Tiruchirapalli N. Arunagiri

Department of Chemistry

University of North Texas

PO Box 305070

Denton, TX 76203

Phone/Fax: (940) 565-4088

tana@unt.edu

 

OBJECTIVE

A position that requires my research experience in analytical/materials chemistry including electrochemistry, thin films, metallization, semiconductor etch chemistry, surface modification, characterization and analysis.

 

WORK STATUS IN THE USA

Available immediately. Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by the INS. National of India.

 

EDUCATION

Ph.D, Analytical/Materials Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, May 2003. Dissertation Title: “Interfacial Electrochemistry of Metal Nanoparticles Formation on Diamond and Copper Electroplating on Ruthenium Surface.” Adviser: Dr. Oliver M-R Chyan. (GPA = 3.82/4.0).

Relevant courses: Analytical and Interfacial Electrochemistry, Physical and Chemical Basis of Integrated Circuits Fabrication, Advanced Analytical Chemistry, Chromatographic Separations.

 

M. Sc., Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India 600 036, 1997.

Thesis Title: "An Infrared Spectroscopic Investigation of MxC60 (M = W, Mo) Complexes". Adviser: Dr. T. Pradeep. (CGPA = 7.78/10.0)

 

B. Sc. Honors, Chemistry, University of Delhi, Delhi, India 110 007, 1992.

 

SKILLS/TRAINING

Electrochemical Techniques; Metallography; Optical, Electron, Electrical and X-ray Materials Characterization; Hard/Ultrahigh Vacuum Techniques -- PVD, Annealing, XPS; Simple Microwave Plasma Systems; Infrared Spectroscopy; Profilometry; Semiconductor Wet Etching; Familiarity with statistical analyses.

EXPERIENCE

May 2003 - Current     Post-doctoral associate with Dr. Oliver Chyan, Dept. of Chemistry, University of North Texas, TX.

* Supervising a group of graduate and undergraduate students investigating (i) electrochemical formation of the conducting RuOx/Ru stack structure and its applicability as a potential Cu interconnects diffusion barrier in sub 0.13 μm IC devices; (ii) surface and interfacial characterization of Cu/RuOx/Ru stack. (Manuscript under preparation)
* PVD vs. direct seedless copper electroplated on Ru thin films (~ 5 nm) for 65 and 45 nm IC nodes -- surface, interfacial and interdiffusion studies (In press "Electrochemical Solid State Letters")
* Microstructure evolution investigation of electrodeposited vs. spontaneously deposited Pd nanoparticles on semiconducting diamond films -- studied by XRD, SEM and electrocatalysis.

1997-2003              Research Assistant, Dept. of Chemistry, University of North Texas, TX.

* Supervising a group of graduate and undergraduate students investigating (i) electrochemical formation of the conducting RuOx/Ru stack structure and its applicability as a potential Cu interconnects diffusion barrier in sub 0.13 μm IC devices; (ii) surface and interfacial characterization of Cu/RuOx/Ru stack. (Manuscript under preparation)

* Investigated (a) Cu electronucleation & growth mechanism on Ruthenium (Ru), a potential diffusion barrier in sub 0.13 um generation ICs; (b) wetting behavior of Cu (<400 Å) on Ru upto 800 oC; (c) Cu/Ru interfacial stability upto 800 oC by XRD and SEM. (Published in "Journal of the Electrochemical Society"; provisional patent filing pending).

* Studied a novel process of spontaneously depositing noble metal particles such as platinum, palladium and gold on boron-doped polycrystalline diamond thin films grown on silicon wafers. Used SEM/EDX, XRD and XPS for analyses. (Published in "Chemistry of Materials").

* Studied the feasibility of electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde on Pt/diamond and Pd/diamond surfaces. (Communicated to Chem. Mater.).

* Investigated surface modification of B-doped polycrystalline diamond surfaces using microwave-generated plasmas - oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.

 

 

AWARDS

* James J. and Ruth I. Spurlock Scholarship Award for outstanding research achievement by a graduate student in Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, University of North Texas, Denton, TX - May 2002.

* First place in the Students Research Presentations in the Graduate Division of the 35th Meeting in Miniature of the American Chemical Society, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas - April 2002.

* Travel Sponsorship from University of North Texas towards the 198th National Meeting of the Electrochemical Society, Phoenix, Arizona - October 2000.

* Robert A. Welch Pre-doctoral Fellowship during Summer 1998, 1999 and Fall 2000 - Fall 2002.

 

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

1. Tiruchirapalli Arunagiri, Teresa D. Golden and Oliver Chyan, “Study of Palladium Nanoparticles Deposition on the Conductive Diamond Surface by XPS, XRD and Electrochemistry”, Communicated to Chem. Mater., July 2003.

2. Raymond Chan, Tiruchirapalli N. Arunagiri, Yibin Zhang, Oliver Chyan, Robert Wallace, Moon Kim and Trace Hurd, “Ruthenium Thin Film as a Directly Plate-able Copper Diffusion Barrier”, Accepted in Electrochem. Solid State Lett., June 2003.

3. Oliver Chyan, Tiruchirapalli Arunagiri and Thomas Ponnuswamy, "Electrodeposition of Copper Thin Film on Ruthenium: a Potential Diffusion Barrier for Cu Interconnects", J. Electrochem. Soc., 150 (5), C347-C350, May 2003.

4. Jin-Song Gao, Tiruchirapalli Arunagiri, Jin Jian Chen, Patrick Goodwill and Oliver Chyan, "Preparation and Characterization of Metal Nanoparticles on a Diamond Surface", Chem. Mater., 12, 3495-3500 (2000).

5. M. R. Resmi, K. Smitha, T. N. Arunagiri and T. Pradeep, "Spectroscopic Investigation of M(CO)5-C60 (M = W, Mo) Complexes: Precursors for Metal Fullerides", Fullerene Sci. Technol., 7(2), 123-146 (1999).

6. Oliver Chyan, Tiruchirapalli Arunagiri, Raymond Chan, Thomas Ponnuswamy and Trace Hurd, "Study of Copper Electrodeposition and its Inter-diffusion Properties on Ruthenium Metal Surface", The Electrochemical Society Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - May 2002.

7. T. N. Arunagiri, Thomas Ponnuswamy and Oliver Chyan, "Electroplating and Interfacial Characterization of Copper on Ruthenium Metal Surface", American Chemical Society's Meeting in Miniature, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas - April 2002.

8. Tiruchirapalli Arunagiri, Thomas Ponnuswamy and Oliver Chyan, "Investigation of Copper Electrodeposition on Ruthenium Metal Surface", Materials Research Society Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts - November 2001.

9. T. Arunagiri, J. -S. Gao, J. -J. Chen, P. Goodwill and Oliver Chyan, "Deposition of Metal Nanoparticles on Diamond Surface via a Solution Route", The Electrochemical Society Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona - October 2000.

 

REFERENCES

Available upon request.