Composite ion source based upon heterogeneous metal-metal fluoride system

An ion implanter, comprising:

• an ion source, configured to generate a metal ion beam comprising a plurality of metal ions, the ion source comprising:
• an ion chamber to generate an ion beam comprising a metal ion species;
• and
• a charge source, coupled to deliver a metal vapor to the ion chamber, the charge source comprising a charge mixture, the charge mixture comprising:
• a first portion, comprising an elemental metal;
• and
• a second portion, comprising a heterogeneous metal fluoride compound formed from a heterogeneous metallic element, different from the elemental metal;
• and
• a mass filter, disposed downstream of the ion source, and configured to filter out from the metal ion beam a set of impurity ions containing the heterogeneous metallic element.

A method of operating a metal ion source, comprising:

• providing a charge mixture in a charge source, the charge source comprising a vaporizer or a retractable crucible, the charge mixture comprising a first portion, comprising an elemental metal, and a second portion, comprising a heterogeneous metal fluoride compound in solid form;
• heating the charge mixture to an operating temperature, wherein the charge source generates a metal vapor comprising at least one metal sub-fluoride species;
• and
• generating metal ions in an ion chamber of the metal ion source, the metal ions being derived from the metal vapor.