PLASMA PROCESS GROUP, INC.
IBEAM FC / FN
Ion Beam Source Power Supply Manual
DC Filament Cathode / Filament Neutralizer
Страница 1: ...PLASMA PROCESS GROUP INC IBEAM FC FN Ion Beam Source Power Supply Manual DC Filament Cathode Filament Neutralizer ...
Страница 2: ...5 by Plasma Process Group Inc All rights reserved 7330 Greendale Road Windsor CO 80550 Phone 970 663 6988 Fax 970 669 2312 No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission Date May 2015 v2 0 ...
Страница 3: ...ut Source and neutralizer 20 3 4 Mounting and air cooling 21 3 5 Electrical Connection Setup 22 Chapter 4 Operation 23 4 1 Power Supply Layout 23 4 2 Keypad entry and power supply adjustments 24 4 3 User interface examples 27 4 4 Mode indicator and adjustments 29 4 5 Beam Source On Off 31 4 6 Operation example 32 Chapter 5 Remote Control 37 5 1 RS232 communications 37 5 2 Command details 40 5 3 Op...
Страница 4: ...o have numerous terrestrial applications In the past decades ion beams have been used for depositing wear resistant diamond like carbon coatings on mechanical and optical hardware They have also been used to fabricate the read write heads used in computer hard drives and thin film optical filters for telecommunication applications A select few publications involving ion beam deposition technology ...
Страница 5: ...gh the RS 232 interface In remote control mode operating parameters are set via the interface In local control mode the power supply adjusts parameters automatically based on preset values minimizing operator intervention or error Up to 9 sets of operating parameters can be stored in the I BEAM FC FN The I BEAM FC FN is also well suited for research development applications A separate display and ...
Страница 6: ...ges or loss of production Expendable items including but not limited to grid assemblies RFN collectors discharge chambers filaments fuses o rings and seals are specifically excluded from the foregoing warranties and are not warranted Seller assumes no liability under the above warranties for equipment or system failures resulting from 1 abuse misuse modification or mishandling 2 damage due to forc...
Страница 7: ...son If the product is to be returned to PPG for repair you will be assigned a Return Authorization number RA warranty status of the equipment and shipping information to return the product The RA number should be attached to the outside of the shipping container A purchase order number should be included should the equipment not be under warranty After PPG receives the equipment a firm quote and e...
Страница 8: ...to warn of a potential voltage hazard WARNING This symbol is used to warn of electrocution hazard WARNING This symbol is used to warn of a HIGH VOLTAGE hazard Warning Risk of Injury to Persons This symbol is used to warn of a heavy lift operation WARNING This symbol is used to warn of a potential hazard Chapter ...
Страница 9: ...igure 2 1 is a schematic of an ion beam source Basically the source is operated by introducing the source gas into the discharge chamber An electron source is used to ionize the gas and establish a plasma Recall a plasma is an electrically conductive gas where the density of ions and electrons are approximately equal Ions created in the discharge chamber are then accelerated to high velocities wit...
Страница 10: ...ly a filament consists of a tungsten wire which is heated to emit electrons A hollow cathode is a device which produces electrons by locally ionizing its own feed gas The electrons from either the filament or hollow cathode are then used to ionize the source gas which for the hollow cathode case may be the same gas it used The electrons have several ionizing collisions before being collected at th...
Страница 11: ...accelerated Even if the D grid is not used the potential downstream from the source is ultimately approximately zero Depicted in Figure 2 2 is the electric potential for a 3 grid assembly The D grid potential is typically held at ground potential or 0 V The accelerated ions then decelerate after passing the A grid and exit the aperture with a net ion energy of approximately beam voltage As depicte...
Страница 12: ...s of a small discharge chamber with an RF coil The RFN utilizes a collector and keeper to emit electrons The purpose of the neutralizer is to emit electrons into the environment downstream from the ion beam source The emitted electrons provide a charge balance for the ions leaving the source Typically more electrons are emitted from the neutralizer than ions from the source This is done to minimiz...
Страница 13: ...as supply The beam supply also a DC bias supply is also connected to the anode and biases the discharge plasma positive with respect to ground Not illustrated but commonly used is a resistor placed between the body and anode The body resistor establishes the proper bias between the anode and body and thereby directs electrons to be collected on the anode surface The accelerator supply a DC type su...
Страница 14: ...arge and additional DC supplies to emit electrons Figure 2 4 Electrical schematic for a RF source Additional power supply details and source parameters are presented in Tables 2 1 and 2 2 Ion beam source parameters used by both DC and RF sources are presented in Table 2 1 Specific parameters that pertain to DC filament DC hollow cathode and RF sources are outlined in Table 2 2 Actual values for th...
Страница 15: ...een the filament cathode and anode This determines the electron energy for ionizing collisions in the discharge chamber V Discharge Current The electrical current established in the discharge chamber between the filament cathode and the anode This current controls the ion production rate and to first order the beam current A Neutralizer Filament Current The electrical current applied to the filame...
Страница 16: ...d to the matching network This power controls the ion production rate and therefore the beam current W RF Reflected Power The RF power reflected from the matching network Typically the reflected power is 1 of the forward power W RFN Forward Power The RF power applied to the matching network W RFN Reflected Power The RF power reflected from the matching network W ...
Страница 17: ...ian A Maxwellian energy distribution is plotted in Figure 2 5 where the number of ions is plotted for various energies For comparison purposes the energy distribution from an ion beam source is also plotted Ions that leave the source have a limited energy range selected by the beam voltage and are referred to as mono energetic The significant attribute of the ion beam source is that energies of th...
Страница 18: ... grids can be fabricated to control this divergence and focus the ion beam Ion optics is a rather detailed subject and therefore only brief general rules of thumb are presented below for a typical grid set 1 The divergence increases the beam spreads out when the accel voltage is increased 2 The divergence can decrease at higher beam voltages Due to the complex nature of ion optics the beam dose is...
Страница 19: ...gy pp 466 482 Noyes Pub New Jersey 1990 6 Zheng A Optical Interference Filters The Key in High Capacity Optical Systems Fiberoptic Product News N 10 pp 18 24 1999 7 Izawa T et al Ultra low loss multilayer reflectors and their applications Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Vol 62 No 9 pp 911 914 1993 8 Chen F F Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion V 1 pp 1 51 Plenum Press New York...
Страница 20: ...ts output connections MISSING or IMPROPERLY attached READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS before connecting power Chapter 3 CAUTION Danger of High Voltage and Personal Injury WARNING ALL POWER OUTPUTS CAN BE LETHAL WARNING ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD WARNING This power supply produces high voltage outputs Do not operate unit with missing or improper connections The unit s interlock needs to be incorporated into the ...
Страница 21: ...t On the back of the IBEAM FC FN are the electrical connections for the source neutralizer and communication cables These are depicted in Figure 3 1 Figure 3 1 IBEAM FC FN rear panel Input power specifications Input power 208 VAC 1 Ø 50 60 Hz 16 Amp Figure 3 2 Electrical power connections ...
Страница 22: ...nd Remote Switches RS232 communications Figure3 3 Pin outs and electrical connections for USER COM Connector style DB9 Interlock and remote switches Figure 3 4 Pin outs and electrical connections for interlock and remote switches Connector style DB9 ...
Страница 23: ...eutralizer Output Source Figure 3 5 Source pin out and electrical connections Connector style mil spec 97 3102A 24 2S Output Neutralizer Figure 3 6 Neutralizer pin out and electrical connections Connector style mil spec 97 3102A 14S 2S ...
Страница 24: ...are not accessible while the power is ON and operating CAUTION Electrical current It is important to connect the chassis ground to the facility ground vacuum tank Figs 10 and 11 Air cooling Figure 3 8 Air flow The chassis must have adequate air for cooling CAUTION Danger of FIRE If the power supply does not have proper ventilation the subcomponents will overheat and may ignite ...
Страница 25: ...the neutralizer and source cables to output connections Figs 3 5 and 3 6 STEP 3 Attach the communications cable if used to the USER COM port Fig 3 3 STEP 4 Connect the input power Fig 3 2 STEP 5 Connect the interlock Fig 3 4 STEP 6 Turn the main ON OFF switch to ON STEP 7 The unit is ready for power up and operation See Chapter 4 ...
Страница 26: ...er interface is the front panel and its layout is depicted in Figure 4 1 The output displays are used to provide voltage and current readings on the individual power supplies Each supply has an indicator light which illuminates when that supply is selected using the module button on the keypad The emergency power off will disable power The parameters for each power supply can be entered by the use...
Страница 27: ...ply can be entered see Figure 4 2 Figure 4 2 Select the supply by pressing the MODULE button until the green LED lights Other global parameters are entered into the CONTROL module These can be accessed when the green LED is lighted as shown in Figure 4 3 Figure 4 3 Global parameter entry To access press MODULE button until LED lights Directly under the main display are 3 control keys These are use...
Страница 28: ...P Select to change global parameters listed below Control CATH I LIMIT Cathode filament current limit The limit should be set slightly higher than the maximum expected cathode filament current 0 0 to 20 0 A Control NEUT I LIMIT Neutralizer filament current limit The limit should be set slightly higher than the maximum expected neutralizer filament current 0 0 to 20 0 A Control A B RATIO Accelerato...
Страница 29: ... are entered as TARGETS When the SOURCE and BEAM are ON the modules will ramp to these target values If a target value cannot be achieved an alarm will trigger See Chapter 6 for a listing of the power supply alarms ...
Страница 30: ... STEP 2 Use the Control keys to select BI STEP 3 Use keypad to type 100 and then ENTER Example 4 Set the accelerator voltage to 200 V STEP 1 Press MODULE button until Accelerator supply indicator LED is ON STEP 2 Use keypad to type 200 and then ENTER Example 5 Set the discharge voltage to 55 V STEP 1 Press MODULE button until Discharge supply indicator LED is ON STEP 2 Use keypad to type 200 and t...
Страница 31: ...is pressed the STORE or RECALL options are displayed Each memory location stores beam current beam voltage accelerator voltage discharge voltage cathode filament current and neutralizer filament current target values Also stored are the A B and E B ratios cathode and neutralizer filament current limits Memory location 0 is reserved for the last running condition There are ten 10 available memory l...
Страница 32: ... reference 11 The production of these charge exchange ions is proportional to the source gas flow rate and chamber pressure The charge exchange ions are attracted to the accelerator grid impinge and are detected as accelerator current The impingement process will result in sputtering of the accel grid and excessive accelerator current will reduce the life of the grid For properly aligned grids and...
Страница 33: ... to control the cathode filament current manually from the front panel The result is the user can increase or decrease the beam current manually The beam current is not as stable as LOCAL mode However MANUAL mode is useful for determining or optimizing other source parameters and troubleshooting source operation In MANUAL mode the user cannot select a beam current it is adjusted by increasing or d...
Страница 34: ... started and will be observed by a drop in discharge voltage to its operating value typically 55 V After a discharge has been established the source has started The BEAM button can then be toggled to ON When the BEAM button is toggled to ON power is applied to the beam and accelerator supplies The beam and accelerator voltage will ramp in a steady fashion to their desired settings The beam can be ...
Страница 35: ...MENTS Chamber base pressure 10 6 Torr Lower is OK Chamber operating pressure when the source gas is on 10 5 to 10 3 Torr The discharge may go out at lower pressures Grid arcing will occur at higher pressures Typical pumping speed 1000 l s air Process dependent Step 2 Turn the process gas on After the vacuum chamber has achieved its base pressure turn on the process gas The amount of gas is typical...
Страница 36: ...8 cm Source 4 55 4 Turn on the source by pressing the SOURCE button When the SOURCE button is pressed the power supply will begin to apply power to the cathode discharge and neutralizer The cathode and neutralizer heaters will ramp to their respective set point or last setting The discharge voltage will ramp to an ignition voltage that is typically higher than 150V As soon as a discharge starts th...
Страница 37: ... accelerator voltage settings APPLICATION BEAM V ACCEL V COMMENTS Low energy etch or assist beam 300 V 700 V Beam is spread out Low rate sputtering 750 V 300 V Beam is mid sized High rate sputtering 1250 V 250 V Beam is focused Next select how the beam current will be controlled that is MANUAL LOCAL or REMOTE In order to select which mode to run press the MODE button A description of these modes i...
Страница 38: ...igher accelerator voltage If there are issues with the beam current and voltage please consult Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Step 6 Optimizing the accelerator voltage For some applications it can be useful to optimize the accelerator voltage If the application requires low beam voltage i e low ion energy the accelerator voltage is usually required to be high and the beam spreads out as it leaves the s...
Страница 39: ...eam current Step 8 Neutralizer operation When the BEAM button is pressed the neutralizer emission current should increase If the power supply is in MANUAL mode the emission current is determined by the given neutralizer heater current If the power supply is in LOCAL mode the emission current will adjust to the E B ratio where the E B ratio is emission current to beam current ratio For typical appl...
Страница 40: ... link is provided at the USER COM port located on the rear of the unit see Chapter 3 Below is the pin out and wiring diagram for the connection Section 5 1 RS232 Communications Figure 5 1 Pin outs and electrical connections for USER COM Connector style DB9 The handshake protocol is Baud rate 9600 bps Data bits 8 Stop bits 1 Parity none Chapter 5 ...
Страница 41: ...et the max discharge current limit DT Set the Discharge current threshold DV Set the discharge voltage F2 Display the software version and build M Set the power supply mode NE Enable Disable E 24 error for E B NI Set the neutralizer filament current NK Enable Disable front panel keypad LOCK NL Set the neutralizer filament current limit R Recall conditions from memory RC Request running conditions ...
Страница 42: ...a lf cr lf cr eot where lf is a line feed and eot is end of transmission Certain commands are sent with additional values included before the carriage return cr The specifics of each command are described in the following section For these examples the command contained within the quotes needs to be sent For example command cr is to send command followed by carriage return cr Do not send the quote...
Страница 43: ...Default is 10 Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command AC Description Enable Auto Cathode Mode in Remote mode When enabled the cathode filament current will increase automatically until one of two conditions are met either the cathode current limit or the discharge current threshold setting Usage AC 0 or 1 cr Example Send AC1 cr Auto Cathode mode will be enabled Sending AC0 cr will disable Auto ...
Страница 44: ...ould be 5 Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command BI Description Set the beam current Usage BI 0 300 cr Example Send BI125 cr The beam current target will be set to 125 mA After the beam is turned on the power supply will ramp to 125 mA Acceptable range is from 0 to 300 mA The source check out sheet should be consulted for normal ranges Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command BV Description ...
Страница 45: ...cathode current exceeds 8 0 A an alarm will trigger Acceptable range is from 0 0 to 20 0 A The source check out sheet should be consulted for typical ranges of cathode filament current The limit should be set slightly higher than the maximum expected cathode filament current Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command DL Description Set the maximum discharge current limit Usage DL 0 0 6 0 cr Exampl...
Страница 46: ... voltage is set to 50 V Acceptable range is from 0 to 80 V Typical values are 35 to 55 V It is not recommended running at voltages greater than 55 V The source check out sheet should be consulted for normal ranges of discharge voltage Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command F2 Description Request the Software version and build number Usage F2 cr Example Send F2 cr The Software version and build...
Страница 47: ... panel keypad The keypad lock out will disable all switches on the front panel and no alarms will sound Usage NK 0 or 1 cr 1 enables the keypad Lockout 0 disables the lockout restoring user access via keypad as well as the alarm buzzer Example Send NK1 cr The keypad switches will be locked allowing no input from the front panel The power supply must be run from an externally connected input device...
Страница 48: ...ast running condition Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command RC Description Request running conditions Usage RC cr Example Send RC cr The current running conditions will be sent to the buffer It is recommended this command should not be sent more than 1 time per second Response lf cr AA A B BB CCC C DDD EEEE FFF GGGG HHHH II I JJJJ lf cr eot Where AA A is cathode filament current A B BB is the...
Страница 49: ...isplayed Response lf cr AAAAA BBBB CCCC D EEEEE FFFFF GGGGG HHHHH IIIII JJJJJ KKKKK lf cr eot ASCII Blank space 32 Serial command S Description Turn the source on or off Usage S 1 or 0 cr Example Send S1 cr The source will turn on Send S0 cr The source and beam will turn off Response lf cr OK lf cr eot Serial command ST Description Store running conditions to memory Usage ST 0 9 cr Example Send ST...
Страница 50: ... B Cathode Type 0 FC C Beam Type 0 Normal D Neutralizer Type 0 Filament E Discharge Type 0 FC F Accelerator Type 0 Normal Usage V cr Example Send V cr Response lf cr IBEAM 601 FCFN lf cr eot Serial command V1 Description Display Power Supply and version Usage V1 cr Example Send V1 cr Response lf cr eot ABCDEF lf cr eot ...
Страница 51: ... once 1 time per second If faster response in turning the beam on off is required please examine the description on remote switches later in this chapter Line Command Description 1 A cr Put the IBEAM in remote mode 2 BV1250 cr Set the beam voltage to 1250 V 3 BI100 cr Set the beam current to 100 mA 4 CI3 5 cr Set cathode current to 3 5 A 5 S1 cr Turn the source on 6 delay Wait about 10 minutes bef...
Страница 52: ...e switches Connector style DB9 The switch closures work to turn on the source and beam Their function is identical to the Beam Source ON OFF output buttons on the front panel To turn the source ON the source switch pin 1 is shorted to ground Similarly to turn the beam ON the beam switch pin 2 is shorted to ground Either can be turned OFF by opening the short The switch closures are driven by an in...
Страница 53: ... operation These issues may not present themselves easily say with a multi meter as it may be a plasma short or a thermal open that creates the issue CAUTION Components that are usually safe may be shorted to power Never vent a chamber with the power supplies ON This chapter is divided into Power Supply Problems that are detected by the power supply Starting the source Cathode anode and discharge ...
Страница 54: ...all Factory 09 Cathode current too high 1 Auto cathode mode only change limit user adjustable 10 Filament current is greater than max 1 Filament is too long Replace filament or adjust software limit 13 Beam current tolerance 1 Beam current is out of tolerance Check grids 20 Interlock is open 1 Water flow Check water flow 2 Vacuum Check vacuum interlock 3 Interlock cable is not connected Check cabl...
Страница 55: ... 3 Cathode filament is a newer one Discharge current is zero 1 Discharge has not started Check gas flow rate make sure flow is OK 2 Discharge has not started Check gas flow connection 3 Discharge has not started Check status of the cathode operation 4 Faulty electrical connection Check cable and feedthru connections 5 Faulty electrical connection Check anode electrical connections 6 Failed body fu...
Страница 56: ...e is older than a newer one Manual mode Accel current zero 1 Discharge not started or is out Check discharge operation Table 6 2 2 Faulty connection Check cable and feedthru connections Table 6 5 3 Possible power supply problem Have power supply serviced Accel current lower than normal 1 Accel grid has a faulty electrical connection Check connections 2 Gas flow is lower than expected Check gas flo...
Страница 57: ...nger than standard size 3 Filament is a newer one Emission current is zero 1 Neutralizer filament is not close to beam move filament 2 Filament current is too low Examine run data for the source 3 Source gas is off or low check source gas operation 4 Neutralizer is electrically shorted Check cable Table 6 5 5 Faulty connection Check cable and feedthru connections Table 6 5 6 Failed emission fuse C...
Страница 58: ... atmosphere disconnect the source cable from the power supply Use an ohm meter and measure the resistance between pin F and the accelerator grid The reading should be 2 ohms or less to indicate the accel grid is properly connected Beam current and Accel current higher than normal 1 Check for accel to screen grid shorting Note With the source off and at atmosphere disconnect the source cable from t...
Страница 59: ...of electron backstreaming As the accelerator voltage is decreased from 150 to 50V the discharge current erroneously increases at 50V Note the beam current also increases Similar to these data testing for backstreaming should be conducted with a fixed cathode current The power supply is running in manual mode Table 6 6 Electron back streaming example Source Gas Pressure Cathode Discharge Beam Accel...
Страница 60: ...upply 80 VDC 6 A cathode supply 20 A 700 W neutralizer supply 20 A 700 W Output Connections source 97 3102A 24 27S Mil Spec Mil C 5015 7 pin neutralizer 97 3102A 14S 2S Mil Spec Mil C 5015 4 pin Interface communications RS 232 DB 9 female Interlock remote switching DB 9 female Power Input 208 VAC 50 60 Hz 16 A 1 phase Chassis mounting 19 rack mount 4U height weight 27 lbs 12 Kg size width x height...
