Appeal No. 1998-1681 Page 3
Application No. 08/523,075
20. A method for detecting gel substances formed in a
photoresist on a substrate surface, comprising:
applying a positive photoresist on the surface of a
substrate;
exposing the entire surface to which the photoresist was
applied;
removing the exposed photoresist;
irradiating the substrate surface from which the
photoresist has been removed with ultraviolet rays in an
inactive atmosphere while heating the substrate surface at a
temperature of from 150 to 250EC to allow a polymerization
reaction to take place in any gel substances on the substrate
surface;
irradiating a laser beam on the substrate surface after
the irradiation with ultraviolet rays and heating step; and
intercepting light from the laser beam to detect whether
a gel substance is present or not due to scattering of light
by the gel substance.
26. A method of inspecting for gel substances formed in
a photoresist on a substrate surface, comprising the steps of:
applying a positive photoresist to the surface of a
substrate;
exposing the entire surface to which the photoresist was
applied;
removing the exposed photoresist;
subjecting the exposed surface to etching, whereby any
gel substances on the substrate act as a mask for the etching;
intercepting light from the laser beam to detect whether
a gel substance was present or not during the etching step due
to scattering of light by protrusions generated by the etching
step in which gel substances on the substrate act as a mask
for the etching.
The prior art references of record relied upon by the
examiner in rejecting the appealed claims are:
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