Abstract: A plasma ion source includes a plasma chamber body having at least one inlet for introducing a feed gas to an interior of the plasma chamber body. The plasma chamber body is electrically isolated from a vacuum chamber attached to the plasma chamber body. An inductive antenna in an interior of the plasma chamber body is configured to supply a source of electromagnetic energy as a function of an RF voltage supplied thereto. The plasma ion source includes an extraction grid disposed at an end of the plasma chamber body. A voltage difference between the extraction grid and plasma chamber body accelerates charged species in a plasma discharge to generate an output quasi-neutral plasma ion beam. A bias voltage applied to the plasma chamber body includes a portion of the RF voltage supplied to the antenna combined with a pulsed DC voltage.

Abstract: A wafer treatment system including a load lock chamber in communication with a process chamber. At least one cradle is provided in the load lock chamber, each cradle being adapted to receive a wafer-holding cassette. The wafers contained in the cassettes assume angularly justified positions. A multiaxial transfer unit picks up wafers from the cassettes and delivers them to the process chamber for treatment after which they are returned to the cassettes. Because all of the wafers lean in the same direction and to the same degree in their cassette slots, an end effector carried by the multiaxial transfer unit can reliably capture and release the wafers in order to consistently remove them from and place them into the cassettes.