Plasma 703-1-0 Manuale utente

ION BEAM RF SOURCES

MANUAL

ESTABLISHED 2003

Thank you for purchasing an ion beam source from Plasma Process Group! We want your new source to operate

safely. Anyone who installs or operates this equipment should read this publication (and any other manuals)

before installing or using the ion beam source, neutralizer and power supply.

All applicable local and national codes that regulate the installation and operation of this electronic equipment

should be followed. It is your responsibility to determine the codes that apply to your area.

Please follow all applicable sections of the National Fire Code, National Electronic Code, and the codes of the

National Electrical Manufacturer’s Association (NEMA). Consult with your local government to help determine

which codes are necessary for safe installation. Failure to comply with applicable codes and standards may

result in equipment damage or serious injury to personnel.

Our equipment is designed for laboratory or production vacuum environments. The external interlock for the

ion beam source power supply should be connected to your facility to ensure maximum safety and prohibit

usage of the equipment when unsafe conditions arise. Failure to use the external interlock is considered “High

Risk Activities” where personal injury or equipment damage may result. Plasma Process Group specically

disclaims any expressed or implied warranty for High Risk Activities.

The ion beam power supply has been CE certied and the electronic discharges for the source and neutralizer

are created using industry standard radio frequency (RF) methods. Improper installation of this equipment may

result in disruptions with other sensitive electronic equipment.

If you have any questions regarding the installation and operation of this equipment, please contact us immediately at

970-663-6988 or [email protected].

We at Plasma Process Group hope that using your new ion beam source will produce rewarding results.

7330 Greendale Road, Windsor, CO 80550 USA

Phone 970-663-6988 • Fax 970-669-2312

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission

Date: October 2019 REV P1

Safety

WARNING

HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE – ion beam sources are to be serviced

and operated by trained personnel only.

For Service or Repair please contact us at 970-663-6988 or send an email to [email protected].

Before contacting us please have ready the following information about the issue:

Many issues can be solved over the phone or email.

In the event hardware needs to be returned, all equipment, including warranty, returned to Plasma Process

Group (PPG) requires a return authorization (RA) number. Our support team will provide a return request form

with instructions to start the process. This form is also located at our website plasmaprocessgroup.com (see

Resources then Terms and Forms). Special instructions will apply to international customers.

Our workmanship warranty can be found at our website plasmaprocessgroup.com (see Resources then Terms

and Forms).

Service and Technical Support

• Product type

• Model and serial number

• Date purchased

• List of all the operating parameters

• Error messages on power supply

• Gas ow to the source, neutralizer and background

• Chamber pressure

Warranty

This manual uses these symbols to indicate potential hazards.

ALERT - This symbol is used for tips and other pointers.

Warning Statements

Warning- Risk of Injury to Persons

is symbol is used to warn of a heavy li operation.

CAUTION

This symbol is used to alert of a potential risk to person or equip-

ment.

WARNING

This symbol illustrates a electrical shock hazard.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Getting Started 6

Section 1.1: Terminology 6

Section 1.2: Overview 8

Chapter 2: Installation 11

Section 2.1: General Requirements 11

Section 2.2: Layout 12

Section 2.3: Unpacking 13

Section 2.4: Source Installation 14

Chapter 3: Specications 18

Section 3.1: Specications for RF Neutralizer (RFN) 18

Section 3.2: Specications for 6 cm RF 19

Section 3.3: Specications for 12 cm RF 20

Section 3.4: Specications for 16 cm RF 21

Section 3.5: Specications for 23 cm RF 22

Section 3.6: Specications for Linear RF 23

Section 3.7: Power Supply Specications 24

Chapter 4: Operation 25

Section 4.1: Quick Start Sequence 25

Section 4.2: Additional Resources 29

Chapter 5: Advanced Operation 30

Section 5.1: Grid Theory 30

Section 5.2: Source Ignition 36

Section 5.3: Source Ignition Sequence 38

Section 5.4: Technical Tips 39

Chapter 6: Maintenance 42

Section 6.1: Maintenance Work Station 42

Section 6.2: Schedule 43

Section 6.3: Common Wear and Tear 44

Section 6.4: Recommended Spare Parts 45

Chapter 7: Troubleshooting 46

Section 7.1: Common Issues and Quick Fixes 47

Section 7.2: Power Supply Error Codes 48

Section 7.3: RF Neutralizer (RFN) Errors 51

Section 7.4: Starting the Source 53

Section 7.5: Turning on the Beam 54

Section 7.6: Additional Resources 55

Chapter 8: Parts and Drawings 56

Section 8.1: Navigating Grid Assembly Drawings 56

Section 8.2: Part Numbers for RFN 57

Section 8.3: Part Numbers for 6 cm RF Source 58

Section 8.4: Part Numbers for 12 cm RF Source 61

Section 8.5: Part Numbers for 16 cm RF Source 64

Section 8.6: Part Numbers for 23 cm RF Source 69

Section 8.7: Part Numbers for 6x22 cm RF Source 72

Section 8.8: Part Numbers for 6x30 cm RF Source 73

Appendix A: Cleaning Guide 75

Section A.1: Molybdenum Grid Cleaning Procedure 75

Section A.2: Reassemble 78

Section A.3: Electrical Testing 82

Ion beam technology was developed at NASA in the 1960s as a means of producing thrust on

spacecraft. Today, ion beam sources are used on vacuum systems for depositing precise thin lm

coatings of oxides, diamond-like carbon, and other useful materials on optical and mechanical

components.

This manual covers the installation and operation of radio frequency (RF) ion beam source

products we oer.

Section 1.1: Terminology

The function of an ion beam source is to produce ions

and accelerate these ions to high velocities so they

are ejected downstream from the source. The ejected

ions are directed to form a “beam” in which they all

have the same energy and can be directed to a target

or other substrate. At low energies, the ion beam is

useful for etching or cleaning parts. At high energies,

the ion beam can be used to sputter target materials.

An RF ion source package consists of the ion beam

source, an RF neutralizer (RFN), feedthroughs, power

supply(s), RF matching network, and cables. To install

the source in a vacuum system, feedthroughs are

used and these combined with additional hardware

form an interface kit.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Ion beam striking a target.

The hardware unpacked.

ION BEAM RF SOURCES MANUAL

ION BEAM RF SOURCES MANUAL Chapter 1: Getting Started

Depending upon the conguration, the source

may already be attached to the interface kit. This

is common for ange mounted sources. For these

cases, the matching network is also attached and the

entire assembly just requires installation. Internal

mount kits will come with individual feedthroughs

that require installation into the vacuum system

before the source can be attached.

Inside the source are the key elements for operation.

These include the gas inlet (also called gas isolator),

the RF antenna (also called coil), discharge chamber

and grids. Process gas, such as high purity Argon,

is fed into the discharge chamber. The RF antenna

will then excite free electrons causing ionization of

the process gas. A plasma is then created inside

the discharge chamber. A plasma is an electrically

conductive gas where the density of ions and

electrons are approximately equal.

All RF ion beam sources will have these same key

elements. Only the sizes and geometries will dier

for antennas, grids, and discharge chambers.

Source and interface kit assembly

Inside the source

The RF ion beam source family.

ION BEAM RF SOURCES MANUAL Chapter 1: Getting Started

ION BEAM PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFINITION UNIT

Source Gas Flow Process gas delivered to the discharge chamber. sccm

RF Forward Power The RF power applied to the matching network. This controls the

ion production rate W

RF Reected Power The RF power returned from the matching network. W

Beam Voltage Positive voltage applied to the screen grid (ion energy). V

Beam Current The total ion current leaving the source. mA

Accel Voltage Negative voltage applied to the accelerator grid. V

Accel Current Current collected by accelerator grid (charge-exchange). mA

A/B Ratio Ratio of accel to beam current. Typical A/B is < 10%. %

Section 1.2: Overview

The schematic below illustrates how the key elements work inside the source. Process gas is supplied to

the discharge chamber. The RF antenna is tuned using the matching network where its voltages can reach

upwards of ±2500 V. The oscillating eld will excite free electrons that can ionize the process gas and sustain

a plasma discharge (ions and electrons). Ions created in the discharge chamber that drift towards the grids

are then accelerated to high velocities with electrostatic potential applied to the grids. The screen grid is

biased positive, the accelerator grid is biased negative and the decelerator grid is grounded.

Electrical schematic for the RF ion beam source

ION BEAM RF SOURCES MANUAL Chapter 1: Getting Started

The grids, which control the ion optics, will come in

dierent shapes, sizes and materials. They can be

at (i.e. graphite) or dished (i.e. molybdenum) to

promote beam shape and trajectories. The inner

most grid is called the screen grid (biased positive)

and the middle grid is called the accelerator (biased

negative). Most grid assemblies will have 3 grids

where the decelerator will act as a shield to the other

two grids and capture process material coming back

to the source. Additional information about the grid

operation and design can be found in Chapter 5.

A neutralizer is placed downstream from the source

where it emits electrons to balance the number

of positive ions which leave the source. The RFN

operates in a similar fashion to the source as it

requires process gas, has an RF antenna and its own

matching network. Please refer to its manual for a

detailed description of its operation and additional

information.

The RFN needs to be placed so that its electrons can

couple (or “see”) the ion beam. It is very important

that these electrons have a close (about 150 mm),

unobstructed path to the beam to ensure stable,

noise free operation. The RFN should also be located

away from strong magnets or shielded from magnetic

elds using 400 series stainless steel. A common

challenge will be to protect the RFN from process

material that can coat its keeper - but allow for

electrons to couple.

Electrons from the neutralizer do not recombine

with source ions, rather they provide space-charge-

neutralization for the downstream plasma. Under

normal operation, the neutralizer will emit between

125% to 200% of the measured beam current. In this

fashion substrates or targets downstream will not

suer damage due to arcing or surface charging.

Typical grids before assembly

Place the RFN in close proximity to the ion beam

The RFN will emit more electrons than ions from

the source

ION BEAM RF SOURCES MANUAL Chapter 1: Getting Started

The source and RFN are both controlled using

the I-BEAM power supply. The I-BEAM supply is

connected to the source, RFN and it will monitor the

source matching network controller. There are three

modes of control. These are “Manual” which provides

full RF control, “Local” which allows direct beam

current control, and “Remote” for system interface.

Please refer to its manual for a complete description

and additional information. Specics on the power

supply operational features will be discussed in

Chapters 4 and 5 of this manual. Chapter 5 also has

tech tips for the source, RFN, and I-BEAM.

The table below are the critical operating parameters

for the RFN. The I-BEAM ion source controller

NEUTRALIZER PARAMETERS

PARAMETER DEFINITION UNIT

RFN Gas Flow Gas delivered to the neutralizer. sccm

RFN Forward Power The RF power applied to the matching network. W

RFN Reected Power The RF power reected from the matching network. W

Keeper Current Discharge current between keeper and collector. Typical is

300 mA. mA

Keeper Voltage Voltage applied to keeper. Lower than 30 V is preferred. V

Neutralizer Emission

Current The electron current emitted by the neutralizer. mA

E/B Ratio Ratio of neutralizer emission to beam current. Typical E/B

is 125% or greater to minimize surface charging and arcing. %

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