Patents by Inventor Shantinath Ghongadi

Shantinath Ghongadi 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).

  • Publication number: 20090107836
    Abstract: Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup are disclosed. One embodiment comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, and a seal disposed on the cup bottom around the opening. The seal comprises a wafer-contacting peak located substantially at an inner edge of the seal. The embodiment also comprises an electrical contact structure disposed over a portion of the seal, wherein the electrical contact structure comprises an outer ring and a plurality of contacts extending inwardly from the outer ring, and wherein each contact has a generally flat wafer-contacting surface. The embodiment further comprises a wafer-centering mechanism configured to center a wafer in the cup.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: NOVELLUS SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Rash, Shantinath Ghongadi, Kousik Ganesan, Zhian He, Tariq Majid, Jeff Hawkins, Seshasayee Varadarajan, Bryan Buckalew
  • Publication number: 20090107835
    Abstract: Embodiments of a closed-contact electroplating cup assembly that may be rapidly cleaned while an electroplating system is on-line are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a cup assembly and a cone assembly, wherein the cup assembly comprises a cup bottom comprising an opening, a seal surrounding the opening, an electrical contact structure comprising a plurality of electrical contacts disposed around the opening, and an interior cup side that is tapered inwardly in along an axial direction of the cup from a cup top toward the cup bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: NOVELLUS SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Shantinath Ghongadi, Robert Rash, Jeff Hawkins, Seshasayee Varadarajan, Tariq Majid, Kousik Ganesan, Bryan Buckalew, Brian Evans