Appeal No. 95-2503
Application No. 08/024,883
therefore, are not insulators. At the same time, the silicide
regions of Jain are not metal. Therefore, we find that these
regions must be semiconductors and appellant has not shown us
any evidence establishing that they are not semiconductors.
Further, it would have been obvious to use the silicide
contacts of Jain as caps over the source and drain regions of
Toyoshima rather than the aluminum elements 34 and 35 in
Toyoshima since they are all conductive contacts to the source
and drain regions. Accordingly, we will sustain the rejection
of claim 3 under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
With regard to claims 40 and 41, appellant argues that
the elevated source and drain regions comprise “germanium” and
a “silicon/germanium alloy,” respectively. The examiner cites
Lehrer for a teaching of a binary germanium-silicon
interconnect and electrode structure. The examiner relies on
Furuhata for the teaching of elevated source and drain regions
to provide for interconnects to other devices. Therefore,
concludes the examiner, it would have been obvious to use
germanium-silicon for interconnects, as taught by Lehrer,
“interconnecting source and drain regions as taught by
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