A system for processing a workpiece includes a plasma immersion ion
implantation reactor with an enclosure having a side wall and a ceiling
and defining a chamber, and a workpiece support pedestal within the
chamber having a workpiece support surface facing the ceiling and
defining a process region extending generally across the wafer support
pedestal and confined laterally by the side wall and axially between the
workpiece support pedestal and the ceiling. The enclosure has at least a
first pair of openings at generally opposite sides of the process region,
and a first hollow conduit outside the chamber having first and second
ends connected to respective ones of the first pair of openings, so as to
provide a first reentrant path extending through the conduit and across
the process region. The reactor further includes a gas distribution
apparatus on or near an interior surface of the reactor for introducing a
process gas containing a first species to be ion implanted into a surface
layer of the workpiece, and a first RF plasma source power applicator for
generating a plasma in the chamber. The system further includes a second
wafer processing apparatus and a wafer transfer apparatus for
transferring the workpiece between the plasma immersion implantation
rector and the second wafer processing apparatus.