March 5, 2001–Beverly, Massachusetts–Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has integrated its patented decaborane source technology onto a conventional ion implantation system and successfully implanted device wafers. Decaborane, a molecule containing ten boron atoms, provides the equivalent of a ten-fold increase in beam current at one-tenth the energy. Axcelis’ decaborane source provides a viable path for extending the technology of ion implantation.

“To align our technology capabilities with the increasingly aggressive ITRS roadmap, our scientists and engineers have delivered another innovative ion source technology, enabling the industry to extend conventional implantation systems to the 70nm technology node, projected for pilot manufacturing around 2005,” says John Poate, Axcelis’ chief technology officer. “We expect that this type of technology can be extended to other nontraditional dopant species that may be required for future implant applications.”

Axcelis’ decaborane source technology incorporates design features that sustain the ionization of the molecular species decaborane. Merging the technology with a high-current ion implant system retains the benefits of mass resolution for beam purity and accurate dose control, cornerstones to manufacturing the most advanced ICs. At the same time, the decaborane source technology provides an alternative means of aligning the technology of ion implantation with the future low-energy requirements for shallow junction formation.

Device wafers were produced in collaboration with Agere Systems. The device performance data showed equivalent performance characteristics to conventional low-energy implants. “These results confirm the potential of decaborane as a viable technology for manufacturing ultra-shallow p-type junctions in silicon,” reports Dale Jacobson, Agere’s senior member technical staff.