Appeal No. 2003-0241
Application No. 09/271,615
rather, to form vias through the dielectric layer underlying the
bonding pad and electrically connecting the bonding pad to the
metal layer through the vias in the dielectric layer.
Also, while the examiner provides various explanations why
it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art
to electrically connect the bonding pad to the metal layer, these
explanations strike us more as what one of ordinary skill in the
art could do, rather than what is taught or suggested by the
applied Chittipeddi reference. The examiner's reasoning in
support of the conclusion of obviousness lacks factual support,
and the examiner has not addressed appellants' argument that
"[a]s one skilled in the art would further know, it is possible
to connect the bond pad to metal layers below the support
structure metal layer without forming an electrical connections
[sic, connection] to the support structure metal layer" (page 5
of Brief, third paragraph). It seems to us that not only could
the vias "be electrically isolated when passing through the
support structure metal layer to connect to lower metal layers"
(id.), as stated by appellants, but the connection could be made
in vias that penetrate both the dielectric layer and the etched-
out slots 25 in the support structure metal layer.
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