Appeal No. 2000-1810
Application No. 09/148,556
providing a substrate;
forming upon the substrate a blanket oxygen containing
plasma etchable layer;
forming upon the blanket oxygen containing plasma
etchable layer a blanket hard mask layer;
forming upon the blanket hard mask layer a patterned
photoresist layer;
etching, while employing a first plasma etch method in
conjunction with the patterned photoresist layer as a first
etch mask layer, the blanket hard mask layer to form a
patterned hard mask layer; and
etching, while employing a second plasma etch method
in conjunction with at least the patterned hard mask layer as
a second etch mask layer, the blanket oxygen containing plasma
etchable layer to form a patterned oxygen containing plasma
etchable layer, the second plasma etch method employing a
second etchant gas composition comprising:
an oxygen containing etchant gas which upon
plasma activation provides an active oxygen etching species;
and
boron trichloride.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Cote et al. (Cote) 4,786,360 Nov. 22, 1988
Huang et al. (Huang) 5,635,423 Jun. 3, 1997
Appellants' claimed invention is directed to a method for
patterning a layer underlying a patterned hard mask layer
which comprises utilizing an etchant gas composition
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