Appeal No. 2004-0605
Application 09/411,129
removing the sacrificial layer to form the air-filled region.
Claim 23 is illustrative:
23. A process for producing at least one air-filled region
between a pair of conductive elements of an integrated circuit,
comprising the steps of:
depositing a sacrificial layer consisting essentially of
polycrystalline germanium in at least one region between the pair
of conductive elements; and
removing the polycrystalline germanium to form the at least
one air-filled region between the plurality of conductive
elements.
THE REFERENCES
Iranmanesh et al. (Iranmanesh) 5,302,551 Apr. 12, 1994
Fitch et al. (Fitch) 5,324,683 Jun. 28, 1994
THE REJECTION
Claims 13-30 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being
unpatentable over Fitch in view of Iranmanesh.
OPINION
We reverse the aforementioned rejection and remand the
application to the examiner. Regarding the rejection, we need to
address only the independent claims, i.e., claims 13, 22 and 27.
Each of the appellants’ independent claims requires that a
polycrystalline germanium sacrificial layer is deposited in a
region between a pair of conductive elements in an integrated
circuit and is removed to form an air-filled region.
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