Appeal No. 1998-1068
Application No. 08/472,833
The Invention
The invention relates to a method for forming thin films in which a deposition or material
addition environment is separate from a film crystallization or growth environment. (Specification, p. 1,
lines 2-8). By separating the environments each process can be individually optimized. (Specification,
p. 4, lines 13-15). A copy of the claims under appeal is set forth in the appendix to the Appellant’s
Brief. Independent claim 19 is illustrative of the invention and reads as follows:
19. A method for forming thin films comprising the steps of:
containing a target material in a first container having an interior environment maintained
at a first temperature and pressure;
containing a substrate in a second container having an interior environment maintained
at a second temperature and pressure; and
periodically exposing the substrate to the environment of the first container while
simultaneously exposing the target to a laser beam of sufficient energy to form an ablation plume
in the first container that extends into the second chamber to thereby deposit material from the
plume onto the substrate.
We note that claim 19 recites “extends into the second chamber.” While it is clear that the
language “the second chamber” refers to the “second container,” appellant may find it advisable to
rewrite the claim such that the language of the claim is internally consistent.
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007