Appeal No. 2001-0107
Application No. 09/143,505
1. Findings of fact
The record supports the following findings by at least a
preponderance of the evidence.3
The invention
The invention relates to a laser annealing system useful for
forming a polycrystalline silicon film from an amorphous silicon
film. (Specification at 1, ll. 5–13.)
According to Appellant, in the prior art, such a system
comprised a vacuum chamber fitted with a quartz chamber window
and a substrate mount. (Id. at 1, l. 23 to 2, l. 8.) The
substrate would be irradiated by a laser beam passing through the
chamber window, which would heat the substrate sufficiently to
cause annealing. (Id. at 3, ll. 2–8.) Appellant discloses that
it is known to pattern the substrate with variously shaped
annealed regions. (Id. at 2, l. 9, to 3, l. 1.) When the
energy density of the laser beam is “excessivly larger than is
necessary for the thickness of the film,” some of the amorphous
film may be vaporized, along with vaporizable contaminants on the
surface of the film. (Id. at ll. 8–12.) Appellant states that
such vaporized contaminants are deposited on the inside of the
3 To the extent these findings of fact discuss legal issues, they may be
treated as conclusions of law.
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