Appeal No. 2003-0527 Page 2
Application No. 09/036,291
into the silicon. Those oxygen ions react with the silicon to form silica, a stable oxide
that bonds the glass and the silicon. (Id. at 1-2.)
The silica formed depends on the charge supplied to create the electric field.
According to the appellants, although a minimum amount of silica is needed to ensure a
good bond, too much silica can present difficulties. If the silicon is embodied by a thin
layer formed on top of a substrate, they explain, forming too much silica may
delaminate (i.e., remove) the layer from the substrate. (Id. at 2.)
Accordingly, the appellant's invention controls how much oxide is used in anodic
bonding. More specifically, their controller includes a switch and a circuit. The switch
controls a flow of charge through the materials to be bonded. The circuit monitors a
rate of the flow, uses the rate to determine an amount of charge supplied for bonding,
and based on the amount or rate, operates the switch to control the flow. (Id. at 3-4.) A
further understanding of the invention can be achieved by reading the following claim.
8. A system for bonding two materials together, comprising:
a voltage source;
electrodes in contact with the materials; and
a controller configured to:
connect the voltage source to the electrodes to transfer charge to
the materials,
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