Ion beam application technology which utilizes low energy middle particle accelerator is a basic technology of diverse fields such as basic science, life science, material science, energy, semiconductor, medical treatment, chemistry industry, and defense with new research and means.
Ion beam technology is being developed into both fields of focused ion beam technology (FIB) and broad-beam technology (BIB). A focused ion beam technology is a super minute processing technology which processes mainly with from several tens to several hundred nanometers in size. The broad-beam technology is an industrial application technology which has been used for 20 years in semiconductor, aerospace, medical treatment and atomic energy fields. Currently lithography, ion beam evaporation and ion beam milling technology use ion beams indispensably in the semiconductor manufacturing process. In recent years, non-semiconductor field application research has also picked up.
Simple ion beam etching, activated ion beam etching, chemical ion beam etching, ion beam evaporation, and ion beam investigation processes are representative application process of ion beam technology. As for staple application fields, it is being very diversely industrially applied in ring laser gyroscope mirrors and heads, optical instruments, ultraviolet ray detectors, microwave mingling technology, semiconductor equipment, polymer film and diamond coating.
As research and development of semiconductors, life science, and materials science is extended to a molecular or an atomic level since the latter half of the 21st century, detecting or concocting those things are coming to the front as an indispensable tool for research and development in the future. Ion beam technology is appropriate to such demands as it is a technology through which atomic processing is possible.
On March 2003 the US government embarked on ion beam investigation technology for manufacturing lightweight aluminum compound materials to be second to steel's intensity and durability according to National Nanotechnology Initiative Development Plan under the influence of the US Department of Energy (DOE) according to the March 2003 Journal of Metals.
Already in the beginning of the 21st century, the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun also has forecast the extension of the ion beam accelerator market to rapidly extend 10.1% by US$2.1 billion from the year 2001, based on The Equipment Market and Technology Trend from 1996 through 2001, announced by the US VLSI Research.
In addition, Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry has foreseen to develop a super thin film ion beam processing technology which will overcome a boundary of 0.1 by 2004. What's more, the Ministry has forecast that this process would serve as a certainly necessary technology for producing the extreme high density accumulation chip, according to the December 1007 EE Times.
Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has succeeded in developing MOS-model transistor whose speed is fast and electrical consumption is small, by applying ion investigation technology. Rutgers University research team has also developed high efficiency's silicon nitride silicon chip, which is bigger 100 times than existing one in terms of electricity auto's usage electric power density. It is also 100 times less in terms of electric power consumption, according to October 1998 LA Times.
Ion beam technology is being intensively developed in an educationalindustrial- laboratorial collaboration program by teaming up with Wisconsin University, Los Alamos National Labs, and General Motors under the supervision of the US Department of Energy. In particular, along with nanotech device development, international technology development competition is becoming fiercer in the coming years.
A focused ion beam technology can process 0.1 right now and in principle there is not any boundary of processing. Accordingly, accelerator science technicians are allowing the processing ability to be the extreme miniaturized continuously to an atomic level by developing surrounding equipment technology. Precision micro beam equipment is being used actively for the development of nano-scale biotechnology, whose valueadd is very high right now.
Middle-ion's microscopic or nanoscopic ion beam investigation equipment is excellent in improving diverse material's features. However, since its equipment is expensive and complex, it is being delayed to apply to other high-value industry circles besides semiconductor processing. Thanks to low-price equipment development through the simplification of equipment and processing gradually, non-semiconductor field industry application research also is being briskly attained.
In a nutshell, ion beam equipment technology is the core technology field of Particle accelerator technology. A particle accelerator technology is the core complex technology in which ion beam acceleration, investigation, and diagnosis technology are combined. Thus, it has been recognized as a technology whose operation is difficult besides the fact that its facility investment expense costs much.
Ion beam technology is one of the core technologies to usher the cuttingedge industry age of the 21st century, which is being used comprehensively from basic research such as medical treatment, electronics, precision measurement, information, life science, new material, energy, semiconductor, material processing, and nano-scale engineering up to industry.
For quality improvement and industrial large-quantity production processing development, it is absolutely necessary to secure technology which can minimize ion beam equipment price. A particle accelerator, which contributed decisively to basic science development such as nuclear physics of the 20st century, and elementary particle physics, is widening its utilization scope for medical treatment and for industry.
On the occasion of the nano era in which each science technology demands a molecule and a atomic unit's inquiry and manupulation in the 21st century, accelerator's role is most of all important for the sake of a atomic unit's investigation and manupulation.
Especially, a molecule accelerator technology in the medical treatment field is developing to the future-oriented convergence technology of a new concept, which converged with surrounding technology like the combination of accelerator and robot, and IT accelerator.
