Plating-free metal ion implantation utilizing the cathodic vacuum arc as an ion source

A plating-free ion-implantation system utilizing the cathodic vacuum arc as a pulsed source of metal ions has been demonstrated. This process incorporates a dc target bias and an electromagnetic ion-separation mechanism to produce a fully ionized ion beam that is free of neutrals and macroparticles. Analysis of aluminum ions implanted into silicon using energy dispersive analysis indicates that the total implanted-ion dose increases linearly with the number of pulses reaching a dose of 3×1014/cm2 for 650 000 pulses. An alternate analysis, utilizing a bevel-and-stain technique, also indicates an implanted dose that increases linearly with the number of pulses.