Delivery of Low Pressure Dopant Gas to a High Voltage Ion Source
First Claim
1. A gas delivery apparatus adapted to transfer low-pressure gas from a supply thereof to an ion source characterized by an elevated voltage potential in relation to said supply, said gas delivery apparatus comprising a gas flow passage, a voltage generator electrically coupled with at least a portion of the gas flow passage to impose an electric field thereon, and an obstructive structure adapted to modulate acceleration length of electrons of said low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of said low-pressure gas in the gas flow passage, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for delivery of low-pressure dopant gas to a high-voltage ion source in the doping of semiconductor substrates, in which undesired ionization of the gas is suppressed prior to entry into the high-voltage ion source, by modulating electron energy upstream of the high-voltage ion source so that electron acceleration effects are reduced to below a level supporting an electronic ionization cascade. The gas delivery system in a specific application includes a gas flow passage, a voltage generator electrically coupled with at least a portion of the gas flow passage to impose an electric field thereon, and an obstructive structure that is deployed to modulate acceleration length of electrons of the low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of the gas, to suppress ionization in the gas flow passage.
20 Citations
53 Claims
- 1. A gas delivery apparatus adapted to transfer low-pressure gas from a supply thereof to an ion source characterized by an elevated voltage potential in relation to said supply, said gas delivery apparatus comprising a gas flow passage, a voltage generator electrically coupled with at least a portion of the gas flow passage to impose an electric field thereon, and an obstructive structure adapted to modulate acceleration length of electrons of said low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of said low-pressure gas in the gas flow passage, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage.
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2. (canceled)
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7-18. -18. (canceled)
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20-22. -22. (canceled)
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24. A semiconductor manufacturing facility, including an ion implantation system including a low-pressure gas supply, an ion source adapted to receive low-pressure gas from said low-pressure gas supply and produce ion implant species, an implant chamber adapted to receive said ion implant species and impinge same on a semiconductor device substrate to produce an implanted substrate article, and a gas delivery apparatus adapted to transfer said low-pressure gas from said supply thereof to said ion source, said gas delivery apparatus comprising a gas flow passage, a voltage generator electrically coupled with at least a portion of the gas flow passage to impose an electric field thereon, and an obstructive structure adapted to modulate acceleration length of electrons of said low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage.
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25. A gas delivery apparatus adapted to transfer low-pressure gas from a supply thereof to an ion source characterized by an elevated voltage potential in relation to said supply, said gas delivery apparatus comprising a gas flow passage, a voltage generator electrically coupled with at least a portion of the gas flow passage to impose an electric field thereon, an obstructive structure adapted to modulate acceleration length of electrons of said low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of said low-pressure gas in the gas flow passage, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage, and an array of resistors electrically coupled with the said voltage generator to control distribution of voltage drop along various portions of the gas flow passage.
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26. (canceled)
- 27. A method of delivering low-pressure gas from a supply thereof to an ion source characterized by an elevated voltage potential in relation to said supply, said method comprising providing a gas flow passage, imposing an electric field on at least a portion of the gas flow passage, and modulating acceleration length of electrons of said low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of said low-pressure gas in the gas flow passage, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in said gas flow passage.
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30-48. -48. (canceled)
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50-51. -51. (canceled)
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52. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor product, comprising ion implantation using a low-pressure gas, including ionizing the low-pressure gas to produce ion implant species, and impinging the ion implant species on a semiconductor device substrate to produce an implanted substrate article, wherein said method comprises flowing the low-pressure gas through a gas flow path to an ion source for said ionizing, imposing an electrical field on a least a portion of the gas flow path, and modulating acceleration length of electrons of the low-pressure gas in relation to ionization potential of the low-pressure gas in the gas flow path, to suppress ionization of said low-pressure gas in the gas flow path.
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53-55. -55. (canceled)
Specification