Ion implantation is used in semiconductor manufacturing and steel tool production to change the electrical or surface properties of materials. Ions are produced and directed towards a substrate, colliding with atoms and molecules to cause damage that alters the material’s properties. Doping is a common use of ion implantation in integrated circuit manufacturing. Safety protocols govern the process, which can also be used to design prosthetic devices.
Ion implantation has applications in several industries, especially in semiconductor manufacturing. An ion implant is an ion of a particular element placed in the surrounding material for the purpose of changing the electrical or surface properties of the material. Some common elements that can be used in ion implantation are phosphorus, arsenic, boron and nitrogen.
The science of ion implantation has been known since the 1950s, but it didn’t come into widespread use until the 1970s. A machine called a mass separator is used to implant ions into the target material, called a “substrate” for scientific purposes. In a typical setup, ions are produced at a source point and then accelerated to a separating magnet, which effectively concentrates and directs the ions to their destination. Ions are made up of atoms or molecules with more or fewer electrons than normal, which makes them more chemically active.
Upon reaching the substrate, these ions collide with atoms and molecules before coming to rest. Such collisions can involve the nucleus of the atom or an electron. The damage caused by these collisions changes the electrical properties of the substrate. In many cases, ion implantation affects the substrate’s ability to conduct electricity.
A technique called doping is the primary purpose of using an ion implant. This is commonly done in integrated circuit manufacturing, and indeed, modern circuits such as those in computers could not be made without ion implantation. Doping is basically another name for ion implantation which applies specifically to circuit board manufacturing.
Doping requires ions to be produced from a very pure gas, which can sometimes be dangerous. For this reason, there are many safety protocols governing the doping process of silicon wafers. The gas particles are accelerated and directed towards the silicon substrate in an automated mass separator. Automation reduces safety concerns and in this way it is possible to dope several circuits per minute.
Ion implantation can also be used in the manufacture of steel tools. The purpose of an ion implant in this case is to change the surface properties of the steel and make it more resistant to cracking. This change is caused by a slight compression of the surface due to the implant. The chemical change caused by ion implantation can also protect against corrosion. This same technique is used to design prosthetic devices such as artificial joints, giving them similar properties.
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