Appeal No. 1998-0970
Application 07/995,325
processes in Tsunashima to achieve the disclosed benefits of
those processes. Appellants do not challenge the finding that
Nickl and Allman meet the limitations of step g). Those of
ordinary skill in the art must be presumed to know something
about the art apart from what the references expressly
disclose. In re Jacoby, 309 F.2d 513, 516, 135 USPQ 317, 319
(CCPA 1962). Thus, one of ordinary skill would not have
considered Tsunashima limited to its express teachings, but
would have had the skill to make modifications such as
substituting known alternative processes. The fact that
Tsunashima discloses two diverse types of removal processes,
etching with dilute fluoric acid and argon sputtering in a
vacuum, indicates that the removal process step is not
critical. Tsunashima does not disclose that the natural oxide
removal process should be carried out at low temperatures and,
thus, we find that one skilled in the art would not have been
led away from using a high temperature process. The fact that
Allman deposits silicon nitride after cleaning, instead of a
doping material as in Nickl (col. 3, lines 39-43), would not
have discouraged one of ordinary skill in the art from using
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