M Cubed Technologies, Inc.

Other

Prashant G Karandikar

Michael K Aghajanian

Edward Gratrix

Clarence A Andersson

Jai R Singh

Allyn L McCormick

Derek Rollins

Barry R Rossing

Brian J Monti

Glen Evans

David Casale

Marlene Rossing, Legal Representative

Sam Salamone

A chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization pad conditioner body made from diamond-reinforced reaction bonded silicon carbide, with diamond particles protruding or 'standing proud' of the rest of the surface, and uniformly distributed on the cutting surface. In one embodiment, the diamond particles are approximately uniformly distributed throughout the composite, but in other embodiments they are preferentially located at and near the conditioning surface. The tops of the diamond particles can be engineered to be at a constant elevation (i.e., the conditioner body can be engineered to be very flat). Exemplary shapes of the body may be disc or toroidal. The diamond particles can be made to protrude from the conditioning surface by preferentially eroding the Si/SiC matrix. The eroding may be accomplished by electrical discharge machining or by lapping/polishing with abrasive.

Diamond composite CMP pad conditioner

A perforated film electrode for a pinned electrostatic chuck that lies below the top surface of the pins in the valleys or interstices between pins, below the elevation of the top surface of the pins, and is attached to the body of the chuck. In one embodiment, the perforated film electrode assembly features a thin film electrode sandwiched between thin sheets of electrically insulating material. The top, outer or exposed surface of the perforated film electrode assembly has a flatness that is maintained within 3 microns. That is, the distance or elevation between the tops of the pins and the top surface of the perforated film unit is maintained within plus or minus 3 microns. A tool for producing a uniform elevation of the top and bottom sheets or layers of electrically insulating material also is taught.

Film electrode for electrostatic chuck

A diamond-reinforced SiC ceramic composite material and shaped article. The addition of diamond to the microstructure greatly enhances properties such as hardness and Young's modulus. Such a composite material has considerable promise as an armor material. In particular, significant increases in ballistic performance can be achieved versus a non-diamond-containing composite, particularly versus the M993 threat. Reaction bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) ceramics with 7% diamond were shown to offer ballistic performance levels that matched the best commercial ceramics tested on the program.

Diamond-reinforced composite materials and articles, and methods for making same

Ceramic-containing bodies can be bonded to other ceramic-containing bodies, or to metals or metal-containing bodies, by way of an aluminum-silicon brazing alloy. Such alloys feature high thermal conductivity and a melting range intermediate to Cu&#x2014;Sil and Au&#x2014;Si. By metallizing the surface of an aluminum- or silicon-containing ceramic body, for example, with silicon or aluminum, the formation of deleterious intermetallic phases at the brazing interface is avoided. This technique is particularly useful for joining reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) composite bodies, and particularly such composite bodies that contain appreciable amounts of aluminum as a metallurgical modification of the residual silicon phase. Interestingly, when the RBSC body contains minor amounts of the aluminum alloying constituent, or none, the metallization layer is not required. The resulting bonded structures have utility as mirrors, as packaging for electronics, and in semiconductor lithography equipment, e.g., as electrostatic chucks for supporting a silicon wafer during the lithography process.

Method for brazing ceramic-containing bodies, and articles made thereby

A mirror having low density, low CTE, high thermal conductivity, high elastic modulus, and a reflective, polishable surface. The instant mirror features a silicon-based metal coating as the reflective surface, and a composite body as a support or substrate for the reflecting surface. The composite body features carbon fibers reinforcing a matrix containing silicon metal and optionally some silicon carbide. The metal coating can be elemental silicon metal, possibly in amorphous form, and can be applied by a vapor deposition process such as chemical vapor deposition (e.g., plasma enhanced CVD) or physical vapor deposition such as evaporation or electron beam PVD.

Low CTE metal-ceramic composite articles, and methods for making same

A low CTE metal-ceramic composite material featuring carbon fibers reinforcing a matrix featuring silicon metal or silicon alloy. The fibers have a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the axial direction, and preferably negative. The principles of making Si/SiC composites can be adapted to produce the instant Si matrix composites. The CTE of the composite body depends not only upon the relative CTE's of the fibers and matrix, and their relative amounts (e.g., loadings), but also upon the relative elastic moduli of the fibers and matrix. Thus, Si/SiC matrices produced by a reaction-bonding process inherently possess low CTE, but the instant inventors prefer to make such composites having relatively large fractions of unreacted silicon, thereby driving composite CTE lower still. Here, the carbon fibers are protected from reaction with the silicon infiltrant with one or more materials disposed between the fibers and the infiltrant. Providing at least a degree of toughness or impact resistance can also be realized in these composites. Laminates produce Isotropic or quasi-isotropic properties in the composite body can be realized by, for example, providing the fibers in the form of cross-plied laminates featuring the fibers in parallel or woven arrays.

Low expansion metal-ceramic composite bodies, and methods for making same

Ceramic-containing bodies can be bonded to other ceramic-containing bodies, or to metals or metal-containing bodies, by way of an aluminum-silicon brazing alloy. Such alloys feature high thermal conductivity and a melting range intermediate to Cu&#x2014;Sil and Au&#x2014;Si. By depositing a layer of silicon or aluminum, e.g., by vapor deposition, onto a surface of the ceramic-containing body, the formation of deleterious intermetallic phases at the brazing interface is avoided. This technique is particularly useful for joining reaction-bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) composite bodies, and particularly such composite bodies that contain appreciable amounts of aluminum as a metallurgical modification of the residual silicon phase. When the RBSC body contains minor amounts of the aluminum alloying constituent, or none, the metallization layer is not required. The resulting bonded structures have utility as mirrors, as packaging for electronics, and in semiconductor lithography equipment, e.g., as electrostatic chucks for supporting a silicon wafer during the lithography process.

Growing community of inventors

Avondale, PA, United States of America

Prashant G Karandikar