Patents by Inventor Bo H. Vanderberg

Bo H. Vanderberg has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100308215
    Abstract: A method comprising introducing an injected gas (e.g., Argon, Xenon) into a beam line region comprising a magnetic scanner is provided herein. The injected gas improves beam current by enhancing (e.g., increasing, decreasing) charge neutralization of the magnetic ion beam (e.g., the ion beam at regions where the scanning magnetic field is non-zero) thereby reducing the current loss due to the zero field effect (ZFE). By reducing the current loss in regions having a magnetic field, the magnetic beam current is increased (e.g., the beam current is increased in regions where the magnetic field is non-zero) raising the overall beam current in a uniform manner over an entire scan path and thereby reducing the effect of the ZFE. In other words, the ZFE is removed by effectively minimizing it through an increase in the magnetized beam current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Steven C. Hays, Andy Ray
  • Patent number: 7800083
    Abstract: A plasma electron flood system, comprising a housing configured to contain a gas, and comprising an elongated extraction slit, and a cathode and a plurality of anodes residing therein and wherein the elongated extraction slit is in direct communication with an ion implanter, wherein the cathode emits electrons that are drawn to the plurality of anodes through a potential difference therebetween, wherein the electrons are released through the elongated extraction slit as an electron band for use in neutralizing a ribbon ion beam traveling within the ion implanter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, William F. DiVergilio
  • Publication number: 20100181499
    Abstract: An ion implantation method and system that incorporate beam neutralization to mitigate beam blowup, which can be particularly problematic in low-energy, high-current ion beams. The beam neutralization component can be located in the system where blowup is likely to occur. The neutralization component includes a varying energizing field generating component that generates plasma that neutralizes the ion beam and thereby mitigates beam blowup. The energizing field is generated with varying frequency and/or field strength in order to maintain the neutralizing plasma while mitigating the creation of plasma sheaths that reduce the effects of the neutralizing plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, William F. DiVergilio
  • Patent number: 7750320
    Abstract: A workpiece or semiconductor wafer is tilted as a ribbon beam is swept up and/or down the workpiece. In so doing, the implant angle or the angle of the ion beam relative to the workpiece remains substantially constant across the wafer. This allows devices to be formed substantially consistently on the wafer. Resolving plates move with the beam as the beam is scanned up and/or down. This allows desired ions to impinge on the wafer, but blocks undesirable contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Ferrara, Bo H. Vanderberg, Michael A. Graf
  • Patent number: 7701230
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for profiling an ion beam. The apparatus includes a current measuring device having a measurement region, wherein a cross-sectional area of the ion beam enters the measurement region. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to periodically take beam current measurements of the ion beam and to determine a two dimensional profile of the ion beam by relating the beam current measurements to sub-regions within the current measuring device. Other apparatus and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Zheng Ye, Michael Paul Cristoforo, Yongzhang Huang, Michael A. Graf, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Patent number: 7696494
    Abstract: A steering component is included in an ion implantation system to direct or “steer” an ion beam to a scan vertex of a scanning component downstream of the steering component. In this manner, the scan vertex of the scanning component coincides with the focal point of a parallelizing component downstream of the scanning component. This allows the beam to emerge from the parallelizing component at an expected angle so that ions can be implanted in a desired manner into a workpiece located downstream of the parallelizing component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Xiangyang Wu
  • Publication number: 20100084576
    Abstract: A hybrid scanner is disclosed that is capable of performing at least one of an electric and magnetic scanning of an ion beam. The hybrid scanner comprises a plurality of magnetic elements configured to generate a magnetic field across the ion beam for magnetic scanning, and a plurality of electric elements configured to generate an electric field proximate to the ion beam for electric scanning. A power delivery controller is coupled to at least one of the magnetic elements and at least one of the electric elements, and is configured to selectively provide power to the magnetic and electric elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies,Inc.
    Inventor: Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Publication number: 20100065761
    Abstract: A deflection component suitable for use in an ion implantation system comprises multiple electrodes that can be selectively biased to cause an ion beam passing therethrough to bend, deflect, focus, converge, diverge, accelerate, decelerate, and/or decontaminate. Since the electrodes can be selectively biased, and thus one or more of them can remain unbiased or off, the effective length of the beam path can be selectively adjusted as desired (e.g., based upon beam properties, such as energy, dose, species, etc.).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Graf, Bo H. Vanderberg, Edward Eisner
  • Publication number: 20100012861
    Abstract: An ion beam angle detection apparatus, comprising a linear drive assembly fixedly attached to a moveable profiler assembly, wherein the profiler assembly comprises, a profiler having a profiler aperture formed within a profiler top plate and a profiler sensor assembly, a moveable angle mask assembly comprising a moveable angle mask with a mask aperture, wherein the angle mask assembly is non-fixedly attached to the profiler assembly, the mask aperture is movable relative to the profiler aperture by energizing an mask linear drive fixedly attached to the profiler assembly and the profiler aperture is movable through a length greater than the elongated length of the ion beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Mitchell, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Publication number: 20090321625
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for implanting ions into a workpiece in a plurality of operating ranges. A desired dosage of ions is provided, and a spot ion beam is formed from an ion source and mass analyzed by a mass analyzer. Ions are implanted into the workpiece in one of a first mode and a second mode based on the desired dosage of ions, where in the first mode, the ion beam is scanned by a beam scanning system positioned downstream of the mass analyzer and parallelized by a parallelizer positioned downstream of the beam scanning system. In the first mode, the workpiece is scanned through the scanned ion beam in at least one dimension by a workpiece scanning system. In the second mode, the ion beam is passed through the beam scanning system and parallelizer un-scanned, and the workpiece is two-dimensionally scanned through the spot ion beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Manny Sieradzki, Patrick Splinter, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Patent number: 7615763
    Abstract: A magnetic scanner employs constant magnetic fields to mitigate zero field effects. The scanner includes an upper pole piece and a lower pole piece that generate an oscillatory time varying magnetic field across a path of an ion beam and deflect the ion beam in a scan direction. A set of entrance magnets are positioned about an entrance of the scanner and generate a constant entrance magnetic field across the path of the ion beam. A set of exit magnets are positioned about an exit of the scanner and generate a constant exit magnetic field across the path of the ion beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Robert D. Rathmell, Edward C. Eisner
  • Patent number: 7586111
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for implanting ions into a workpiece in a plurality of operating ranges. A desired dosage of ions is provided, and a spot ion beam is formed from an ion source and mass analyzed by a mass analyzer. Ions are implanted into the workpiece in one of a first mode and a second mode based on the desired dosage of ions, where in the first mode, the ion beam is scanned by a beam scanning system positioned downstream of the mass analyzer and parallelized by a parallelizer positioned downstream of the beam scanning system. In the first mode, the workpiece is scanned through the scanned ion beam in at least one dimension by a workpiece scanning system. In the second mode, the ion beam is passed through the beam scanning system and parallelizer un-scanned, and the workpiece is two-dimensionally scanned through the spot ion beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Manny Sieradzki, Patrick Splinter, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Patent number: 7566886
    Abstract: An ion implantation system that optimizes productivity that includes an ion generator configured to implant ions into a workpiece by scanning the ions along an axis in a first direction, a movable stage configured to move the workpiece in a second direction generally orthogonal to the first direction, an ion detection component configured to measure ion dosage at approximately an outer edge of the workpiece, a first direction driver that receives commands from the controller to move in a fast scan speed on wafer or a fast scan speed off wafer and a second direction driver that receives commands from the controller to move the workpiece movable stage in a slow scan speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward C. Eisner, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Patent number: 7550751
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for adjusting the ribbon beam flux of a scanned ion beam. In this method, an ion beam is scanned at a scan rate, and a plurality of dynamic beam profiles are measured as the ion beam is scanned. A corrected scan rate is calculated based on the plurality of measured dynamic beam profiles of the scanned beam. The ion beam is scanned at the corrected scan rate to produce a corrected ribbon ion beam. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor M. Benveniste, Edward C. Eisner, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Publication number: 20090114815
    Abstract: A plasma electron flood system, comprising a housing configured to contain a gas, and comprising an elongated extraction slit, and a cathode and a plurality of anodes residing therein and wherein the elongated extraction slit is in direct communication with an ion implanter, wherein the cathode emits electrons that are drawn to the plurality of anodes through a potential difference therebetween, wherein the electrons are released through the elongated extraction slit as an electron band for use in neutralizing a ribbon ion beam traveling within the ion implanter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, William F. DiVergilio
  • Patent number: 7507978
    Abstract: A parallelizing component of an ion implantation system comprises two angled dipole magnets that mirror one another and serve to bend an ion beam traversing therethrough to have a substantially “s” shape. This s bend serves to filter out contaminants of the beam, while the dipoles also parallelize the beam to facilitate uniform implant properties across the wafer, such as implant angle, for example. Additionally, a deceleration stage is included toward the end of the implantation system so that the energy of the beam can be kept relatively high throughout the beamline to mitigate beam blowup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Patrick Splinter
  • Publication number: 20090032726
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for implanting ions into a workpiece in a plurality of operating ranges. A desired dosage of ions is provided, and a spot ion beam is formed from an ion source and mass analyzed by a mass analyzer. Ions are implanted into the workpiece in one of a first mode and a second mode based on the desired dosage of ions, where in the first mode, the ion beam is scanned by a beam scanning system positioned downstream of the mass analyzer and parallelized by a parallelizer positioned downstream of the beam scanning system. In the first mode, the workpiece is scanned through the scanned ion beam in at least one dimension by a workpiece scanning system. In the second mode, the ion beam is passed through the beam scanning system and parallelizer un-scanned, and the workpiece is two-dimensionally scanned through the spot ion beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Manny Sieradzki, Patrick Splinter, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Publication number: 20080265866
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for profiling an ion beam. The apparatus includes a current measuring device having a measurement region, wherein a cross-sectional area of the ion beam enters the measurement region. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to periodically take beam current measurements of the ion beam and to determine a two dimensional profile of the ion beam by relating the beam current measurements to sub-regions within the current measuring device. Other apparatus and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: John Zheng Ye, Michael Paul Cristoforo, Yongzhang Huang, Michael A. Graf, Bo H. Vanderberg
  • Patent number: 7435971
    Abstract: An exemplary ion source for creating a stream of ions has an aluminum alloy arc chamber body that at least partially bounds an ionization region of the arc chamber. The arc chamber body is used with a hot filament arc chamber housing that either directly or indirectly heats a cathode to sufficient temperature to cause electrons to stream through the ionization region of the arc chamber. A temperature sensor monitors temperatures within the arc chamber and provides a signal related to sensed temperature. A controller monitors sensed temperature as measured by the sensor and adjusts the temperature to maintain the sensed temperature within a range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Victor M. Beneviste, John F. Fallon, Ilya Pokidov
  • Patent number: 7399980
    Abstract: An ion implantation system employs a mass analyzer for both mass analysis and angle correction. An ion source generates an ion beam along a beam path. A mass analyzer is located downstream of the ion source that performs mass analysis and angle correction on the ion beam. A resolving aperture within an aperture assembly is located downstream of the mass analyzer component and along the beam path. The resolving aperture has a size and shape according to a selected mass resolution and a beam envelope of the ion beam. An angle measurement system is located downstream of the resolving aperture and obtains an angle of incidence value of the ion beam. A control system derives a magnetic field adjustment for the mass analyzer according to the angle of incidence value of the ion beam from the angle measurement system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Axcelis Technologies. Inc.
    Inventors: Bo H. Vanderberg, Edward C. Eisner