Method and apparatus for enhanced lifetime and performance of ion source in an ion implantation system
View Patent ↗An ion implantation system and process, in which the performance and lifetime of the ion source of the ion implantation system are enhanced, by utilizing isotopically enriched dopant materials, or by utilizing dopant materials with supplemental gas(es) effective to provide such enhancement.
1. A packaged gas mixture for use in ion implantation, comprising a gas storage and dispensing vessel containing a gas mixture comprising dopant gas and supplemental gas, wherein the supplemental gas includes at least one of a diluent gas and a co-species gas, and wherein at least one of the dopant gas and, when present, a co-species gas, is isotopically enriched above natural abundance level in at least one isotope.
2. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises a diluent gas.
3. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises a co-species gas.
4. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises a diluent gas and a co-species gas.
5. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises dopant gas comprising a dopant species selected from the group consisting of germanium, boron, silicon, phosphorus, and arsenic.
6. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises dopant gas selected from the group consisting of germanium tetrafluoride, germane, boron trifluoride, diborane, silicon tetrafluoride, silane, phosphine, and arsine.
7. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises a dopant species that is coordinated or associated to a non-dopant component selected from the group consisting of hydride, halide, and organo components.
8. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises at least one gas selected from the group consisting of argon, fluorine, nitrogen, helium, ammonia, xenon, hydrogen, and germane.
9. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises germanium tetrafluoride.
10. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises germane.
11. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises boron trifluoride.
12. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises diborane.
13. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises silicon tetrafluoride.
14. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises silane.
15. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises phosphine.
16. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the dopant gas comprises arsine.
17. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises germanium tetrafluoride and xenon.
18. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises germanium tetrafluoride and hydrogen.
19. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises germanium tetrafluoride, xenon, and hydrogen.
20. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises germanium tetrafluoride and germane.
21. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises boron trifluoride and xenon.
22. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises boron trifluoride and hydrogen.
23. The packaged gas mixture of claim 1 , wherein the gas mixture comprises boron trifluoride and diborane.
24. A method for enhancing operation of an ion implantation system, comprising providing for use in the ion implantation system the packaged gas mixture of claim 1 .
25. An ion implantation process, comprising:
flowing to an ion source a gas mixture from a packaged gas mixture according to claim 1 ;
generating ionic dopant species from the gas mixture at the ion source; and
implanting the ionic dopant species in a substrate.