Biju Ninan

US Patent:

20100080928, Apr 1, 2010

Filed:

Sep 26, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/239644

Inventors:

Ravi Mullapudi - San Jose CA, US
Biju Ninan - Cupertino CA, US

Assignee:

TANGO SYSTEMS, INC. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

C23C 14/35

US Classification:

427523, 118723 VE

Abstract:

A vacuum chamber has multiple wafer positions, and the wafers are positioned by a rotating pallet. Above a wafer position in the chamber there may be a sputtering target, a flat inductively coupled plasma (ICP) coil for etching the wafer and/or promoting sputtering, and a TEOS vapor outlet for forming an oxide film on the wafer. As the pallet rotates, a wafer may first have deposited a thin layer of oxide on walls of a via hole at the TEOS position. A metal layer may then be sputtered in the via hole at the sputtering position, and any pinch-off material may be etched away at an etching position. A magnet behind each target scans back and forth behind the target. Vertical magnet walls substantially surround a sputtering target for confining the sputtered material to an angle that is more normal to the wafer than prior art trajectories to fill narrower vias.

US Patent:

20120024694, Feb 2, 2012

Filed:

Jul 29, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/846752

Inventors:

Ravi Mullapudi - San Jose CA, US
Srikanth Dasaradhi - San Jose CA, US
Edward Sterpka - Brentwood CA, US
Biju Ninan - Cupertino CA, US

Assignee:

TANGO SYSTEMS, INC. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

C23C 14/35
C23C 14/54

US Classification:

20419212, 20429816

Abstract:

A sputtering chamber contains a plurality of substantially triangular targets supported by a top wall. The targets have narrow ends pointing toward a center of the top wall. Above each target is a relatively small substantially triangular magnet. Each magnet is connected to a single central actuator that scans all magnets back and forth through an arc across its associated target. Each magnet is also movably connected to an arm connected to the central scanning actuator. A linear actuator moves each magnet up and down the arm simultaneously with the angular scanning movement. The combination of the simultaneous angular movement and linear movement (perpendicular to the arc) of the magnet causes each magnet to move only over a substantially triangular area corresponding to an area of an associated target. In one embodiment, the linear speed of the magnets is varied to achieve uniform erosion of the target.

US Patent:

20100078312, Apr 1, 2010

Filed:

Sep 26, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/239659

Inventors:

Ravi Mullapudi - San Jose CA, US
Biju Ninan - Cupertino CA, US
Gabriel A. Calebotta - Cupertino CA, US

Assignee:

Tango Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

C23C 14/34

US Classification:

20419212, 20429801

Abstract:

A vacuum chamber has multiple wafer positions, and the wafers are positioned by a rotating pallet. Above a wafer position in the chamber there may be a sputtering target, a flat inductively coupled plasma (ICP) coil for etching the wafer and/or promoting sputtering, and a TEOS vapor outlet for forming an oxide film on the wafer. As the pallet rotates, a wafer may first have deposited a thin layer of oxide on walls of a via hole at the TEOS position. A metal layer may then be sputtered in the via hole at the sputtering position, and any pinch-off material may be etched away at an etching position. A magnet behind each target scans back and forth behind the target. Vertical magnet walls substantially surround a sputtering target for confining the sputtered material to an angle that is more normal to the wafer than prior art trajectories to fill narrower vias.