Silicon Genesis Improves &nHydrogen Implantation

Staff -- Semiconductor International, 6/1/1999

Silicon Genesis Corp. (SiGen, Campbell, Calif.) announced it has developed a technique for enhancing the hydrogen ion concentration for hydrogen plasma implantation. The company developed the technique, called the Protonic Mode, on its SiGen Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) system.

In typical hydrogen plasmas, the ion specie ratio of H⁺, H₂⁺ and H₃⁺ are in such a proportion that the H⁺ ion is not the dominant specie. In the Protonic Mode, H⁺ purity in excess of 90% has been achieved and maintained. This pure proton plasma gives better implant uniformity and increases throughput through higher dose rate implantation.

Hydrogen implantation can be used in the manufacture of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, layer transfer technology and flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing.

"This discovery is a major breakthrough for SiGen and paves the way to enhance our PIII technology," said Francois J. Henley, president and CEO of Silicon Genesis Corp. "We have already confirmed that this mode is applicable for other gases and works well for nitrogen and oxygen, thereby opening new plasma treatment and implant applications."