Ion implanter with contaminant collecting surface
View Patent ↗An ion implanter includes an ion source for generating an ion beam moving along a beam line and a vacuum or implantation chamber wherein a workpiece, such as a silicon wafer is positioned to intersect the ion beam for ion implantation of a surface of the workpiece by the ion beam. A liner has an interior facing surface that bounds at least a portion of the evacuated interior region and that comprises grooves spaced across the surface of the liner to capture contaminants generated within the interior region during operation of the ion implanter.
1. An ion implanter comprising:
a) an ion source for generating an ion beam confined to a beam path;
b) an implantation chamber having an evacuated interior region wherein a workpiece is positioned to intersect the ion beam;
c) beam confining structure including structure that accelerates and shapes ions from the source that form the ion beam along a beam path between the ion source and the implantation chamber; and
d) a particle trap having an exposed surface having grooves or channels having a width in a range between 0.00254 and 1.2 millimeters extending into said surface that are spaced across at least a portion of the exposed surface.
2. The ion implanter of claim 1 wherein the grooves are approximately 0.2±0.01 mm wide.
3. The implanter of claim 1 wherein the grooves are v shaped.
4. The implanter of claim 1 wherein the grooves or channels are formed along arcuate paths.
5. The ion implanter of claim 1 where a depth of the grooves or channels into said surface is in range of 0.00254 to 2.5 millimeters.
6. The ion implanter of claim 5 wherein the grooves have a depth of 1 ±0.01 mm.
7. The implanter of claim 1 wherein the particle trap comprises a graphite material.
8. An ion implanter method comprising:
a) creating ions in a confined region;
b) accelerating ions away from the confined region through an evacuated region to form a beam and shaping the ion beam so that ions within the beam follow a desired beam path;
c) positioning a workpiece within an ion implantation chamber in fluid communication with the evacuated region for ion treatment due to the ions of said beam striking the workpiece; and
d) collecting contaminants by roughening an inwardly facing surface of either the evacuated region bounding the ion beam or interior walls of the implantation chamber;
e) said roughening comprising machining circular patterns into the inwardly facing surface to form grooves across an exposed surface of said inwardly facing surface.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein a liner is inserted into either the evacuated region bound the ion beam or said implantation chamber.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the machining is performed by a cutter that is simultaneously moved about a circular path and translated across said surface.
11. In an ion implanter having an ion source for generating an ions for movement along a beam path to an implantation chamber, apparatus comprising:
structure bounding an evacuated interior region from the source to the implantation chamber; and
a liner having an interior facing surface that bounds at least a portion of the evacuated interior region and that comprises grooves extend along arcuate paths that intersect other arcuate shaped grooves spaced across the surface of the liner to capture contaminants generated within the interior region during operation of the ion implanter.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the liner is graphite and the grooves have a depth of at least 0.00254 mm and a width at their widest part of at least 0.00254 mm.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the grooves are v shaped in section.
14. An ion implanter method comprising:
a) creating ions in a confined region;
b) accelerating ions away from the confined region through an evacuated region to form a beam and shaping the ion beam so that ions within the beam follow a desired beam path;
c) positioning a workpiece within an ion implantation chamber in fluid communication with the evacuated region for ion treatment due to the ions of said beam striking the workpiece; and
d) collecting contaminants by roughening an inwardly facing surface of either the evacuated region bounding the ion beam or interior walls of the implantation chamber;
e) said roughing comprising forming grooves having a width in a range between 0.00254 and 1.2 millimeters across an exposed surface of said inwardly facing surface.
15. An ion implanter comprising:
a) an ion source for generating an ion beam confined to a beam path;
b) an implantation chamber having an evacuated interior region wherein a workpiece is positioned to intersect the ion beam;
c) beam confining structure including structure that accelerates and shapes ions from the source that form the ion beam along a beam path between the ion source and the implantation chamber; and
d) a particle trap having an exposed surface positioned within the ion implantation chamber having grooves or channels extending into said surface that are spaced across at least a portion of the exposed surface.