Appeal No. 94-3022
Application 07/855,490
substrate biased at a first potential and metal conductors biased
at a second potential, as recited in Appellant’s claims 1 and 13.
Hillenius discloses (column 1, lines 42 through 51) that “[t]he
conductive layer is electrically coupled to the underlying
semiconductor substrate,” therefore, both are biased at the same
potential. Additionally, Hillenius discloses (column 3, lines 37
through 40), connecting the conductive layer 30 to the same
potential as the [respective] underlying tub region to prevent a
build-up of charges. The reference goes on to describe (column
3, lines 51 through 56) that the conductive layer and the
substrate are electrically connected using contacts 27 and 28.
When read in light of the entire disclosure, Hillenius’ statement
that the bias on the conductive layer 30 need not be “identical”
to the potential of the underlying tub (column 3, lines 44
through 48) merely suggests that the two components need not be
electrically connected to one another when biased at the same
potential. Instead, they may be independently connected to the
same source, rather than different potentials. To find that this
statement suggests biasing the conductor at a potential different
from that of the substrate would be speculative at best.
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Last modified: November 3, 2007