Mini rf-driven ion sources for focused ion beam systems

Mini rf-driven ion sources with 1.2 cm and 1.5 cm inner chamber diameter have been developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Several gas species have been tested including argon, krypton, and hydrogen. These mini ion sources operate in inductively coupled mode and are capable of generating high current density ion beams at tens of watts of absorbed rf power. Since the plasma potential is relatively low in the plasma chamber, these mini ion sources can function reliably without any perceptible sputtering damage of the chamber wall. The mini rf-driven ion sources will be combined with electrostatic focusing columns, and are capable of producing nanofocused ion beams for micromachining and semiconductor fabrications. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.