AVS 45th International Symposium
    Vacuum Technology Division Monday Sessions
       Session VT-MoP

Paper VT-MoP3
A New High-Power Ion Source Based on Magnetically Neutral Loop Discharge

Monday, November 2, 1998, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A

Session: Vacuum Technology Poster Session
Presenter: F. Shimokawa, NTT Opto-electronics Laboratories, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email

We developed a new high-power ion source based on the high-density plasma formation method that is known magnetically neutral loop discharge (NLD). Our original ion source consists of three separate electromagnetic coils, as well as ion extracting grids and a quartz vessel chamber with a one-turn RF antenna coil, which is the main component of the conventional RF ion source. The three separate electromagnetic coils are located around the periphery of the chamber. The current in the middle coil flows in the opposite direction of the currents in the top and bottom coils. By using these source configurations, a magnetically enhanced plasma that is known as NLD occurs in the chamber. Our source produces a high plasma density of 10@super 11@ cm@super -3@, which is 10 times higher than that of the conventional source under a lower gas pressure of 0.1 Pa. Also, it is possible to control both the ring-like plasma diameter and the high-density plasma generation position in the chamber. As a result, we achieved the high ion current density (10 mA/cm@super 2@) at 300 V of ion extracting voltage, which is almost 10 times higher than the conventional source. Furthermore, we also obtained a high ion current uniformity of about 3% over a 6-inch diameter by using our source's plasma space controllability. A processing system that uses this new source will contribute to faster processing, excellent uniformity processing, and high quality processing for ion beam etching, ion beam deposition, and ion beam sputter deposition. Many other applications are also expected to come about from this method.