Ultra-Shallow Junction (USJ) Module

The Ultra-Shallow Junction (USJ) Module, a combination of ion implant and rapid thermal processing (RTP) technologies, will enable chipmakers to form the transistor junctions required for faster device designs. By leveraging the synergy between the xR Low Energy Advanced Performance (LEAP) ion implant system and RTP XEplus Centura system, the USJ Module offers a completely characterized, production-ready process for the rapid development and manufacture of ultra-shallow junction transistors.

The formation of ultra-shallow transistor junctions is an essential roadmap requirement to achieve next-generation, gigahertz-speed devices using 0.18-µ and below design rules. Until now, it has been extremely difficult to ensure that dopants, once implanted, remain precisely positioned in the device after RTP annealing. Subtle process variations can offset the depth of the implanted dopants by tens of nanometers, adversely affecting device performance and manufacturing yield.

The USJ Module is the first time the company has formally offered its xR LEAP implant system and the RTP XEplus Centura system to customers as a sequentially optimized, fully characterized process. Customers who already have one of these systems installed can take advantage of this process solution by completing the module.

The energy of the implanted ions determines the depth and lateral spread of the implant. In ultra-shallow junctions, it is critical to control the implant depth to within a few atomic layers, which is impossible to do with conventional implant systems. The RTP XEplus features an accelerated 150°C per second temperature ramp rate and improved temperature uniformity that provides the process performance required for the formation of ultra-shallow junction transistors.

Applied Materials, Inc., 3050 Bowers Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95054-3299.