Appeal 2007-0030
Application 10/359,557
Appellants’ disclosed invention relates to a device and system for
generating and controlling a plasma formed in a capacitively coupled plasma
system having a plasma electrode and a bias electrode formed by a
workpiece support member. The plasma electrode has a unitary structure
with multiple regions defined by a plurality of RF power feed lines and the
RF power delivered to the feed lines.
We affirm.
Claim 1 is illustrative of the invention and it reads as follows:
1. An electrode apparatus for use in plasma processing, comprising:
a) a unitary electrode arranged within a plasma chamber;
b) a radio frequency (RF) power supply; and
c) a RF multiplexer electrically connected to said RF power
supply and to a plurality of locations on said unitary electrode
via a corresponding plurality of RF feed lines to establish a
plurality of electrode regions corresponding to said plurality of
RF feed lines, wherein power is capacitively coupled to the
plasma within the plasma chamber.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art references to show
unpatentability:
Ishii US 6,024,827 Feb. 15, 2000
Denholm US 6,101,971 Aug. 15, 2000
(filed Dec. 22, 1998)
Murata US 6,363,881 B2 Apr. 2, 2002
(filed Jan. 19, 1999)
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 27, and 28 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 102(e) as being anticipated by Murata. Claims 3, 5, and 8-11 stand
rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). As evidence of obviousness, the
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