Appeal No. 97-2422
Application 07/939,720
interpreted as to selectively dispose only the second passivation
layer on the driver circuits. On the other hand, the prior art
Figure 1 of Noguchi clearly indicates that such a material is
shown to be apparently only on the picture element circuits as
well. There is, we note, no teaching explicitly in Noguchi of
driver circuits associated with his invention, but they must be
presumed to be a necessary part of the prior art of this
reference. Figure 3 of Noguchi clearly indicates that two
passivation layers, the first of BSG and the second of silicon
nitride, are utilized over the transistor portions of the display
elements per se. It goes without saying that the art recognizes,
as well as appellant's own assessment of the prior art
recognizes, that silicon nitride is a hydrogen-containing
passivation layer.
To the extent recited in independent claims 1, 27 and
dependent claim 37, we recognize that there is no specific
teaching in any of the three references relied upon by the
examiner that the liquid crystal material itself may provide an
additional means for protecting the driving circuit. It appears
to us that this would have been self-evident to the artisan
within 35 U.S.C. § 103 based upon the showings and teachings in
Figure 16A, 16B in Misawa as well as the structures shown in
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