Reduced path ion beam implanter

For use with an ion beam implant system, an ion accelerator comprising:

• a) an arcuate entrance electrode biased at a voltage for creating a non-uniform electric field that causes ions following diverse trajectories within said implant system to be deflected and impact a workpiece at a relatively uniform angle;
• b) a plurality of additional spaced electrodes for accelerating said ions to an impact energy before striking the workpiece;
• c) a plurality of insulators separating said electrodes;
• and
• d) a power supply for electrically biasing the arcuate entrance electrode at a potential different from the plurality of additional electrodes to create the non-uniform electric field and for electrically biasing the plurality of additional spaced electrodes for accelerating the ions.

An ion beam implant system for controllably treating a workpiece comprising:

• a) source means for providing ions to treat the workpiece;
• b) support means for orienting the workpiece at a location relative the source means;
• c) beam forming means for causing ions emitted by the source means to form an ion beam moving in a first trajectory;
• d) electrode means for deflecting ions in said ion beam away from said first trajectory by a controlled amount;
• e) acceleration means for accelerating ions deflected by said controlled amounts prior to said ions impacting the workpiece;
• and
• f) control means having an output coupled to said electrode means to adjust the deflecting of said ion beam and thereby control ion beam treatment of the workpiece;
• g) said accelerator means comprising:
• i) an arcuate entrance electrode symmetric about a non-deflected ion beam path for creating a non-uniform electric field that causes ions following diverse trajectories after passing the electrode means to be redeflected and impact the workpiece at a relatively uniform angle;
• ii) a plurality of additional, spaced, parallel electrode plates for accelerating said ions to an impact energy;
• iii) a plurality of insulators separating said plates;
• and,
• iv) power supply means for biasing said arcuate entrance electrode relative said plurality of parallel electrode plates wherein a first of the additional electrodes is maintained at a fixed voltage by a high voltage power supply, a second of the additional electrodes is grounded and the entrance electrode is biased by a lens power supply at a voltage higher than the first additional electrode wherein positively charged ions are accelerated to a controlled ion energy when striking the workpiece.

A method for ion beam implanting a workpiece comprising the steps of:

• a) causing a beam of ions to move along an initial trajectory;
• b) orienting the workpiece at a target location;
• c) causing ions to diverge away from the initial trajectory to scan in a back and forth manner to form a narrow ion beam having an extent at least as wide as the workpiece;
• d) redeflecting said ions by generating a static electric field that both redeflects and accelerates ions subsequent to the divergence of the beam;
• and
• e) moving the workpiece in a back and forth manner to cause ions passing through the static electric field to treat an entire workpiece surface.