Appeal No. 1998-2887
Application No. 08/630,111
electrically short the P layer 18 to the N layer 14 to form a+ +
low-resistance ohmic contact (Fig. 9).”
Although element 21 in Kobayashi may appear to be a
“contact through an aperture in an amorphous silicon layer
(16)” (Answer, page 5), it is really a silicon nitride
passivation layer (column 8, lines 4 through 19). We agree
with the examiner (Answer, page 5) that Krishna forms “a
contact to a polysilicon layer (20) through an aperture in an
insulating layer.” The polysilicon layer 20 in Krishna is,
however, one of two polysilicon plates 16 and 20 that are
separated from each other by an oxide layer 18 to form a
capacitor 12. The metal contact 22 is a contact for the
capacitor 12.
Based upon the foregoing, we agree with appellants that
neither Krishna nor Kobayashi teaches or would have suggested
the claimed low resistance ohmic stacked contact located in
the two differently sized openings (i.e., the stacked contact
24 extending through the smaller opening 4 in the amorphous
silicon layer 18 to make contact with the third polysilicon
layer 14).
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