Appeal No. 2003-1280 7
Application No. 09/476,633
agent. It is a well known oxidizing agent which is stabilized by the presence of mineral
acid.3 We conclude that one of ordinary skill in the art would expect the hydrogen
peroxide to chemically interact with at least one particle of the debris present following
the polishing step. Accordingly, little weight is given to the difference between the term
“rinse” as it appears in the claimed subject matter, as opposed to the word “clean” as it
appears in Kishii inasmuch as both utilize hydrogen peroxide in their respective
processes.
With respect to the disclosure of Kishii, we find that Kishii is directed to a process
of fabricating a semiconductor device wherein the process includes a polishing step
followed by a cleaning step. See column 3, line 29 - column 4, line 34. We find that
present in the cleaning step is a mixture of water, hydrogen peroxide and mineral acid in
a volumetric ratio of 48:1:1 respectively. See column 9, lines 6-23 and column 14, lines
53-59. Kishii teaches that “the present invention can effectively minimize the remaining
particles . . . .” See column 4, lines 18-19. We further find that, “any residual abrasive
remaining in the substrate . . . . can be removed easily by an acid cleaning process.”
See column 14, lines 53-57. Accordingly, we conclude that the process of Kishii
removes at least one particle from the surface of a semiconductor. We further agree
with the examiner’s findings that the particle is removed from the surface of a metal plug.
See Answer, page 3.
3The Merck Index, 9th Ed. P. 633, Merck & Co., Inc., (1976)
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