Appeal No. 2001-1660
Application No. 09/146,478
(ceramic particles of green tape layers). See column 5, line 65 to column 6, line 15 and column 7,
lines 57-66, together with the appellants’ admission at page 6 of the Brief. This constraining layer is
placed on the top surface of the ceramic parts, such as a plurality of green tape (dielectric) layers,
aligned with a support substrate. See column 12, line 59 to column 13, line 32. The ability to cofire
the green tape layers on a rigid substrate made of a high strength material (metal) provides various
advantages. See column 13, lines 22-32.
The examiner recognizes that Mikeska does not mention that this rigid substrate has a
bonding glass layer. See the Answer, page 6. However, the examiner has correctly found that
Prabhu teaches cofiring a multi-layered green tape bonded on a metal substrate via an appropriate
glass bonding layer. See the Answer, page 6, together with Prabhu, column 1, lines 58-67 and
column 4, lines 13-19. The examiner has also found (Answer, page 6), and we agree, that Prabhu
states (column 4, lines 7-12):
The adhesion of the ceramic layer 20 [green tape layer] to the base 12 [metal
substrate], resulting from the utilization of the glass bonding layer 18, significantly
minimizes the x-y shrinkage of the ceramic layer during co-firing, and the shrinkage
in volume of the ceramic is mostly confined to the z thickness dimension.
Given the above teachings, we concur with the examiner that one of ordinary skill in the art
would have been led to bond the constraining layer containing multi-layered green tape taught by
Mikeska on a rigid metal substrate via an appropriate glass bonding layer, motivated by a reasonable
expectation of further minimizing the x-y shrinkage of the resulting multi-layered green tape.
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