Appeal No. 1996-0200
Application 08/119,444
Having read the term ‘susceptor’ in light of applicants’ specification as it would be
interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art, the broadest reasonable interpretation
consistent with the specification would be that a “susceptor” is an element that serves as a
platform as well as an electrode for generation of plasma in a vacuum chamber of a
reactor used in plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition processes. With this
interpretation, we turn to the outstanding rejections.
II.
Claims 1-21 and 32-44 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) as anticipated by
or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over Chen. We reverse.
Claim 1 is directed a process of making an improved high temperature-resistant
anodized aluminum susceptor used in an apparatus for the treatment of materials, e.g.,
wafers, used in semiconductor devices. The process comprises the steps of fabricating
and aluminum susceptor comprising an aluminum alloy; and anodizing said susceptor in
an electrolyte comprising an organic acid to provide said high temperature resistant
anodized coating on said susceptor.
Anticipation within 35 U.S.C. § 102 is established only when a single prior art
reference discloses, expressly, or under the principles of inherency, each and every
element of a claimed invention as well as disclosing structure which is capable of
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