Ion beam collimating grid to reduce added defects

• US 6,521,897 B1
• Filed: 11/17/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EUV Limited Liability Corporation
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Kearney, Patrick A., Lindquist, Walter B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERNANDEZ, KALIMAH
• Application Number:
  US09/715,543
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.21, 250/396.R, 250/427, 250/423.R, 250/423.F, 250/492.3, 438/680, 438/674
• US Class Current: 250/423.00F
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 27/024 Extraction optics, e.g. grids

Abstract

A collimating grid for an ion source located after the exit grid. The collimating grid collimates the ion beamlets and disallows beam spread and limits the beam divergence during transients and steady state operation. The additional exit or collimating grid prevents beam divergence during turn-on and turn-off and prevents ions from hitting the periphery of the target where there is re-deposited material or from missing the target and hitting the wall of the vessel where there is deposited material, thereby preventing defects from being deposited on a substrate to be coated. Thus, the addition of a collimating grid to an ion source ensures that the ion beam will hit and be confined to a specific target area.

Claims

1. In an ion beam source, the improvement comprising:

a collimating grid which insures that ions of the ion beam hit and are confined to a specific target area,

said collimating grid being position in spaced relationship to an exit grid of said ion source,

said collimating grid and said exit grid being at the same potential, and

said collimating grid being constructed and located with respect to said exit grid to collimate ion beamlets, disallow beam spread, and limit beam divergence during transients and steady state operation.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said collimating grid operates without external cooling in ion beam sources having a power in the range of 100 to 1000 watts.

3. An ion beam source having a set of grids comprising:

an entrance grid,

a suppressor grid,

an exit grid, and

a collimating grid located downstream beamwise from and spaced from said exit grid,

said collimating grid being connected to said exit grid, and

said collimating grid being constructed and located to collimate ion beamlets, disallow beam spread, and limit beam divergence during transients and steady state operation.

4. The ion beam source of claim 3, having a power in the range of about 100 watts to about 1000 watts.

5. A method of reducing defects caused by ions of an ion beam source hitting re-deposited target material or material deposited on a wall of a deposition chamber, comprising:

providing a collimating grid downstream from an exit grid of an ion beam source, and

positioning the collimating grid with respect to the exit grid so as to collimate ion beamlets from the ion source onto a specific area of a target,

connecting the collimating grid to the exit grid so as to be at the same potential, and

constructing and positioning the collimating grid so as to collimate ion beamlets, disallow beam spread, and limit the beam divergences during transient operation and during steady state operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the collimating grid is positioned in a low power source having operating in a power range of 100 to 1000 watts.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein positioning the collimating beam is carried out at a distance of 1 to 3 cm from the exit grid of the ion beam source.