Neutral beam apparatus for in-situ production of reactants and kinetic energy transfer
US5468955A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 21, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 20, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05H3/02
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The discovery that a location exists in a plasma sheath surrounding a plasma near a plasma confining surface where recombination of ions and electrons is favored due to Coulombic interaction is exploited to provide filtration of flux components and enhance neutralization of ions extracted from the plasma. By engineering of the dimensions of apertures in an apertured plate in accordance with plasma conditions and differential pumping, a high quality, high flux neutral beam can be developed wherein the particle energies may be scalable from very low levels below that which causes crystal lattice damage in semiconductor materials to very high levels. The production of a beam of neutral beam of good directivity and well-defined geometry is further exploited to provide predictability in plasma chemistry reactions and to form reactants in-situ for semiconductor processing. In-situ production of minute quantities of hydrofluoric acid for interface tailoring provides a "dry", high vacuum compatible alternative to wet etch processes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.