Appeal No. 2000-1702
Application No. 08/841,908
layer by known CVD (chemical vapor deposition) TEOS/ozone/oxygen process. See
column 2, lines 62-64.
In Example 1, the sole example present in Nguyen, the first nitrogen containing
silicon oxide layers deposited were deposited under conditions using a PECVD reactor
(plasma enhances chemical vapor deposition) at 350o - 450 oC. See column 4, lines 33-
48. As admitted by the examiner, “Nguyen et al. do not explicitly disclose that the base
glass layer contains carbon impurities imbedded in a surface thereof or treating the base
glass layer in an oxygen and ozone or hydrogen peroxide plasma to convert the carbon
impurities to a gas for removal.” See Answer, page 3.
The examiner accordingly relies upon Hochberg, who teaches at column 12 line 62
to column 12, line 1 that “[a] plasma TEOS film deposition, on the other hand, occurs at
temperatures below 350o C in the presence of oxygen but does not produce a pure silicon
dioxide. The film also contains a significant amount of hydrogen and is also contaminated
with organic polymer residues. These carbonaceous impurities are only eliminated in a
plasma/ozone process at temperature around 400oC. minimum and in the presence of
excess oxygen.”
Based upon the teaching in Hochberg the examiner concludes, “that glass films
deposited from TEOS and oxygen under plasma conditions at about 350oC is not pure
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