Appeal No. 1996-2088
Application No. 08/082,432
Appellants’ claimed invention is directed to a metallization method used in the preparation of a
silicon substrate semiconductor device comprising the steps of forming a contact hole, providing a
Ti/TiON/Ti three-layer barrier metal structure and forming a layer of Al-based material thereon by
either a one-stage process (i.e., by sputtering Al-based material while heating the substrate to a
temperature in the range of 450EC to 550EC at a rate not greater than 0.6 µm per minute) or a two
stage process (i.e., by sputtering a first layer of Al-based material without heating the substrate followed
by sputtering additional Al-based material while heating the substrate to a temperature in the range of
450EC to 550EC to obtain the total layer) (brief, pages 2-3; specification, pages 1 and 4).
OPINION
I. Enablement of claim 22
According to the examiner, the instant disclosure only enables aluminum deposition at a high
temperature (answer, page 3). Here, Example 2 on page 10 (para. 3) of the specification discloses4
depositing an Al-based layer on a Ti/TiON/Ti barrier metal layer without heating.
4The examiner cited “M.P.E.P. §§ 706.03(n) and 706.03(z)” (answer, page 3). These sections are entitled
“Correspondence of Claim and Disclosure” and “Undue Breadth,” respectively, and last appeared in the Sixth
Edition of the MPEP. (Jan. 1995). See Rev. 1 of the Sixth Edition of the MPEP (Sept. 1995). We observe that both of
these section remained unchanged since at least Rev. 6 of the Fifth Edition of the MPEP (Oct. 1987). Neither section
refers to 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, in whole or by requirement, and thus we will not further refer in this decision
to either of these MPEP sections.
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