Patents by Inventor Clifford Berry

Clifford Berry has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Pulse sequence for plating on thin seed layers
    Patent number: 8500983
    Abstract: A plating protocol is employed to control plating of metal onto a wafer comprising a conductive seed layer. Initially, the protocol employs cathodic protection as the wafer is immersed in the plating solution. In certain embodiments, the current density of the wafer is constant during immersion. In a specific example, potentiostatic control is employed to produce a current density in the range of about 1.5 to 20 mA/cm2. The immersion step is followed by a high current pulse step. During bottom up fill inside the features of the wafer, a constant current or a current with a micropulse may be used. This protocol may protect the seed from corrosion while enhancing nucleation during the initial stages of plating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Ponnuswamy, Bryan Pennington, Clifford Berry, Bryan L. Buckalew, Steven T. Mayer
  • PULSE SEQUENCE FOR PLATING ON THIN SEED LAYERS
    Publication number: 20100300888
    Abstract: A plating protocol is employed to control plating of metal onto a wafer comprising a conductive seed layer. Initially, the protocol employs cathodic protection as the wafer is immersed in the plating solution. In certain embodiments, the current density of the wafer is constant during immersion. In a specific example, potentiostatic control is employed to produce a current density in the range of about 1.5 to 20 mA/cm2. The immersion step is followed by a high current pulse step. During bottom up fill inside the features of the wafer, a constant current or a current with a micropulse may be used. This protocol may protect the seed from corrosion while enhancing nucleation during the initial stages of plating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventors: Thomas A. Ponnuswamy, Bryan Pennington, Clifford Berry, Bryan L. Buckalew, Steven T. Mayer