Patents Assigned to SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
  • Patent number: 8096744
    Abstract: Two load lock chambers having a load lock pedestal are provided adjacent to a vacuum process chamber through a vacuum intermediate chamber. A passage opening is provided between the vacuum process chamber and the vacuum intermediate chamber. Two wafer retaining arms are installed between a platen device in the vacuum process chamber and the vacuum intermediate chamber. The two wafer retaining arms are reciprocatingly movable between the corresponding load lock pedestals and the platen device while passing through the passage opening and crossing with an overpass each other at different levels. By retaining an unprocessed wafer by one of the wafer retaining arms and retaining a processed wafer by the other wafer retaining arm, transfer of the unprocessed wafer from one of the load lock pedestals to the platen device and transfer of the processed wafer from the platen device to the other load lock pedestal are performed simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sen Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Keiji Okada, Fumiaki Sato, Hiroaki Nakaoka
  • Patent number: 7947129
    Abstract: An ion source apparatus includes a rare gas supply source supplying rare gas instead of ion source gas to a plasma chamber, means to determine time and timing for cleaning electrodes in consideration of a collecting amount of insulation layers accreting to the electrodes of an extraction electrode system. Based on the above, the ion source apparatus removes the insulation layers by sputtering with ion beam of the rare gas while adjusting extraction or accelerate voltage and supply amount of the rare gas as a setting parameter. Moreover, by adjusting the setting parameter which changes a diameter of ion beam based on the rare gas when the ion beam collides onto each electrode surface of the extraction electrode system, the beam diameter is focused within an effective range in which intension of the sputtering of the insulation layers is maximized thus evenly removing the insulation layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Hirohiko Murata, Masateru Sato
  • Patent number: 7851772
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus according to the invention includes a park electrode as a deflecting apparatus arranged at a section of a beam line from an outlet of a mass analysis magnet apparatus to a front side of a mass analysis slit for deflecting an ion beam in a predetermined direction of being deviated from a beam trajectory line by an operation of an electric field. When the ion beam does not satisfy a desired condition, a park voltage is applied to the park electrode, thereby, the ion beam is brought into an evacuated state by being deflected from the beam trajectory line. As a result, the ion beam cannot pass through the mass analysis slit, and therefore, the ion beam which does not arrive at a wafer to prevent the ion beam which does not satisfy the condition from being irradiated to the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Sen Corporation an Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Takanori Yagita, Hiroshi Sogabe, Toshio Yumiyama, Mitsuaki Kabasawa
  • Patent number: 7791049
    Abstract: A beam line before incidence on a beam scanner is arranged with an injector flag Faraday cup that detects a beam current by measuring a total beam amount of an ion beam to be able to be brought in and out thereto and therefrom. When the ion beam is shut off by placing the injector flag Faraday cup on a beam trajectory line, the ion beam impinges on graphite provided at the injector flag Faraday cup. At this occasion, even when the graphite is sputtered by the ion beam, since the injector flag Faraday cup is arranged on an upstream side of the beam scanner and the ion beam is shut off by the injector flag Faraday cup, particles of the sputtered graphite do not adhere to a peripheral member of the injector flag Faraday cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Sen Corporation an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Yoshito Fujii
  • Patent number: 7687782
    Abstract: A beam deflection scanner performs reciprocating deflection scanning with an ion beam or a charged particle beam to thereby periodically change a beam trajectory and comprises a pair of scanning electrodes installed so as to be opposed to each other with the beam trajectory interposed therebetween and a pair of correction electrodes installed in a direction perpendicular to an opposing direction of the pair of scanning electrodes, with the beam trajectory interposed therebetween, and extending along a beam traveling axis. Positive and negative potentials are alternately applied to the pair of scanning electrodes, while a correction voltage is constantly applied to the pair of correction electrodes. A correction electric field produced by the pair of correction electrodes is exerted on the ion beam or the charged particle beam passing between the pair of scanning electrodes at the time of switching between the positive and negative potentials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Yoshitaka Amano, Hiroshi Matsushita
  • Patent number: 7597531
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of controlling a mover device The method includes generating a moving force from a moving force generating unit to move a processing base with respect to a movable base, thereby moving the processing base with respect to a fixed base as a result of the movement of the processing base with respect to the movable base; moving the movable base on the fixed base in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the processing base by virtue of a reaction force caused by the moving force generated from the moving force generating unit to move the processing base, so that the movable base moves in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the processing base on the fixed base. The method further includes controlling the moving velocity of the processing base with respect to the fixed base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Keiji Okada, Michiro Sugitani, Yoshitomo Hidaka, Junichi Murakami, Fumiaki Sato, Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Suguru Hirokawa, Masamitsu Shinozuka
  • Publication number: 20080258074
    Abstract: In a beam processing apparatus including a beam scanner having a two electrodes type deflection scanning electrode, the beam scanner further includes shielding suppression electrode assemblies respectively at vicinities of upstream side and downstream side of the two electrodes type deflection scanning electrode and having openings in a rectangular shape for passing a charged particle beam. Each of the shielding suppression electrode assemblies is an assembly electrode comprising one sheet of a suppression electrode and two sheets of shielding ground electrodes interposing the suppression electrode. A total of front side portions and rear side portions of the two electrodes type deflection scanning electrode is shielded by the two sheets of shielding ground electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni TSUKIHARA, Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Hiroshi Matsushita, Takanori Yagita, Yoshitaka Amano, Yoshito Fujii
  • Publication number: 20080251713
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus according to the invention includes a park electrode as a deflecting apparatus arranged at a section of a beam line from an outlet of a mass analysis magnet apparatus to a front side of a mass analysis slit for deflecting an ion beam in a predetermined direction of being deviated from a beam trajectory line by an operation of an electric field. When the ion beam does not satisfy a desired condition, a park voltage is applied to the park electrode, thereby, the ion beam is brought into an evacuated state by being deflected from the beam trajectory line. As a result, the ion beam cannot pass through the mass analysis slit, and therefore, the ion beam which does not arrive at a wafer to prevent the ion beam which does not satisfy the condition from being irradiated to the wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Takanori Yagita, Hiroshi Sogabe, Toshio Yumiyama, Mitsuaki Kabasawa
  • Publication number: 20080251734
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus reciprocally scans an ion beam extracted from an ion source and passed through a mass analysis magnet apparatus and a mass analysis slit and irradiates to a wafer. The ion beam is converged and shaped by providing a first quadrupole vertical focusing electromagnet at a section of a beam line from an outlet of the mass analysis magnet apparatus before incidence of the mass analysis slit and providing a second quadrupole vertical focusing electromagnet having an effective magnetic field effect larger than that of the first quadrupole focusing electromagnet at a section of the beam line from an outlet of the mass analysis slit before incidence on the beam scanner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Takanori Yagita, Yoshitaka Amano, Mitsuaki Kabasawa
  • Publication number: 20080251737
    Abstract: A beam line before incidence on a beam scanner is arranged with an injector flag Faraday cup that detects a beam current by measuring a total beam amount of an ion beam to be able to be brought in and out thereto and therefrom. When the ion beam is shut off by placing the injector flag Faraday cup on a beam trajectory line, the ion beam impinges on graphite provided at the injector flag Faraday cup. At this occasion, even when the graphite is sputtered by the ion beam, since the injector flag Faraday cup is arranged on an upstream side of the beam scanner and the ion beam is shut off by the injector flag Faraday cup, particles of the sputtered graphite do not adhere to a peripheral member of the injector flag Faraday cup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: SEN Corporation, An SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsukuni TSUKIHARA, Yoshito Fujii
  • Patent number: 7423276
    Abstract: In an irradiation system with an ion beam/charged particle beam, an ion beam/charged particle beam is deflected by an energy filter for the energy analysis and then a wafer irradiated with the beam. The energy filter controls the spread of magnetic field distribution caused by a deflection magnet, cancels a leakage magnetic field in the longitudinal direction, and bends the ion beam/charged particle beam at a uniform angle at any positions overall in scanning-deflection area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Sen Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventor: Takanori Yagita
  • Patent number: 7361892
    Abstract: A method to increase low-energy beam current according to this invention is applied to an irradiation system with ion beam comprising a beam generation source, a mass analysis device, a beam transformer, a deflector for scanning, a beam parallelizing device, an acceleration/deceleration device, and an energy filtering device. The beam transformer comprises a vertically focusing DC quadrupole electromagnet QD and a longitudinally focusing DC quadrupole electromagnet QF. The beam transformer transforms a beam having a circular cross-section or an elliptical or oval cross-section to the beam has an elliptical or oval cross-section that is long in the scan direction in all the region of a beam line after deflection for scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Sen Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Mitsukuni Tsukihara
  • Patent number: 7351987
    Abstract: An irradiation system comprises a beam generation source, a mass analysis device, a beam transformer, a deflector for scanning which swings the beam reciprocally, a beam parallelizing device, an acceleration/deceleration device, and an energy filtering device. According to this invention, a hybrid angular energy filter generating both electric and magnetic fields to bend trajectories is provided as the energy filtering device. A pair of multi-surface energy slit units each having a plurality of energy slits that are switchable therebetween depending on an ion species for irradiation are further provided on a downstream side of the hybrid angular energy filter. It is possible to selectively irradiate a target wafer with high-current beams from low energy to high energy in the conditions where contamination such as neutral particles, different kinds of dopants, ions with different energies, metal, and dust particles is extremely small in amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: SEN Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Hiroshi Sogabe
  • Patent number: 7315034
    Abstract: In an irradiation system with an ion beam/charged particle beam having an energy filter, the energy filter is formed by deflection electrodes and a deflection magnet which can be switchingly used. The deflection magnet has a general window-frame shape and is formed with a hollow portion at its center. The deflection electrodes are installed, along with suppression electrodes, in a vacuum chamber arranged in the hollow portion of the deflection magnet. The deflection electrodes are installed with respect to the deflection magnet such that a deflection trajectory of a beam caused by a magnetic field and a deflection trajectory of a beam caused by an electric field overlap each other. Since the deflection electrodes and the deflection magnet can be switchingly used, the system can deal with a wider range of beam conditions and thus is widely usable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Sen Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Takanori Yagita, Takashi Nishi, Michiro Sugitani, Junichi Murakami, Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Masaki Ishikawa, Tetsuya Kudo
  • Patent number: 7304319
    Abstract: A charge compensation device according to this invention is for suppressing charging of a wafer when the wafer is irradiated with a beam from a beam generation source unit. The charge compensation device comprises at least one first arc chamber having at least one first extraction hole and a second arc chamber having at least one second extraction hole faced on the reciprocal swinging beam of the predetermined scan range. A first arc voltage is applied to the first arc chamber to generate first plasma in the first arc chamber. The generated first plasma is extracted from the first arc chamber and introduced into the second arc chamber. Second plasma is produced in the second arc chamber, and second extracted plasma from the second arc chamber forms a plasma bridge between the second extraction hole and the reciprocal swinging beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Sen Corporation, An Shi and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Makoto Sano, Michiro Sugitani, Junichi Murakami, Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Takashi Kuroda, Kazunari Ueda, Hiroshi Sogabe
  • Patent number: 7276711
    Abstract: A beam space-charge compensation device is applied to an angular energy filter provided in an ion beam processing system that performs processing by irradiating onto a wafer with an ion beam. The beam space-charge compensation device comprises a plasma shower provided in a beam-guiding chamber of the angular energy filter. The plasma shower comprises an arc chamber having a filament for generating thermo-electrons for plasma. The arc chamber comprises an extraction hole for extracting the thermo-electrons. The plasma shower is arranged such that the extraction hole is located on lines of magnetic force, perpendicular to an ion beam advancing direction, of the magnetic field and that a center axis of the filament and a center axis of said extraction hole coincide with the lines of magnetic force, perpendicular to the ion beam advancing direction, of the magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: SEN Corporation, an SHI and Axcelis Company
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Takanori Yagita, Takashi Nishi, Junichi Murakami, Mitsukuni Tsukihara, Mitsuaki Kabasawa