Appeal No. 2006-1231
Application No. 10/180,686
50-200A nickel layer (col. 6, line 52 - col. 7). The iridium
typically is present in the NiSi at less than 15 atomic percent
(col. 7, lines 3-7).
Cabral discloses a semiconductor device having an M-Si-Ge
alloy layer wherein the Ge, which is one of the appellants’
additional materials, is present in an amount of about 2-10
atomic percent (¶¶ 0001 and 0038). In an example the Ge is
present at 5 atomic percent (¶ 0067).
The appellants’ sole argument is that none of the references
teaches that the disclosed material which corresponds to the
appellants’ additional material is present in an amount that
causes formation of a first metal silicide to be energetically
favored over formation of a second metal silicide (brief,
pages 8-16).
The appellants are incorrect as to Maa who uses an atomic
percentage of Ir in NiSi (less than 15 at%, col. 7, lines 3-7)
that is essentially the same as that of the appellants (less than
about 15 at%, specification, page 3, lines 1-4), and teaches that
if the Ir forms a silicide having a structure similar to that of
NiSi, one might expect that those silicides can form a mutual
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