Cooled sputtering target for ion source
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorOri Noked
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ion source with a target holder for holding a solid dopant material is disclosed. The target holder is mounted to a shaft, which may be in communication with an actuator, which allows the solid dopant material to be inserted and retracted from the arc chamber. The shaft and/or the target holder is actively cooled such that the solid dopant material remains below its melting point. In this way, the solid dopant material may be inserted into the arc chamber without any melting. The cooling mechanisms used may include gas cooling, liquid cooling, thermoelectric cooling or other cooling techniques.
Claims20
An ion source for generating an ion beam, comprising:
- an arc chamber, comprising a plurality of walls connecting a first end and a second end;
- a target holder to hold a solid dopant material;
- a shaft connected to the target holder, to extend the target holder into the arc chamber, such that, when extended, the solid dopant material is exposed to a plasma in the arc chamber;
- a vacuum seal to divide the shaft into two portions, such that the target holder and a first portion of the shaft are in communication with the arc chamber and a second portion is disposed in an atmospheric environment;
- and
- a cooling system to actively cool the solid dopant material.
An ion implanter, comprising:
- an ion source to generate an ion beam;
- and
- one or more beamline components to direct the ion beam toward a workpiece,
- wherein the ion source comprises:
- an arc chamber, comprising a plurality of walls connecting a first end and a second end;
- a target holder to hold a solid dopant material;
- a shaft connected to the target holder, to extend the target holder into the arc chamber, such that, when extended, the solid dopant material is exposed to a plasma in the arc chamber;
- a vacuum seal to divide the shaft into two portions, such that the target holder and a first portion of the shaft are in communication with the arc chamber and a second portion is disposed in an atmospheric environment;
- and
- a cooling system to actively cool the solid dopant material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.