Patents by Inventor Shankarram A. Athreya

Shankarram A. 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).

  • Patent number: 9203351
    Abstract: A system for cancelling offset includes a gain circuit. The gain circuit may include a transistor circuit connected to a pair of input nodes and configured to convert an input signal to an output signal so that the output signal has a gain compared with the input signal. The gain circuit also may include a pair of output nodes configured to receive the output signal from the transistor circuit. The gain circuit is configured to cause a voltage change at one of the output nodes relative to another output node, in response to the gain circuit receiving a feedback offset correction signal. This effectively cancels at least a portion of an offset in the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: MegaChips Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Itagaki, Sarath Chandrasekhar Venkatesh Kumar, Anand Gopalan, Shankarram Athreya
  • Publication number: 20140266440
    Abstract: A system for cancelling offset includes a gain circuit. The gain circuit may include a transistor circuit connected to a pair of input nodes and configured to convert an input signal to an output signal so that the output signal has a gain compared with the input signal. The gain circuit also may include a pair of output nodes configured to receive the output signal from the transistor circuit. The gain circuit is configured to cause a voltage change at one of the output nodes relative to another output node, in response to the gain circuit receiving a feedback offset correction signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Takahiro ITAGAKI, Sarath Chandrasekhar VENKATESH KUMAR, Anand GOPALAN, Shankarram ATHREYA
  • Patent number: 7569500
    Abstract: Methods of forming metal compounds such as metal oxides or metal nitrides by sequentially introducing and then reacting metal organic compounds with ozone one or with oxygen radicals or nitrogen radicals formed in a remote plasma chamber. The metal compounds have surprisingly and significantly improved uniformity when deposited by atomic layer deposition with cycle times of at least 10 seconds. The metal compounds also do not contain detectable carbon when the metal organic compound is vaporized at process conditions in the absence of solvents or excess ligands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Metzner, Shreyas S. Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram A. Athreya
  • Patent number: 7569501
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods for forming hafnium materials, such as oxides and nitrides, by sequentially exposing a substrate to hafnium precursors and active oxygen or nitrogen species (e.g., ozone, oxygen radicals, or nitrogen radicals). The deposited hafnium materials have significantly improved uniformity when deposited by these atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. In one embodiment, an ALD chamber contains an expanding channel having a bottom surface that is sized and shaped to substantially cover a substrate positioned on a substrate pedestal. During an ALD process for forming hafnium materials, process gases form a vortex flow pattern while passing through the expanding channel and sweep across the substrate surface. The substrate is sequentially exposed to chemical precursors that are pulsed into the process chamber having the vortex flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Metzner, Shreyas S. Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram A. Athreya
  • Publication number: 20070059948
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods for forming hafnium materials, such as oxides and nitrides, by sequentially exposing a substrate to hafnium precursors and active oxygen or nitrogen species (e.g., ozone, oxygen radicals, or nitrogen radicals). The deposited hafnium materials have significantly improved uniformity when deposited by these atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. In one embodiment, an ALD chamber contains an expanding channel having a bottom surface that is sized and shaped to substantially cover a substrate positioned on a substrate pedestal. During an ALD process for forming hafnium materials, process gases form a vortex flow pattern while passing through the expanding channel and sweep across the substrate surface. The substrate is sequentially exposed to chemical precursors that are pulsed into the process chamber having the vortex flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Craig Metzner, Shreyas Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram Athreya
  • Publication number: 20060223339
    Abstract: Methods of forming metal compounds such as metal oxides or metal nitrides by sequentially introducing and then reacting metal organic compounds with ozone one or with oxygen radicals or nitrogen radicals formed in a remote plasma chamber. The metal compounds have surprisingly and significantly improved uniformity when deposited by atomic layer deposition with cycle times of at least 10 seconds. The metal compounds also do not contain detectable carbon when the metal organic compound is vaporized at process conditions in the absence of solvents or excess ligands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Inventors: Craig Metzner, Shreyas Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram Athreya
  • Patent number: 7067439
    Abstract: Methods of forming metal compounds such as metal oxides or metal nitrides by sequentially introducing and then reacting metal organic compounds with ozone or with oxygen radicals or nitrogen radicals formed in a remote plasma chamber. The metal compounds have surprisingly and significantly improved uniformity when deposited by atomic layer deposition with cycle times of at least 10 seconds. The metal compounds also do not contain detectable carbon when the metal organic compound is vaporized at process conditions in the absence of solvents or excess ligands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Metzner, Shreyas S. Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram A. Athreya
  • Patent number: 6677254
    Abstract: The formation of a barrier layer over a high k dielectric layer and deposition of a conducting layer over the barrier layer prevents intermigration between the species of the high k dielectric layer and the conducting layer and prevents oxygen scavenging of the high k dielectric layer. One example of a capacitor stack device provided includes a high k dielectric layer of Ta2O5, a barrier layer of TaON or TiON formed at least in part by a remote plasma process, and a top electrode of TiN. The processes may be conducted at about 300 to 700° C. and are thus useful for low thermal budget applications. Also provided are MIM capacitor constructions and methods in which an insulator layer is formed by remote plasma oxidation of a bottom electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Pravin Narwankar, Mouloud Bakli, Ravi Rajagopalan, Randall S. Urdahl, Asher Sinensky, Shankarram Athreya
  • Publication number: 20030232511
    Abstract: Methods of forming metal compounds such as metal oxides or metal nitrides by sequentially introducing and then reacting metal organic compounds with ozone or with oxygen radicals or nitrogen radicals formed in a remote plasma chamber. The metal compounds have surprisingly and significantly improved uniformity when deposited by atomic layer deposition with cycle times of at least 10 seconds. The metal compounds also do not contain detectable carbon when the metal organic compound is vaporized at process conditions in the absence of solvents or excess ligands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2002
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig R. Metzner, Shreyas S. Kher, Vidyut Gopal, Shixue Han, Shankarram A. Athreya
  • Publication number: 20030025146
    Abstract: The formation of a barrier layer over a high k dielectric layer and deposition of a conducting layer over the barrier layer prevents intermigration between the species of the high k dielectric layer and the conducting layer and prevents oxygen scavenging of the high k dielectric layer. One example of a capacitor stack device provided includes a high k dielectric layer of Ta2O5, a barrier layer of TaON or TiON formed at least in part by a remote plasma process, and a top electrode of TiN. The processes may be conducted at about 300 to 700° C. and are thus useful for low thermal budget applications. Also provided are MIM capacitor constructions and methods in which an insulator layer is formed by remote plasma oxidation of a bottom electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventors: Pravin Narwankar, Mouloud Bakli, Ravi Rajagopalan, Randall S. Urdahl, Asher Sinensky, Shankarram Athreya
  • Patent number: 6426282
    Abstract: A method of forming solder bumps on a semiconductor wafer utilizing a low temperature biasable electrostatic chuck. In particular, the method comprises the steps of providing at least one bond pad on the semiconductor wafer, forming a barrier layer over the bond pad, and forming the solder bumps upon the at least one bond pad. By controlling the temperature and biasing of the electrostatic chuck, the barrier layer, such as nickel vanadium, exhibits a low tensile or compressive stress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Dinesh Saigal, Shankarram Athreya, Kenny King-Tai Ngan, Lisa L. Yang