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US5206516A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Low energy, steered ion beam deposition system having high current at low pressure

Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1991-04-29
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Granted: 1993-04-27
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Expires: 2011-04-29
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Abstract

Abstract An ion beam deposition system in which ions of different masses and from different sources are independently steered into different parts of an analyzer magnet to be converged into a single wide beam which maintains a perpendicular relationship between the beam and the target. The beam is decelerated by a slit type deceleration lens to an energy suitable for deposition. The target is then scanned across the decelerated beam. The beam is maintained at high current and low pressure by confining electrons away from the magnet and/or adding energy to the low pressure atmosphere inside the analyzer magnet to produce a plasma of electrons and charged particles in order to provide adequate neutralizing of the space charge of the beam.

Inventors

  • 👤 John H. Keller
  • 👤 Dennis K. Coultas

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 03:19
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/02; H01J37/04; H01J37/05; H01J37/30; H01J37/317; H01J37/3178; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/004; H01J2237/0041; H01J2237/05; H01J2237/055

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 45
Claim 1
Independent Claim 82 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source, said ion source providing a particular pattern, said ion beam deposition apparatus including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said particular pattern in at least one plane into a pattern of high aspect ratio at a focal or crossover point located prior to a target.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 82 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source, said ion source providing a particular pattern, said ion beam deposition apparatus including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said particular pattern in at least one plane into a pattern of high aspect ratio at a focal or crossover point located prior to a target.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 60 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said magnet means includes an arcuate ion optical axis, two pole pieces joining poles of a first magnet positioned near a center of said arcuate ion optical axis and corresponding poles of a second magnet positioned opposite said ion beam for said first magnet, thereby defining a cavity within said magnet means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 15 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said first and second magnets are electromagnets.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 15 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further including at least one second ion source.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 31 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 4, further including means for converging an ion beam from said at least one second ion source with said beam from said first ion source.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 56 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for converging an ion beam from said at least one second ion source with said beam from said first ion source includes means for selectively deflecting said beam from said at least one second ion source to selected locations within said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 38 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said means for selectively deflecting said beam comprises a split deflector, respective portions of which are electrically isolated from each other and adjacent to opposite sides of said ion beam.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 41 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said ion source is a multi-aperture ion source and said magnet means includes means for adjusting the focal length thereof to converge beams from said multi-aperture source in said at least one plane.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 15 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 8, further including at least one second ion source.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 31 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 9, further including means for converging an ion beam from said at least one second ion source with said beam from said first ion source.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 56 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said means for converging an ion beam from said at least one second ion source with said beam from said first ion source includes means for selectively deflecting said beam from said at least one second ion source to selected locations within said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 38 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said means for selectively deflecting said beam comprises a split deflector, respective portions of which are electrically isolated from each other and adjacent to opposite sides of said ion beam.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 19 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 9, further including means for confining a plasma occurring within said magnet means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 19 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said means for confirming a plasma comprises electrostatic plasma confinement means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said means for confining a plasma comprises magnetic mirror plasma confinement means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said means for confining a plasma comprises multipole magnetic plasma confinement means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 26 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 9, further including means, independent of said ion beam, for producing a plasma from background gas within said magnet means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes RF magnetic field producing means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 52 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein said RF magnetic field producing means includes a pair of coils within said cavity of said magnet means and adjacent said first and second magnets and oriented to produce an RF magnetic field generally perpendicular to a magnetic field produced by said magnet means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 34 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes a microwave wave guide means for conveying microwave energy to background gas in said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 33 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes a capacitive coupling means for coupling RF energy to background gas in said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 65 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said ion beam into a pattern of high aspect ratio, and means for confining a plasma occurring within said magnet means.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 65 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said ion beam into a pattern of high aspect ratio, and means for confining a plasma occurring within said magnet means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 19 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for confining a plasma comprises electrostatic plasma confinement means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for confining a plasma comprises magnetic mirror plasma confinement means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said means for confining a plasma comprises multipole magnetic plasma confinement means.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 72 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said ion beam into a pattern of high aspect ratio, and means, independent of said ion beam, for producing a plasma from background gas within said magnet means.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 72 words
An ion beam deposition apparatus for producing low temperature epitaxial growth of a semiconductor material including at least a first ion source including a magnet means having means for mass-analyzing an ion beam from at least said first ion source including means for focussing said ion beam into a pattern of high aspect ratio, and means, independent of said ion beam, for producing a plasma from background gas within said magnet means.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim 20 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes RF magnetic field producing means.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 52 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein said RF magnetic field producing means includes a pair of coils within said cavity of said magnet means and adjacent said first and second magnets and oriented to produce an RF magnetic field generally perpendicular to a magnetic field produced by said magnet means.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim 34 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes a microwave wave guide means for conveying microwave energy to background gas in said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim 33 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said means for producing a plasma includes a capacitive coupling means for coupling RF energy to background gas in said cavity of said magnet means.
Claim 34
Independent Claim 69 words
A method of depositing a material on a surface by ion deposition of a material from an ion beam from at least one ion source providing a particular pattern including the step of simultaneously mass analyzing and focussing said particular pattern in at least one plane at a focal or crossover point located prior to a target plane with a single magnet means having an arcuate ion optical axis.
Claim 35
Independent Claim 69 words
A method of depositing a material on a surface by ion deposition of a material from an ion beam from at least one ion source providing a particular pattern including the step of simultaneously mass analyzing and focussing said particular pattern in at least one plane at a focal or crossover point located prior to a target plane with a single magnet means having an arcuate ion optical axis.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim 60 words
A method as recited in claim 31, including the further step of subjecting at least a portion of said ion beam to a selectable path length different from a path length of another portion of said beam in dependence on the location along a width of said magnet means where said portion of said ion beam enters said magnet means.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim 40 words
A method as recited in claim 32, including the further step of producing said another portion of said ion beam from said at least one ion source and producing said portion of said ion beam with a further ion source.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim 30 words
A method as recited in claim 33 including the further step of steering said portion of said ion beam to a selected location along said width of said magnet means.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim 28 words
A method as recited in claim 31, including the further step of confining plasma produced within said magnet means to locations separated from poles of said magnetic means.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method as recited in claim 31, including the further step of producing a plasma within said magnet means independently of said ion beam.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method as recited in claim 35, including the further step of producing a plasma within said magnet means independently of said ion beam.
Claim 42
Independent Claim 49 words
An apparatus for producing an ion beam within a volume of ionizable gas at high vacuum, a predetermined fraction of said ionizable gas being ionized by said ion beam including means for increasing the concentration of electrons available for space charge neutralizing said ion beam from said ionizable gas.
Claim 43
Independent Claim 49 words
An apparatus for producing an ion beam within a volume of ionizable gas at high vacuum, a predetermined fraction of said ionizable gas being ionized by said ion beam including means for increasing the concentration of electrons available for space charge neutralizing said ion beam from said ionizable gas.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim 29 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 38, wherein said means for increasing said concentration of electrons comprises means for confining said electrons within said volume of said ionizable gas.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim 27 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 38, wherein said means for increasing said concentration of electrons comprises means for ionizing an additional fraction of said ionizable gas.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1996-04-26 1996-10-26 1997-04-27 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2000-04-26 2000-10-26 2001-04-27 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2004-04-26 2004-10-26 2005-04-27 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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