Confidential startup company
A startup company with significant physics knowledge was approached to make a prototype electron beam implanter for a large foreign company expecting to expand their business. They needed electronics expertise to bring it to fruition.
The strength of the ion beam in an implanter is a key variable in the doping of silicon wafers. Impact ES–Rhode Island was asked to create electronics to measure the extremely low ion beam currents required to make this device perform well beyond its competition.
Impact ES–Rhode Island worked with the client’s interdisciplinary team to create an appropriate set of requirements for the electronics team. To make measurements at such a low level of current, considerations had to be made for thermal noise in resistors, leakage of CMOS components, and for shielding the device from external noise sources.
The success of this prototype device demonstrates Impact ES–Rhode Island’s ability to work with a research group and to create test environments that provide feedback on the correct design choices for development. Additionally, the very high voltages used in the acceleration of particles required careful attention to safety and isolation.
