Patent ID: 8803110

Claim:
A method of operating an ion source of an ion implantation system, the method comprising: providing an ion beam by a non-arc discharge ion source, wherein the non-arc discharge ion source comprises an electron gun driven ion source, comprising: an electron gun source comprising a cathode and electron optics, wherein the electron gun source is configured to generate an electron beam having a first shape traveling in a first direction; a bending magnet downstream of the electron gun source and configured to bend the electron beam from the first direction to a second, different direction; an ionization chamber downstream of the bending magnet, and comprising a source material inlet, an electron beam exit aperture, and an ion beam exit aperture, wherein the ionization chamber is configured to receive a source gas via the source material inlet, and generate ions via collisions between the electron beam and the source gas, and further configured to generate the ion beam at the ion beam exit aperture via an extraction voltage thereat; determining a beam current adjustment amount; modulating one or more parameters of the ion source according to the determined beam current adjustment amount; and providing the ion beam having a modulated beam current.