Mechanical Engineer

Thirumalesh Bannuru

***** ***** ***** ***, *** **04 E-mail: abnhse@r.postjobfree.com

Maple Grove, MN 55369 Phone: 503-***-****

OBJECTIVE

Experienced Process Integration Engineer looking for an opportunity where he can utilize his current knowledge and

skills in materials science/mechanical engineering and grow in directions aligned with the business goals of the company.

COMPETENCIES

• Semiconductor wafer process flow and assembly/packaging

• Lean Six Sigma problem solving by DMAIC approach

• Materials Characterization and Failure Analysis

• Root cause finding of process excursions in high-volume manufacturing

• Design of Experiments (DOE)

• Data mining and statistical data analysis

• Mechanical design using CAD

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Driven quality white papers (transition from pilot to full-scale implementation) to completion and propagated

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them across partner factories resulting in cost savings of $10 million+. Member of process/tool change control

board/ management.

• Led inter-disciplinary task force teams to resolve integrated defect/yield (excursion) problems using 8D problem

solving techniques in a leading edge 300 mm microelectronics fabrication facility. Positive impact on factory

operations goals and quality indicators.

• Performed data analysis and made data driven decisions for work groups created to improve ‘Back End Of Line’

(BEOL) process and reduce inline defects.

• Developed software code for routine pilot line data analysis resulting in 50% time savings.

• Facilitated the ‘Copper (Cu) polish task force’ reducing blotchy residue defects by 90% on wafers.

• Successfully completed research oriented fractography studies on Pb-free solder C4 interconnects in flip chip

electronic packages using mechanical shear test leading to significant learnings on crack propagation path.

• Developed novel Au-V2O5 thin films as part of doctoral research leading to journal publications and utility patent.

• Automated data collection and control of instrumentation in laboratory equipment using LabVIEW resulting in

flawless execution of experiments.

• Maintained complex laboratory equipment, developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and trained people

using best known methods.

EXPERIENCE

Process Integration Engineer 12/07 - 09/08

INTEL Corporation, Logic Technology Development, Hillsboro, OR, USA

Owner for integration duties involving thin film and metallization modules in Back End (BE) for microprocessor (1264.5)

and derivative (1265.x) chipset technology.

• Assisted modules in trouble-shooting semiconductor process related problems to sustain a robust 65nm process in

the back end of line (BEOL). Analyzed E-test, sort, inline data.

• Contributed to integrated ‘process window margin’ studies to solve end of line yield fallout.

• Collaborated with individual process modules (PVD, CVD, Etch, CMP polish, Barrier, ECP, Planar) to

understand integrated defect issues in 300mm micro fabrication clean room environment.

• Continuous process improvement using Statistical Process Control (SPC) and lean (kaizen) manufacturing to get

best-in-class die yields.

• Rolled up data in support for pilot line experiments and to monitor any process deviations at CMP and

metallization modules.

Doctoral Intern 06/07 - 09/07

INTEL Corporation, Quality and Reliability, Hillsboro, OR, USA

• Investigated aging phenomenon in Pb-free solders using Cold Ball Pull method as Quick Turn Monitor (QTM)

and correlated to shock tests in order to validate the current Best Known Method (BKM) for drop-shock

reliability tests post-Surface Mount Technology (SMT) process.

• Led a field trip to printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer called Merix in Hillsboro, OR in order to advance the

Thirumalesh Bannuru

team’s knowledge on PCB fabrication.

Doctoral Research Assistant 01/02 – 05/07

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

• Developed and characterized process for fabrication of Au thin films with VOx nano-dispersions.

• Studied contact material issues for ohmic (contact) RF MEMS switches and suggested solutions to minimize

wear and degradation.

• Determined reliability (mean time to failure) of microswitches to improve life cycle and minimize contact wear.

• Developed and characterized novel low residual stress Pt/Ir-IrO2 thin films for integration with piezoelectric

MEMS applications.

• Designed and implemented data acquisition and control systems (hardware and software; LabVIEW) for thin film

stress measurement by membrane resonance, “substrate curvature” techniques.

Doctoral Intern 08/05 – 02/06

INTEL Corporation, Assembly Technology Development, Chandler, AZ, USA

• Performed shear test to understand the fracture mechanism/strength of individual C4 solder joint for next

generation (Pb-free, 45nm technology node) flip-chip package path finding, FMEA.

• Actively supported DOE to understand the acceptable C4 solder bump height tolerance for assembly.

• Assisted in micro void investigations on 1st level solder interconnects (BGA) using X-ray and SEM imaging.

Contributed to task force formed to root cause the problem and participated in substrate supplier review meetings.

Teaching Assistant 08/03 – 05/04

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

• TA for the courses titled: Structure and Characterization of Materials, Mechanical Behavior of Materials and

Introduction to Solid Mechanics (at SUNY).

• Demonstrated use of XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM and LOM equipment to the students.

Graduate Research Assistant 08/99 – 12/01

State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA

• Investigated thermal-mechanical behavior of NiTi fiber actuated aluminum metal matrix composites using

Material Test System (MTS) machine.

• Operated the DSC instrument to monitor phase changes in NiTi shape memory alloy fibers.

• Developed data acquisition and remote (computer) control operation of MTS using LabVIEW.

• Generated 3D solid models and subsequent engineering drawings from conceptual level using CAD.

SKILLS

Computer Skills

JMP 7.0 with working knowledge of Statistics & DOE, Klarity defects review software, SQL, CrystalBall, Origin Pro 7.5,

LabVIEW 8.0, AutoCAD 2005, Vellum Solids, Mathematica v5, MS Visual studio 6.0, C++, MS Office

Technical Skills

Electron Microscopy: SEM, Basic TEM Nanoindentation: Hysitron Triboscope on DI

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small sample stage AFM

Chemical analysis: EDS, RBS, XPS

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Thin film deposition: DC Magnetron Sputtering

Completed summer short courses at “Lehigh •

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system, Evaporator (PVD)

Microscopy School”

“Substrate curvature system” to determine stress

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) •

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in thin films on substrates.

Focused Ion Beam; FEI Strata DB 235

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Thermal Analysis (DSC)

Materials Test System (MTS) and Instron 5567 load •

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4-point resistivity probe

frame •

Data acquisition and control using PCI & GPIB

Dimension 3000; Large sample stage AFM •

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cards

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Thirumalesh Bannuru

EDUCATION

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

Ph.D, Materials Science and Engineering, Jan., 2008

Dissertation: Effects of alloying on the mechanical behavior of noble metal thin films for microelectronic & MEMS

applications.

State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, USA

Master of Science (M.S.), Mechanical Engineering, Jan. 2002

Thesis: Thermal-mechanical testing of NiTi shape-memory alloy fiber actuated Al metal matrix composites.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, India

Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), Mechanical Engineering, Nov., 1998

PATENT

• “Thin film Au-VOx alloys for contacting MEMS”, Richard P. Vinci, Thirumalesh Bannuru and Walter L. Brown,

full U.S. utility patent filed (12/052,838), March 2008

PUBLICATIONS

• Thirumalesh Bannuru, W.L. Brown, S. Narksitipan, and R. P. Vinci., “The electrical and mechanical properties

of Au-V and Au-V2O5 thin films”, Applied Physics Letters 103, 083522 (2008)

• Thirumalesh Bannuru, S. Narksitipan, W.L. Brown, and R.P. Vinci: "Effects of V additions on the mechanical

behavior of Au thin films for MEMS contact switches". Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 6463 (2007), p. 646306.

• William D. Armstrong, Thirumalesh Bannuru, “Observed dependencies of the large thermal-compressive

response of a NiTi shape memory alloy fiber aluminum metal matrix composite.”, Proceedings of SPIE – Vol.

5761, pp. 388-394, May 2005

• Wenyue Zhang, Joseph P. Labukas, Svetlana Tatic-Lucic, Lyndon Larson, Thirumalesh Bannuru, Richard P.

Vinci and Gregory S. Ferguson, "Novel Room-Temperature First-Level Packaging Process for Microscale

Devices.", Sensors and Actuators A-Physical, 123-24:646-654, Sept 23 2005

• Richard R. Chromik, Thirumalesh Bannuru and Richard P. Vinci., “Internal oxidation and mechanical properties

of Pt-IrO2 thin films.” Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., Vol. 795, 2004, P. U 8.13.1-U 8.13.6

• R.P. Vinci, Thirumalesh Bannuru, S. Hyun and W.L.Brown, “Fabrication of Pt-IrOx and Au-V2O5 Thin Films”,

Key Engineering Materials, Vols. 345-346 (2007) pp 735-740

• Wenyue Zhang, Joseph P. Labukas, Svetlana Tatic-Lucic, Lyndon Larson, Thirumalesh Bannuru, and Gregory S.

Ferguson, "Novel Room-Temperature First-Level Packaging Process for Microscale Devices.", EUROSENSORS

XVIII Conf., Rome, Sep. 2004

• Thirumalesh Bannuru and Armstrong W. D., “Observed dependencies of the large thermal-compressive response

of a NiTi shape memory alloy fiber Aluminum metal matrix composite on maximum tensile strain imposed

during a preceding room temperature tensile process.”, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol 35A,

April 2004-1403

PRESENTATIONS

• Thirumalesh Bannuru, S. Narksitipan, W.L. Brown, & R.P. Vinci, "Effects of V additions on the mechanical

behavior of Au thin films for MEMS contact switches",Oral presentation at SPIE, Photonics West 07,

Reliability, Packaging Testing & characterization of MEMS/MOEMS 6463-05.

• Thirumalesh Bannuru, Richard R. Chromik and Richard P. Vinci., “Internal oxidation and mechanical properties

of Pt-IrO2 thin films.” Poster presentation at Materials Research. Society conference, Boston, USA 2004

• Thirumalesh Bannuru, Richard R. Chromik and Richard P. Vinci., “Mechanical properties of dispersion (IrO2)

strengthened Pt films for piezoelectric MEMS applications.” poster presentation at the Center for Optical

Technologies - ARL Workshop on April 2004 at Lehigh University.

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