a plurality of tiles onto the movable track;

maintaining the substrate including the plurality of tiles in a vacuum, the vacuum being provided by a chamber;

transferring the substrate including the plurality of tiles using the movable track within a vicinity of a first implant process;

subjecting the plurality of tiles to the first implant process using a first scanning process;

transferring the substrate including the plurality of tiles using the movable track within a vicinity of a second implant process; and

subjecting the plurality of tiles to the second implant process using a second scanning process.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the plurality of tiles is a reusable substrate member.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the first implant process and the second implant process provide a thickness of material defined by a cleave plane in a thickness of the reusable substrate member.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the substrate members is further subjected to a controlled cleaving process after the first implant process and the second implant process.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the first scanning process is provided by movement of an implant beam, movement of the track, or both movement of the implant beam and movement of the track.

37. The method of claim 32 wherein the first scanning process is characterized by a gas, a voltage, and ion species.

38. The method of claim 32 wherein the second scanning process is characterized by a gas, a voltage, and ion species.

39. The method of claim 32 wherein the second scanning process is provided by the movable track member.

40. The method of claim 32 wherein the second implant process is provided by movement of an implant beam, movement of the track or both movement of the implant beam and movement of the track.

41. The method of claim 32 wherein the second implant process is provided by a second implant device.

42. The method of claim 32 wherein the movable track member includes a plurality of rollers, a plurality of air bearings, or a movable track.

43. The method of claim 32 wherein the movable track is provided in-line.

44. The method of claim 32 wherein the movable track is provided in a robot configuration

45. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the plurality of tiles has a surrounding implant shield to protect an edge region of each of the plurality of tiles.

46. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the plurality tiles has an exclusion region of about one centimeters in a peripheral region of each of the tiles.

47. The method of claim 32 further comprising performing a controlled cleaving process to remove a thickness of material from at least one of the tiles and form a remaining cleaved surface region on the tile and performing a polishing process to the cleaved surface region to form a flattened surface region.

48. The method of claim 45 wherein the surrounding implant shield is made of amorphous silicon or silicon or single crystal silicon or silicon germanium.

49. The method of claim 32 wherein the implant device is configured to include a showerhead, the shower head has a width of about 450 mm.

50. The method of claim 32 wherein the ion species comprises molecular ion H³⁺, the molecular ion provides a current density of 20×

10<sup>−

6</sup> amps per cm² or 1.25×

10¹⁴H³⁺ ions per cm² per second or 3.75×

10¹⁴H⁺ ions per cm² per second.

51. The method of claim 32 wherein the implant process provides a dose of 2.0×

10¹⁶ hydrogen atoms per cm².

52. The method of claim 32 wherein the first implant process and the second implant process provide at least one impurity regions in a thickness of each of the plurality of tiles.

53. The method of claim 32 wherein the first implant process and the second implant process provide at least one impurity regions within a thickness of each of the plurality of tiles.

54. The method of claim 32 wherein the scanning process is operable at an energy range from about 120 keV to about 2.1 MeV, and wherein the first implant process and the second implant process include a hydrogen species.

55. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the plurality tiles has an exclusion region of about one centimeters in a peripheral region of each of the tiles.

56. The method of claim 32 wherein the plurality of tiles are arranged in an off-axis orientation in relation to a direction of the implant process.

57. The method of claim 32 wherein the plurality of tiles are arranged in an on-axis orientation in relation to a direction of the implant process to increase a depth of the implant process in relation to the plurality of tiles arranged in an off-axis orientation in relation to the direction of the implant process.

58. A tray device for performing one or more implantation processes, the tray device comprising:

a frame member, the frame member comprising a plurality of sites;

a plurality of substrate members provided respectively on the plurality of sites, and

a tray member housed in the frame member to provide support for the plurality of substrate members.

59. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the tray member is provided in a vertical orientation in relation to gravity.

60. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the tray member is provided in an upside-down orientation in relation to gravity.

61. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the tray member is provided in an angled orientation.

62. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the tray member is provided in an orientation to prevent defect formation on the plurality of substrate members.

63. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members has a dimension of about 125 mm by about 125 mm.

64. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members comprises a silicon bearing material.

65. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of sites is arranged as an array having a six by six site configuration.

66. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of sites is arranged as an array having an eight by eight site configuration.

67. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of sites is arranged as an array to hold three by three 300 mm wafers.

68. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of sites is arranged as an array to hold five by N 200 mm wafers, where N is an integer of five and greater.

69. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of sites is arranged as an array to hold six by N 150 mm wafers, where N is an integer of six and greater.

70. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the plurality of reusable substrates are subjected to a bond process and/or a cleave process, the bond process and/or the cleave processes is performed on the plurality of substrates together or separately.

71. The tray device of claim 58 wherein the tray member has a dimension of about one meter by one meter.

72. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members has a surrounding implant shield.

73. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members has an exclusion region in a peripheral region of each of the reusable substrate member, the exclusion region has a dimension of about one cm and less.

74. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members is further subjected to a controlled cleaving process to remove a thickness of material from at least one of the substrate member and form a remaining cleaved surface region on the substrate member, the remaining cleaved surface region is subjected to a polishing process to form a flattened surface region.

75. The tray device of claim 74 wherein the implant shield is selected from amorphous silicon or silicon or silicon germanium.

76. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members comprises a silicon wafer.

77. The tray device of claim 58 wherein each of the substrate members is subjected to an scanning implant process

78. The tray device of claim 77 wherein each of the substrate members is subjected to an anneal process after the scanning implant process.

79. A scanning implant apparatus using a plurality of tiles to be processed, the apparatus comprising:

a movable track member;

a chamber coupled to the movable track member, the chamber being adapted to house a substrate and maintain the substrate including the plurality of tiles in a vacuum environment; and

an implant device provided by at least the chamber coupled to the movable track member, the implant device being provided by subjecting the plurality of tiles to a plurality of particles using a first scanning process performed by movement of the substrate via the movable track member through the implant device provided by at least the chamber.

80. A method of doping a substrate using a continuous implant process, the method comprising:

providing a movable track member, the movable track member being provided within a chamber, the chamber including an inlet port, an outlet port and a process chamber;

maintaining a first substrate including a first plurality of tiles in the inlet port, the chamber being maintained in a vacuum environment;

transferring the first s substrate including a first plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member;

subjecting the first plurality of tiles to a first implant process using a scanning implant process, while the chamber including the first substrate being maintained in a vacuum environment;

maintaining a second substrate including a second plurality of tiles in the inlet port, the inlet port being maintained in a vacuum environment while the first plurality of tiles are being implanted;

transferring the second substrate including the second plurality of tiles from the inlet port onto the movable track member; and

subjecting the second semiconductor substrate to a second implant process using the scanning implant process;

wherein the first scanning implant process provides an impurity region in a thickness of the first substrate to form at least one p-n junction for a photovoltaic device and the second scanning implant process provides an impurity in a thickness of the second plurality of tiles to form at least one p-n junction for a photovoltaic device.

81. The method of claim 80 wherein the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate are silicon wafers of a first conductive type, the first conductive type being a p-type.

82. The method of claim 80 wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are provided by load lock systems coupled to the chamber.

83. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process forms at least one impurity regions within a thickness in a vicinity of the surface of each if the tiles on the first substrate.

84. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process forms at least one impurity regions within a thickness in a vicinity of the surface of each of the tiles on the second substrate.

85. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process is provided by movement of an implant beam.

86. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process is provided by spatial movement of the first substrate by the movable track member.

87. The method of claim 80 wherein the first substrate comprises a tray device.

88. The method of claim 80 wherein the movable track member includes a plurality of rollers, air bearing, or movable track.

89. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process provides impurity particles in a thickness in a vicinity of the surface of each of the first plurality of tiles to form at least one p-n junctions for a photovoltaic cell structure.

90. The method of claim 80 wherein the scanning implant process provides impurity particles in a thickness in a vicinity of the surface of each of the second plurality of tiles to form at least one p-n junctions for a photovoltaic cell structure.

91. A scanning implant apparatus using a plurality of tiles to be processed, the apparatus comprising:

a movable track member;

a chamber coupled to the movable track member, the chamber being adapted to house a substrate and maintain the substrate including the plurality of tiles in a vacuum environment; and

an implant device provided by at least the chamber coupled to the movable track member, the implant device being provided by subjecting the plurality of tiles to a plurality of hydrogen particles using a first scanning process performed by movement of the substrate via the movable track member through the implant device provided by at least the chamber, the hydrogen particles being selected from H+ or H2+ or H3+.

92. A method for forming substrates for one or more layer transfer processes using a high energy linear accelerator process, the method comprising:

providing a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a surface region;

introducing a first plurality of particles through a first portion of the surface region using a high energy linear accelerator process to cause formation of a first selected cleave region within a first thickness of semiconductor material below the surface region;

scanning the high energy linear accelerator process to a second portion of the surface region to introduce a second plurality of particles through a second portion of the surface region to cause formation of a second selected cleave region within a second thickness of semiconductor material below the surface region;

continuing the introduction of the plurality of particles through other portions of the surface region to cause formation of a cleave region including the first selected cleave region and the second selected cleave region; and

cleaving the thickness of semiconductor material within a vicinity of the cleave region to remove the thickness of material from the semiconductor substrate.

93. The method of claim 92 wherein the linear accelerator process is selected from radio frequency quadrupole or drift tube linac.

94. The method of claim 92 wherein the plurality of particles is selected from a neutral ion beam, H species, H2 species, or H−

or H+ or H2+ species.

95. The method of claim 92 wherein the scanning is provided by movement of a beam of the implanted particles, movement of the substrate, or movement of both the beam of implanted particles and the substrate.

96. The method of claim 92 wherein the first plurality of particles are provided using an expanded beam from the high energy linear accelerator process.

97. The method of claim 92 wherein the semiconductor substrate is subjected to thermal energy to cause an increase in temperature of the semiconductor substrate from a first temperature to a second temperature.

98. The method of claim 92 wherein the semiconductor substrate is one of a plurality of semiconductor substrates in a tray device.

99. The method of claim 92 wherein the semiconductor substrate is mechanically stationary and maintained on an electrostatic or mechanical chuck.

100. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleaving is provided in a cleaving chamber and the introducing is provided in an implant chamber.

101. The method of claim 100 wherein the cleaving chamber is coupled to the implant chamber and further comprising a robot device operably configured to the cleaving chamber and the implant chamber.

102. The method of claim 92 further comprising subjecting the surface region to a surface preparation process before the introducing process.

103. The method of claim 102 wherein the subjecting is provided while the semiconductor substrate is maintained on an electrostatic or mechanical chuck.

104. The method of claim 92 further comprising processing the surface region before the introducing process.

105. The method of claim 104 wherein the processing comprises an etchant species or a passivation gas.

106. The method of claim 92 further comprising transferring the thickness of semiconductor material to a transfer tray.

107. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleaving is provided using a thermal process.

108. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleaving is provided using a heat sink or heat source.

109. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleaving comprising a mechanical initiation process and a propagation process to detach the thickness of semiconductor material.

110. The method of claim 92 further comprising increasing a temperature of the thickness of semiconductor material during a portion of the cleaving.

111. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleaving comprising selectively applying energy on a portion of the thickness of semiconductor material.

112. The method of claim 92 wherein the introducing the plurality of first particles is provided at a dosage of less than 1e17 H/cm2 or less than 5e16 H/cm2 or less than 1e16 H/cm2.

113. The method of claim 92 further comprising applying thermal energy to the thickness of semiconductor material using an induction process, electrical process, conduction process or introduction of the plurality of first particles process.

114. The method of claim 113 wherein the thermal energy is selectively providing using a sensing and feedback process.

115. The method of claim 92 further comprising processing an edge region of the thickness of semiconductor material.

116. The method of claim 115 wherein the processing includes etching and/or polishing.

117. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleave region is characterized by a substantially spatially averaged plurality of particles.

118. The method of claim 92 wherein the cleave region is characterized by a substantially spatially averaged energy level.

119. The method of claim 117 wherein the cleave region is characterized by a substantially spatially averaged energy level.