Appeal No. 2002-1640
Application No. 09/296,806
substrate placed on a susceptor set in a process vessel, a
silicon single crystal thin film is grown in vapor phase on the
substrate while raw material gas is supplied into the process
vessel, characterized in that
the apparatus for thin film growth has a lift pin made of a
base material lower in thermal conductivity than a base material
of the susceptor which is inserted into a through hole bored in
a pocket of the susceptor serving for placement of the
substrate, wherein the lift pin is capable of being lifted or
lowered so as to be brought into or out of contact with a rear
surface of the substrate, such lowering or lifting allowing the
substrate to be, respectively, set on or removed on the
susceptor,
wherein the base material of the lift pin is SiC whose
thermal conductivity is not more than 40 w/mK at 1000°C,
wherein the susceptor is made of a carbon base material
coated with SiC.
The examiner relies upon the following references as of
unpatentability:
Tietz et al. (Tietz) 5,879,128 Mar. 09, 1999
Johnsgard et al. (Johnsgard) 6,002,109 Dec. 14, 1999
(Filed Jul. 10, 1995)
Askeland, The Science and Engineering of Materials, Second
Edition, PWS-Kent Publishing Co., pp. 460, 764-765 (1989).
Claims 7-11 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable of Johnsgard in view of Tietz and Askeland.
OPINION
We have carefully reviewed appellants’ brief and
attachments, and the reply brief and attachments, as well as the
examiner’s answer. This review leads us to conclude that the
examiner’s rejection does not set forth a prima facie case.
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