Biased electrostatic deflector

• US 7,022,984 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axcelis Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Axcelis Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Vanderberg, Bo H., Rathmell, Robert D., Huang, Youngzhang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANTORNO, JENNIFER M
• Application Number:
  US11/047,238
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 250/305
• US Class Current: 250/305
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/053 electrostatic
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/303 Electron or ion optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31705 Impurity or contaminant control
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/05 Electron or ion-optical arrangements for separating electrons or ions according to their energy or massparticle separator tubes H01J49/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3171 for ion implantation

Abstract

Angular electrostatic filters and methods of filtering that remove energy contaminants from a ribbon shaped ion beam are disclosed. An angular electrostatic filter comprises a top deflection plate and a bottom deflection plate extending from an entrance side to an exit side of the filter. The bottom deflection plate is substantially parallel to the top deflection plate and includes an angle portion. An entrance focus electrode is positioned on the entrance side of the filter and an exit focus electrode is positioned on the exit side of the filter and both serve to focus the ion beam. Edge electrodes are positioned between the top and bottom deflection plates and at sides of the filter to mitigate edge effects. A negative bias is also applied to the top and bottom plates to mitigate space charge by elevating the beam energy.

Claims

1. An angular electrostatic filter comprising:

a top deflection plate set to a top voltage extending from an entrance side to an exit side, wherein the top deflection plate is planar;

a bottom deflection plate wherein at least a portion is substantially parallel to the top deflection plate and at least a portion is angled with respect to the top deflection plate, extending from the entrance side to the exit side, and set to a bottom voltage, wherein the bottom voltage is more negative than the top voltage, and wherein an electric field is generated between the top deflection plate and the bottom deflection plate;

an entrance electrode positioned at the entrance side of the filter and set to a first focus voltage; and

an exit electrode positioned at the exit side of the filter, wherein the exit electrode is set to a second focus voltage.

2. The filter of claim 1, wherein the first focus voltage and the second focus voltage are set to an average of the bottom voltage and the top voltage.

3. The filter of claim 1, wherein the electric field causes ions having a selected energy to deflect by a particular angle.

4. The filter of claim 3, further comprising an exit slit downstream of the exit electrode, wherein the ions deflected by the particular angle pass through the exit slit.

5. The filter of claim 1, wherein the entrance electrode focuses an ion beam entering through the filter and shapes the electric field near the entrance side of the filter.

6. The filter of claim 1, wherein the exit electrode focuses an ion beam exiting the filter and shapes the electric field near the exit side of the filter.

7. The filter of claim 1, wherein the top voltage is a negative value, the bottom voltage is a more negative value, and an average of the top voltage and the bottom voltage is a negative value.

8. The filter of claim 1, wherein the bottom deflection plate comprises an angled portion.

9. The filter of claim 8, further comprising a pair of edge electrodes extending from the entrance electrode to the exit electrode, set to an edge focus value, is substantially parallel to the top and bottom deflection plates, includes an angled portion and mitigates field penetration.

10. A beamline assembly comprising:

an accelerator component that selectively decelerates a ribbon shaped incoming ion beam;

a tube focus component that further decelerates the ion beam and focuses the ion beam in a vertical direction; and

an angular electrostatic filter that removes energy contaminants from the ion beam and directs the ion beam toward a target, wherein the angular electrostatic filter comprises;

a top deflection plate extending from an entrance side to an exit side, wherein the top deflection plate is planar;

a bottom deflection plate having a non-angled portion substantially parallel to the top deflection plate, extending from the entrance side toward the exit side and an angled portion extending from the non-angled portion to the exit side;

an entrance electrode having an aperture that permits passage of the ion beam positioned at entrance side of the filter;

an exit electrode positioned having an aperture that permits passage of the ion beam positioned at the exit side of the filter;

a pair of edge electrodes extending from the entrance side to the exit side, substantially parallel to the top deflection plate and positioned midway between the top deflection plate and the bottom deflection plate; and

an exit slit positioned downstream of the exit electrode that blocks energy contaminants and permits passage of ions having selected energies.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the tube focus voltage is negative and allows the beam to decelerate but still maintain a higher energy than a final energy while within the angular electrostatic filter.

12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein a negative bias voltage is applied across the top and bottom deflection plates that causes the ion beam to maintain a somewhat higher energy than a final energy while between the top and bottom deflection plates.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the pair of edge electrodes are set to the bias voltage to mitigate edge fringe field affects.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the entrance electrode is set to the bias voltage.

15. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the angled portion of the bottom deflection plate comprises about half of the bottom deflection plate near the exit side of the filter and at an angle away from the top deflection plate.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the angled portion of the bottom plate is at an angle of about twice a bend angle of the beam.

17. A method of removing energy contaminants form a ribbon shaped ion beam comprising:

selecting an angle of deflection for a selected energy range for the ribbon shaped ion beam;

applying an entrance focus field that focuses the ion beam in a vertical direction;

applying an edge field that mitigates non-uniform fields near an end of a deflection field; and

applying the deflection field according to the selected energy range at the selected angle of deflection, wherein applying the deflection field comprises applying a negative bias across a planar top deflection plate and a bottom deflection plate having an angled portion and a planar portion, wherein the ion beam travels between the top and bottom deflection plates, wherein the planar portion is parallel to the top deflection plates an is located at an entrance side of the deflection field.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising applying an exit focus field that focuses the ion beam in a vertical direction after applying the deflection field.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising blocking energy contaminants after applying the deflection field.