High-current Ion Implanter for 300-mm SIMOX Wafer Production

OVERVIEW: There is an increased demand for the production of nextgeneration super-high-speed and low-power-consumption CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) devices using SOI (silicon on insulator). Major global device manufacturers are actively commercializing this product. In SOI technology, a device is fabricated in a silicon layer (SOI layer) formed on a BOX (buried oxide) film. Along with such high integration, the technology to support the creation of ultra-thin SOI layers of just 30 to 100 nm is in great demand. SIMOX (separation by implanted oxygen) is a technology that enables the creation of a BOX layer and SOI layer by implanting oxygen ions in a silicon substrate. Through the precise control of the ion beam, this method has a significant advantage in that the depth, thickness, and uniformity of the SOI and BOX layers can be freely controlled. Because such SOI substrates can be formed by simply implanting ions and performing thermal annealing after the implantation, the process can easily be simplified and made more cost effective. Hitachi HighTechnologies Corporation has just commercialized its new ion implanter for 300-mm wafers, which is based on its last oxygen ion implanter for 200mm SIMOX wafers. By introducing a high current (80 mA to 100 mA) to obtain high throughput, uniform implantation using the mechanical scan method, high-quality implantation through absolute cleanliness, and fully automated operation to accommodate production line needs, stable device operation is implemented to produce the highly uniform SOI films required for the next-generation SOI substrates. This device can be considered the driving force behind full-scale mass production of 300-mm SIMOX wafers. Kazuo Mera Hiroyuki Tomita Katsumi Tokiguchi, Dr. Eng.