Plasma immersion ion implantation for silicon processing

Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) is a technology which is currently widely investigated as an alternative to conventional beam line implantation for ultrashallow doping beyond the 0.15 μm technology. However, there are several other application areas in modern semiconductor processing. In this paper a detailed discussion of the PIII process for semiconductors and of actual as well as future applications is given. Besides the well known advantages of PIII - fast process, implantation of the whole surface, low cost of ownership - several peculiarities - like spread of the implantation energy due to finite rise time or collisions, no mass separation, high secondary electron emission - must be mentioned. However, they can be overcome by adjusting the system and the process parameters. Considering the applications, ultrashallow junction formation by PIII is an established industrial process, whereas SIMOX and Smart-Cut by oxygen and hydrogen implantation are current topics between research and introduction into industry. Further applications of PIII, of which some already are research topics and some are only investigated by conventional ion implantation, include seeding for metal deposition, gettering of metal impurities, etch stop layers and helium implantation for localized lifetime control.