Upscaling from Lab to Fab

Ion implantation has been an indispensable tool for doping in semiconductor device fabrication since the 1970s. Its application has been limited for large area surface treatment as is seen in the flat glass industry. Ion implantation describes a vacuum process in which a surface is bombarded with high-energy ions which are accelerated in the 20-40 kV range. Ions energetically implant into the material surface, whereupon a collision cascade absorbs the energy and arrests penetration. Resultant ion implantation and surface reorganization of the matrix can modify the physico-chemical properties of various materials, including polymers, metals, glass, and crystals. Judicious choice of the implanted ions can induce re-alloying, amorphization, or nano-restructuring of the surface. This improves material properties or creates enhanced functionalities. We report the uniform treatment of a 1.6 x 1.8 m² glass substrate to create an anti-reflective property with light reflection at 5.7%.