Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) Process - Physics and Technology

Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) is a versatile process technology with its vast applications in materials engineering and microelectronics processing. This paper reviews first, a brief historical aspect of conventional ion implantation and Plasma Immersion ion implantation, followed by their comparison. Then the basic mechanism of a PIII technique and the physics of sheath dynamics developed in such a system is discussed together with necessary plasma specifications in a PIII process. Finally the main components of a PIII system, the existing trends and future prospects of this promising process technique are discussed.