Patent ID: 7838850

Claim:
An ion source for use with an ion implant device, the ion source comprising: (a) an ionization chamber defined by a plurality of side walls defining an ionization volume, one of said sidewalls including an ion extraction aperture for enabling an ion beam to be extracted from said ionization chamber along a predetermined axis defining an ion beam axis; (b) a source of electrons external to the chamber and an aligned beam receptor configured relative to and outside said ionization chamber to cause an electron beam to be directed across the ionization volume of said ionization chamber in a direction generally perpendicular to said ion beam axis for ionizing gas in the ionization chamber; and (c) a gas source in fluid communication with said ionization chamber for supplying a cluster molecule feed gas or a monatomic feed gas; wherein the source of electrons ionizes the cluster feed gas by direct electron, impact ionization and ionizes the monatomic feed gas by way of a plasma.