The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.
Ion implantation is an important process in semiconductor manufacturing for doping different atoms or molecules into a wafer. By employing ion implantation, the majority charge carriers of the implanted portions of the wafer may be altered so as to produce different types and levels of conductivity in regions of a wafer. Ion implanters are automated tools which are used to perform the ion implantation. In an ion implanter, an ion generator may generate an ion beam and direct the ion beam towards the target wafer. The target wafer should be handled properly onto the wafer holder for the implanter to properly implant the target wafer. The wafer holder may be used to hold the target wafer and avoid wafer breakage. In addition, it is important to achieve a uniform distribution of ions on the target wafer. If the implantation is not uniform, the dopant profile and an electronic device applying semiconductors of the wafer may be adversely affected.
Consequently, it is desirable to monitor the ion dose distribution of the ion beam generated by an ion implanter so that control of the ion implantation process may be improved.
For a more complete understanding of the embodiments, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings.
The making and using of the embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.
It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of the disclosure. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Moreover, the performance of a first process before a second process in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the second process is performed immediately after the first process, and may also include embodiments in which additional processes may be performed between the first and second processes. Various features may be arbitrarily drawn in different scales for the sake of simplicity and clarity. Furthermore, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the wafer W2 is retrieved from one of the two input wafer cassettes 110 via a passage 121 by one of the robotic arms 121 or 123 and transferred to the orienter 125. The wafer W2 is rotated to a particular orientation by the orienter 125. Afterwards, the other robotic arm 121 or 123 retrieves the oriented wafer W2 and moves it to the wafer process module 200.
The wafer process module 200 includes an end station chamber 210 and a mechanical scan drive assembly 240, in accordance with some embodiments. The end station chamber 210 has two openings 211 and 212 formed at different positions thereof. For example, the two openings 211 and 212 are formed at two side walls of the end station chamber 210. The ion beam 5 from the ion beam generator module 300 (as shown in
The mechanical scan drive assembly 240 is positioned in the end station chamber 210. The mechanical scan drive assembly 240 includes a control unit 241 and a wafer holder 243, in accordance with some embodiments. The wafer W2 is secured by the wafer holder 243 by suitable mechanical fixing means, such as clamp assemblies, and the wafer holder 243 is controlled by the control unit 241. Therefore, the wafer W2 within the end station chamber 210 is driven to facilitate selective encounters with the ion beam 5 from the ion beam generator module 300 (as shown in
The quality of the completed die depends on the uniformity of ions doped in the wafer W2. For example, an uneven distribution of dopants in the wafer W2 may cause poor drive current uniformity (IdU) or threshold voltage uniformity (VtU) in transistors of the wafer W2.
In order to achieve a uniform ion dose distribution during an ion implantation process, a number of detecting devices are used to monitor ion beam information, such as an ion dose distribution, ion beam density, ion beam incident angle, etc. In some embodiments, the wafer process module 200 further includes a detector assembly 250. The detector assembly 250 includes a first detector unit 251 and a second detector unit 257.
The first detector unit 251 is connected to the end station chamber 210 via the opening 212. The first detector unit 251 includes a trail rail 252, a lever 253, a detecting device 254, and a housing 256, in accordance with some embodiments. The trail rail 252 is disposed in the housing 256, and the lever 253 is movably connected to the trail rail 252. The detecting device 254 is positioned at one end of the lever 253 so as to be selectively moved into the end station chamber 210 via the opening 212. In some embodiments, the detecting device 254 is configured to monitor the ion dose distribution.
The second detector unit 257 is disposed in a vicinity of the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210. The second detector unit 257 includes a detecting device 258. In some embodiments, the detecting device 258 is configured to monitor the ion beam density of the ion beam 5.
With reference to
With reference to
After ion beam tuning, as shown in
With reference to
Therefore, it is desirable to find an alternative wafer process module, which is capable of reducing or resolving the problems mentioned above.
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the control unit 241 includes a first drive mechanism 245 and a second drive mechanism 246. The first drive mechanism 245 includes an electric machine, such as step motor, to actuate the first drive mechanism 245 to rotate about a rotation axis A1. The first drive mechanism 245 has a cylindrical configuration with an anterior surface 2451 and a posterior surface 2452 opposite to the anterior surface 2451. The wafer holder 243 and the detecting device 244 are respectively mounted at the anterior surface 2451 and the posterior surface 2452.
In some embodiments, the wafer holder 243 is positioned over a center of the anterior surface 2451, and the detecting device 244 is positioned over a center of the posterior surface 2452. Namely, the wafer holder 243 and the detecting device 244 are arranged along a central axis 245a which penetrates the centers of the anterior surface 2451 and the posterior surface 2452.
In some embodiments, as shown in
The second drive mechanism 246 is connected to the first drive mechanism 245 via the rotation axis A1. The second drive mechanism 246 includes an electric machine, such as step motor, to actuate the second drive mechanism 246 to rotate about a rotation axis A2. In some embodiments, the electric machine is used to actuate the second drive mechanism 246 to move in a vertical direction parallel to a vertical axis Y shown in
With reference to
In some embodiments, as shown in
In the first operating state of the control unit 241, the wafer holder 243 is away from the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′ relative to the detecting device 244. The ion beam receiving surface 2441 of the detecting device 244 faces the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′. The supporting surface 2431 of the wafer holder 243 faces a direction away from the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′. The central axis 245a of the first drive mechanism 241 is substantially coincident to a horizontal axis Z, as shown in
The detecting device 244 receives the ions and produces an electrical signal to the controller module 400, as shown in
In some embodiments, after ion beam tuning, the first and second drive mechanisms 245 and 246 are actuated. The second drive mechanism 246 is rotated about the rotation axis A2 by the angle θy of about 180 degrees such that the supporting surface 2431 of the wafer holder 243 faces the opening 211, as shown in
Afterwards, as shown in
In the second operating state of the control unit 241, the wafer holder 243 is close to the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′ relative to the detecting device 244. The supporting surface 2431 of the wafer holder 243 faces the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′. The ion beam receiving surface 2441 of the detecting device 244 faces a direction away from the opening 211 of the end station chamber 210′. The central axis 245a of the first drive mechanism 241 is substantially coincident to the horizontal axis X, as shown in
Operation methods of a mechanical scan drive assembly should not be limited by the above-mentioned embodiments.
The arrangement of the mechanical scan drive assembly can be modified based on user demands and should not be limited by the above-mentioned embodiments. As shown in
The detecting device 244 may be disposed at any surface of the first drive mechanism 245. In some embodiments, the orthogonal projection of the detecting device 244 formed on a back surface, a surface opposite to the supporting surface 2431, of the wafer holder 243 is within the edges 2433, as indicated by the dotted lines in
As shown in
Specifically, during operation, an ion source 316 in the source terminal assembly 302 is coupled to a high voltage power supply 318 to ionize dopant molecules (e.g., dopant gas molecules), thereby forming a pencil ion beam 4. The beam line assembly 304 has a mass analyzer, and only the ions, having the appropriate charge-to-mass ratio, pass through the resolving aperture 324 and into the wafer W2.
Upon receiving the pencil ion beam 4, a scanner 330 within the scan assembly 306 laterally diverts or “scans” the pencil ion beam 4 back and forth in time (e.g., in a horizontal direction) to provide the scanned ion beam 5. In some embodiments, this type of scanned ion beam may be referred to as a ribbon beam. In some embodiments, the scanner 330 is an electrical scanner that includes a pair of electrodes 334a and 334b arranged on opposing sides of the scanned ion beam 5. In some embodiments, the scanner 330 is a magnetic scanner that provides a time-varying magnetic field in the beam path region, thereby scanning the ion beam in time. In some embodiments, only a single electrode (rather than a pair of electrodes) is used.
A parallelizer 340 in the scan assembly 306 can redirect the scanned ion beam 5 so that the ion beam strikes a surface of the wafer W2 at the same angle of incidence over the entire surface of the wafer W2. A deflection filter 342 diverts the parallelized scanned ion beam along a second axis, that can be different to the first axis. A vacuum pumping source typically keeps the ion beam transport passageway at vacuum to reduce the probability of ions being deflected from the beam path through collisions with air molecules.
In some embodiment, the controller module 400, as shown in
The ion beam 5 may be a spot beam, which has a circular cross section. Alternatively, the ion beam 5 may be a ribbon beam, which has a rectangular cross section. An ion beam (e.g., ion beam 5) may be of a smaller cross section than the diameter of wafer W. In order to achieve a uniform ion dose distribution on the wafer, either scanning an ion beam or moving a wafer relative to an ion beam is employed to increase the even implantation of the wafer area, as shown in
In accordance with some embodiments, the ion beam 5 has a Gaussian-type non-uniform beam current distribution. More particularly, the ion beam 5 may have a bell shape in the middle and two long tails on both sides. A scan path is formed by scanning the ion beam 5 along ±X directions, as shown in
With reference to
Embodiments of the disclosure have many advantages. For example, the operation time for beam tuning is greatly reduced. Such a reduction of operation time also decrease contamination risk and enhances vacuum integrity in the end station chamber due to inside sensor design.
Embodiments of mechanisms for monitoring ion beam in an ion implanter system are provided. A detecting device is set to be over a surface of a mechanical scan drive including a wafer holder. The detecting device is positioned inside a process chamber of the ion implanter system. There is no need to move a detecting device outside of the process chamber into the process chamber for ion beam tuning. Therefore, operation time is greatly reduced, and the implantation quality is improved.
In accordance with some embodiments, an assembly of an ion implanter system is provided. The assembly includes a control unit, a wafer holder and a detecting device. The wafer holder and the detecting device are respectively positioned at two sides of the control unit. The control unit is configured to drive the wafer holder and the detecting device to rotate about at least one rotation axis.
In accordance with some embodiments, an ion implanter system is provided. The ion implanter system includes an end station chamber having an opening. The ion implanter system also includes an ion beam generator module configured to produce an ion beam. The ion beam enters the end station chamber via the opening. The ion implanter system further includes a wafer holder positioned in the end station chamber and a detecting device positioned in the end station chamber. In addition, the ion implanter system includes a control unit configured to drive the wafer holder and the detecting device to rotate about at least one rotation axis. The ion implanter system is selectively operated in a first and a second operating state. The wafer holder is away from the opening relative to the detecting device in a first operating state of the control unit. The wafer holder is close to the opening relative to the detecting device in a second operating state of the control unit.
In accordance with some embodiments, a method for performing an ion implantation is provided. The method includes providing an ion beam into a chamber by using an ion beam generator module. The method also includes detecting the ion beam by using a detecting device on a control unit, and the detecting unit and a wafer holder are placed on two sides of the control unit. The method further includes estimating an ion dose distribution, based upon a detecting signal from the detecting device. In addition, the method includes determining if the ion dose distribution meets predetermined criteria. If the ion dose distribution meets the predetermined criteria, the ion beam is directed onto a wafer loaded on the wafer holder.
Although the embodiments and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. In addition, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and the combination of various claims and embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure.