Patent Number: 048250872
Section: claims

1. In combination with a system for irradiating a wafer-like target with an ion beam in a system end station comprising post-analysis electrode means for accelerating the ion beam to a given velocity incident upon a target located at a selected position downstream from the post-analysis electrode means, a flood gun inserted between the post-analysis electrode means and the target position for neutralizing positive charge build-up induced in the target by the ion beam, the flood gun comprising: a spiral wire grid anode having coil turns spaced a distance selected for admitting gas therethrough; a filament cathode extending lengthwise within the grid anode for receiving a bias voltage to stimulate the emission of electrons into the ion beam; means for introducing an inert gas through the grid anode for magnifying the flux of emitted electrons and lowering the peak electron energy to a value commensurate with the positive voltage level induced by the ion beam in the target; and means for supplying an adjustable bias voltage to the filament for amplifying the current of emitted electrons and for controlling the electron peak energy. 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the inert gas is argon. 3. In combination with an ion implantation system for irradiating a target including a semiconductor wafer with an ion beam, an electron flood gun for neutralizing positive charge induced in the target by the ion beam, comprising: a cylindrical anode having openings therein for admitting gas therethrough; a filament cathode extending lengthwise within the anode for receiving a bias voltage to stimulate the emission of electrons into the ion beam; means for introducing an inert gas through the openings in the cylindrical anode for magnifying the flux of emitted electrons and lowering the peak electron energy to a value commensurate with the positive voltage level induced by the ion beam in the target; and means for supplying an adjustable bias voltage to the filament for amplifying the current of emitted electrons and for controlling the electron peak energy. 4. The combination of claim 3, further comprising means for generating a magnetic field at the target generally transverse to the ion beam for selectively inhibiting flow of flood electrons to the target. 5. The combination of claim 4, wherein the inert gas is argon. 6. In combination with the process of implanting ions into a semiconductor wafer using an incident ion beam, the method of neutralizing low magnitude voltage positive charge up of the water resulting from the ion implant process, comprising: providing an electron flood gun comprising an anode configured as a cylinder and having openings in the cylinder for admitting gas therethrough and a filament cathode extending lengthwise within the cylinder anode for directing electrons into the beam; bleeding inert gas through the cylinder anode into the flood gun for amplifying the electron current and lowering the average peak flood electron energy; and controlling the voltage applied to the electron gun filament to control the magnitude of the electron current and limit the average peak electron voltage to a value commensurate with the magnitude of the positive wafer charge. 7. The process of claim 6, further comprising the steps of setting the filament current to a value just sufficient to provide the requisite electron emission level and electron current, to provide an optimum combination of electron current magnitude, operating efficiency and filament lifetime. 8. The process of claim 7, further comprising the steps of preliminarily setting the filament current at an initial value which provides the requisite electron emission level and flood electron current; reducing the filament current decremently while adjusting the bias voltage applied thereto to maintain said electron current at a relatively constant value; monitoring the bias voltage while reducing the filament current to detect an initial increase in the bias voltage in response to a decremental increase in the filament current; returning the filament current to a selected previous value before the bias voltage increase-causing decrement; and operating the flood gun simultaneously while directing the ion beam onto the wafer and adjusting the bias voltage to maintain the filament current and flood gun electron current at said selected previous value. 9. The process of claim 8, wherein during said flood gun operation, the bias voltage is reduced to offset increases in the flood gun ambient pressure. 10. The process of claim 9, further comprising determining a pressure threshold value which provides a minimum acceptable beam current and, during operation of the flood gun, monitoring the ambient flood gun pressure and maintaining said pressure below said threshold value. 11. The process of claim 10, further comprising determining the percentage of emitted electrons which fall below a maximum acceptable average peak energy; mounting an electron collector adjacent the flood gun for providing a signal proportional to the electron current incident on said collector; determining the electron current I.sub.o when the collector is grounded; and monitoring the electron current I.sub.e with the collector biased negatively during operation of the flood gun and determining when the ratio I.sub.o /I.sub.e falls below a selected percentage; and responsively decreasing the pressure to provide the selected percentage. 12. The process of claim 6, further comprising periodically sampling the ion beams to determine the beam current; and terminating flood gun operation during said sampling. 13. The process of claim 6, further comprising monitoring the position of the wafer relative to the opposite edges of the ion beam; and disabling flood gun operation when the wafer position is outside said opposite edges of the beam. 14. In combination with the process of irradiating a target using an ion beam having an ion beam line axis, the method of neutralizing undesirable charge-up of the target resulting from the irradiation process, comprising: providing a flood gun adjacent the ion beam line axis having a filament surrounded by a grid anode for directing electrons into the beam; applying a current through the filament and a voltage between the filament and grid anode for generating charged particles directed into the ion beam; supplying inert gas at a selected pressure to the gun to amplify the current of charged particles and lower the average energy of the charged particles; controlling said energy and current levels by controlling the voltage between the filament and anode; applying an electric field along the direction of the beam line axis for directing flood electrons onto the target; adjusting the bias voltage to control the flood electron current emanating from said flood gun; and further comprising the step of applying a magnetic field transverse to the ion beam and across said target for inhibiting the flow of flood electrons to the target in the absence of an ion beam and for preventing secondary electrons emanating from the target from reaching the beam.