Patents by Inventor Sankaram Athreya

Sankaram Athreya 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).

  • Integrated copper fill process
    Patent number: 6485618
    Abstract: A target and magnetron for a plasma sputter reactor. The target has an annular vault facing the wafer to be sputter coated. Various types of magnetic means positioned around the vault create a magnetic field supporting a plasma extending over a large volume of the vault. An integrated copper via filling process includes a first step of highly ionized sputter deposition of copper, a second step of more neutral, lower-energy sputter deposition of copper to complete the seed layer, and electroplating copper into the hole to complete the metallization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Praburam Gopalraja, Jianming Fu, Fusen Chen, Girish Dixit, Zheng Xu, Sankaram Athreya, Wei D. Wang, Ashok K. Sinha
  • Integrated copper fill process
    Publication number: 20010050226
    Abstract: A target and magnetron for a plasma sputter reactor. The target has an annular vault facing the wafer to be sputter coated. Various types of magnetic means positioned around the vault create a magnetic field supporting a plasma extending over a large volume of the vault. An integrated copper via filling process includes a first step of highly ionized sputter deposition of copper, a second step of more neutral, lower-energy sputter deposition of copper to complete the seed layer, and electroplating copper into the hole to complete the metallization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2001
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Inventors: Praburam Gopalraja, Jianming Fu, Fusen Chen, Girish Dixit, Zheng Xu, Sankaram Athreya, Wei D. Wang, Ashok K. Sinha
  • Integrated process for copper via filling using a magnetron and target producing highly energetic ions
    Patent number: 6277249
    Abstract: A target and magnetron for a plasma sputter reactor. The target has an annular trough facing the wafer to be sputter coated. Various types of magnetic means positioned around the trough create a magnetic field supporting a plasma extending over a large volume of the trough. For example, the magnetic means may include magnets disposed on one side within a radially inner wall of the trough and on another side outside of a radially outer wall of the trough to create a magnetic field extending across the trough, to thereby support a high-density plasma extending from the top to the bottom of the trough. The large plasma volume increases the probability that the sputtered metal atoms will become ionized. The magnetic means may include a magnetic coil, may include additional magnets in back of the trough top wall to increase sputtering there, and may include confinement magnets near the bottom of the trough sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.
    Inventors: Praburam Gopalraja, Jianming Fu, Fusen Chen, Girish Dixit, Zheng Xu, Sankaram Athreya, Wei D. Wang, Ashok K. Sinha
  • Integrated process for copper via filling
    Patent number: 6274008
    Abstract: A target and magnetron for a plasma sputter reactor. The target has an annular vault facing the wafer to be sputter coated. Various types of magnetic means positioned around the vault create a magnetic field supporting a plasma extending over a large volume of the vault. An integrated copper via filling process includes a first step of highly ionized sputter deposition of copper, a second step of more neutral, lower-energy sputter deposition of copper to complete the seed layer, and electroplating copper into the hole to complete the metallization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Praburam Gopalraja, Jianming Fu, Fusen Chen, Girish Dixit, Zheng Xu, Sankaram Athreya, Wei D. Wang, Ashok K. Sinha