Patents by Inventor Sandra J. Underwood

Sandra J. Underwood 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).

  • Interface between titanium and aluminum-alloy in metal stack for integrated circuit
    Patent number: 5747879
    Abstract: An improvement in a metal stack used for interconnecting structures in an integrated circuit. The improvement comprises the entrapping in a titanium layer of nitrogen at the interface where the titanium layer contacts a bulk conductor layer such as an aluminum-copper alloy layer. The entrapped nitrogen prevents the formation of any substantial amount of titanium aluminide thereby reducing current densities and also improving the electromigration properties of the stack. As currently preferred, the nitrogen is entrapped in approximately the first 30.ANG. of the titanium layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Rajiv Rastogi, Sandra J. Underwood, Harry H. Fujimoto