The Impact of Ion Implantation on Consumer Electronics

The use of new processing techniques, coupled with innovative circuit design and packaging techniques, have resulted in lower-cost, higher-performance consumer integrated circuits. These devices have aided domestic entertainment electronics manufacturers in meetingthe challenges posed by low-cost, off-shore competition. Continued advancement of consumer products will depend upon further refinements in both processing and in design techniques. The technique of ion-implantation offers many potential benefits to the device as well as the equipment designer. These benefits include high-value, accurate-resistor values which can be fabricated with significantly reduced chip area, conventional MOS as well as CMOS capability, and compatible high quality varactors combined with dual gate MOS devices. Applications of the technology are apparent in today's products and in future products will only be limited by the ingenuity of designers themselves.