Appeal No. 1998-2582
Application No. 08/669,794
injection followed by degasification to reduce the
concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water.
Claim 12, the sole independent claim, is representative:
12. A method of processing semiconductor wafers
having an exposed metal layer including aluminum formed
thereon, comprising the steps of:
deionizing water,
prior to use of the deionized water for
processing of the semiconductor wafers, injecting
air into the deionized water, thereby to remove
carbon dioxide from the deionized water;
passing the water with the injected air through
a degasifier unit, thereby reducing a concentration
of oxygen gas that was dissolved in the water due to
the step of injecting air; and
rinsing the semiconductor wafers having the
exposed metal layer with the degasified water,
thereby reducing any etching or pitting of the
exposed metal layer by oxygen gas in the water.
All of the claims on appeal stand rejected for
obviousness under 35 U.S.C. § 103 in view of the admitted
prior art disclosed in appellant’s specification (pages 1-4)
taken in combination with the following prior art reference:
Hirofuji 5,422,013 Jun. 6,
1995
Based upon the record before us, we agree with appellant
3
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007