Used ion implanters, refurbished and supported

Ion implanters for doping in pilot lines and research

Ion implantation places a measured dose of dopant at a controlled depth, which diffusion alone cannot do with the same precision. For a pilot line building CMOS, power devices or sensors, an implanter removes the delays of sending wafers out. For a research group, it opens doping profiles and species that a commercial service may not offer.

These are also the most demanding tools in this catalogue. Used ion implanters combine high voltage, hazardous dopant gases, high vacuum and complex wafer handling. We inspect, decontaminate, refurbish and move them, and support installed tools with parts and troubleshooting.

Medium-current and research implanters

Medium-current implanters are the most common platform in smaller fabs. The Varian 350D and the later E220 are long-running families that many 100–200 mm lines still use. The Eaton NV-6200, from the company now part of Axcelis, fills the same role. They are built for repeatable dose and uniformity across cassettes of wafers, at moderate beam currents.

Research implanters such as the HVEE implanter range trade throughput for flexibility. They are built to order around a target energy range, species list and end station, and they turn up in universities and institutes studying materials modification, quantum devices and detector physics.

High-current and high-energy production implanters are outside the scope of this category; they rarely suit the labs we work with.

What we inspect on an ion implanter

An implanter has more subsystems than most tools, so the report is long. The main points:

• ion source: filament, arc chamber, extraction electrodes and insulators for wear and deposits
• gas box: cylinders, regulators, valves and leak integrity of the dopant lines
• high-voltage supplies, terminal and insulation, with a check for arcing history
• analyser magnet, beamline and scanning system
• vacuum: turbo and cryopumps, roughing pumps, gauges and the leak rate of each section
• dose control: Faraday cups, integrator and uniformity measured on test wafers where the tool can run
• end station and wafer handling, including wafer cooling and charge control
• radiation shielding, interlocks and the X-ray survey points

Refurbishment, decontamination and parts

Before an implanter leaves a site, parts that saw arsine, phosphine or boron compounds must be cleaned. Decontamination is planned with the seller's EHS team, carried out with the right protection and documented for the buyer and the freight carrier.

Refurbishment then targets the source and the vacuum system: source parts and insulators are replaced, pumps are rebuilt or exchanged, and seals are renewed. Spare parts decide how long an older implanter remains practical, so we check availability of boards, power supplies and source parts before we quote.

Before you commit to an implanter

• Hazardous gases. Toxic dopant gases need gas cabinets, continuous monitoring and exhaust treatment. Some labs use solid sources or safer delivery systems where the tool supports them.
• Radiation safety. The high-voltage terminal generates X-rays. Expect a radiation survey at installation and, depending on your country, a permit.
• Power and cooling. Implanters need substantial three-phase power and cooling water for magnets, supplies and pumps.
• Space and rigging. Beamlines are long and heavy. Check floor loading, door widths and the route into the cleanroom before the tool ships.
• Skills. Plan who will run and maintain the tool; implanters need trained staff and a maintenance budget.
• Export rules. Some implanters and their parts fall under export controls depending on specification and destination. Our article on export controls for used equipment explains the basics.

Tell us your species, energies, doses and wafer sizes, and we will tell you plainly whether a used implanter or an outside implant service is the better route.