Appeal No. 96-1075
Application 08/041,737
This is a decision on appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134 from
the final rejection of claims 2, 4-21, 52-57, and 59-84.
We reverse.
BACKGROUND
The disclosed invention is directed to a monolithic
integrated superconductor-semiconductor structure.
Superconducting devices have much higher theoretical limits
for speed than semiconductor devices; however, semiconductor
devices perform certain functions better. Thus, there has
been incentive to combine both high temperature
superconductor (HTS) and semiconductor devices on the same
chip to exploit the advantages of each technology.
One obstacle is that "HTS materials are very weakly
bound chemically, and are therefore easily decomposed (often
into elemental copper and other metals) by direct contact
with semiconductors" (specification, page 5). Elemental
copper diffuses very fast through semiconductors. "Copper
forms a deep electronic trap in Si, Ge, and GaAs, and even
at part per million levels it destroys the very properties
of the semiconductor which allow it to be used to make
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