Abstract: An ion source is disclosed that utilizes a capacitive discharge to produce ignition ions, which are subsequently used to ignite an inductively coupled plasma within a plasma chamber. In some embodiments, a capacitive discharge element is located along a gas feed line at a position that is upstream of a plasma chamber. The capacitive discharge element ignites a capacitive discharge within the gas feed line. The capacitive discharge contains ignition ions that are provided to a downstream plasma chamber. An inductively coupled plasma ignition element, in communication with the plasma chamber, ignites and sustains a high density inductively coupled plasma within the plasma chamber based upon ignition ions from the capacitive discharge. Due to the ignition ions, the inductively coupled plasma element can easily ignite the high density inductively coupled plasma, even at a low pressure.

Abstract: An ion beam source. The source includes multiple apertures bounded in close proximity by an extraction electrode for extracting positively charged ions from the source. Ions exiting the source combine downstream to form a broad beam which, in one utilization of the invention, is used for ion beam treatment of a silicon wafer. Individual electrodes in close proximity to the extraction electrode can be biased to either inhibit or allow backstreaming of neutralizing electrons from beam portions close to the source back to the extraction electrode. This allows the beam portion to become deneutralized and, therefore, unstable. The unstable beam is diminished in intensity since positively charged ions within that beam portion exit the beam. An isolation plate separates beam portions in close proximity to the extraction electrode to inhibit beam crosstalk and an additional suppression electrode common to all beam portions is controllably biased to further enhance control over beam portion intensity.