History of industrial and commercial ion implantation 1906–1978

Abstract

This article reviews the history of ion implantation, the genealogy of commercial implanter manufacturing companies, and identifies some of the people who have helped to make the industry what it is today. It will concentrate on the time period from 1906, when the first ion implanter was “invented,” until 1978, when ion implanters are considered to have come of age. It is clear that the ion implanter has enabled semiconductor technology to travel the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, where microns of junction depths in the mid-1960’s are now in the submicron regime at the start of the new millennium. However, new shallow doping technologies that may eventually replace some implant steps are now being developed by several companies.