Isotopically-enriched boron-containing compounds, and methods of making and using same

A gas storage and dispensing vessel holding a boron-containing compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof.

A method of improving beam current for an ion implantation process, comprising:

• flowing a boron-containing compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof;
• and generating an ion beam from the compound.

A method of synthesizing a boron-containing compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof, comprising contacting a boron-containing gas with a boron-containing solid, wherein at least one of the boron-containing gas and boron-containing solid is isotopically-enriched beyond a natural abundance in atomic mass 10 boron isotope or in atomic mass 11 boron isotope.

An ion implantation method, comprising flowing a a boron-containing compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof, to an ion implantation tool with at least one co-flowed species selected from the group consisting of inert gas, argon, nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, ammonia, xenon, xenon difluoride, isotopically-enriched diborane, and natural abundance diborane.

An ion implantation method, comprising flowing B2F4 isotopically enriched in atomic mass 11 boron, to an ion implantation tool with BF3 isotopically enriched in atomic mass 11 boron.

An ionized composition useful for AMU separation to generate ionic species for ion implantation, said composition deriving from a boron precursor compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof, wherein said boron precursor compound is isotopically enriched beyond natural abundance of 10B or 11B, and wherein said composition comprises one or more species selected from the group consisting of B2F4+, B2F3+, B2F2+, BF3+, BF2+, BF+, B+, F+, B2F4++, B2F3++, B2F2++, BF3++, BF2++, BF++, B++, F++, B2F4+++, B2F3+++, B2F2+++, BF3+++, BF2+++, BF+++, B+++, and F+++, the boron-containing ones of which are isotopically-enriched beyond natural abundance of 10B or 11B.

A method of improving beam current for an ion implantation process, comprising ionizing an isotopically-enriched, boron-containing compound comprising two or more boron atoms and at least one fluorine atom, wherein the compound contains a boron isotope in a concentration or ratio greater than a natural abundance concentration or ratio thereof, to form isotopically-enriched ionic species producing such improved beam current, in relation to a corresponding non-isotopically-enriched, boron-containing compound.