US Patent 7838842 Dual mode ion source for ion implantation

An ion source is disclosed for providing a range of ion beams consisting of either ionized clusters, such as B2Hx+, B5Hx+, B10Hx+, B18Hx+, P4+ or As4+, or monomer ions, such as Ge+, In+, Sb+, B+, As+, and P+, to enable cluster implants and monomers implants into silicon substrates for the purpose of manufacturing CMOS devices, and to do so with high productivity. The range of ion beams is generated by a universal ion source in accordance with the present invention which is configured to operate in two discrete modes: an electron impact mode, which efficiently produces ionized clusters, and an arc discharge mode, which efficiently produces monomer ions.