Appeal No. 1999-0886
Application No. 08/722,738
it would have been obvious to adapt the gate-coupled capacitor of Nakamura “to store
charge because of the superior charge storing properties of ferroelectric material”
[answer-page 4]. However, the examiner has provided no suggestion, other than
appellants’ own disclosure, for adapting Nakamura’s gate-coupled capacitor to store
charge in the manner claimed. Merely because the capacitor of Nakamura can be so
adapted is not a reason, within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 103, for doing so. There must
be some reason, suggested by the prior art or by the knowledge of artisans, for adapting
the capacitor of Nakamura to store charge produced in the channel region in response to a
logic state programming voltage applied between one of the source and drain regions and
the gate electrode. The examiner has not convinced us of such a reason.
Additionally, the examiner answers appellants’ comments regarding the “teaching
away” aspects of Momi by merely stating that it would have been obvious to “incorporate
the LDD structure as taught by Momi into the device of Nakamura...to stop soft leak”
[answer-page 5]. This is an insufficient response to appellants’ reasonable argument that
Momi’s soft leak stoppage suppresses the generation of carriers in the channel region and
that the skilled artisan would not use a carrier suppression
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