Appeal No. 2004-1481
Application No. 09/726,659
sensor is used to detect bubbles in the fluid feed tube and the
fluid feed may be photoresist, etchant or SOG (id.; col. 1, ll. 7-
14 and 49-53). From these findings, the examiner concludes that it
would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in this art to use
the delivery system of Neoh to supply SOG with a reasonable
expectation of success in determining bubbles in the SOG using a
capacitive sensor due to the differing dielectric constants
(Answer, page 5). We agree in view of the teachings from On.
Appellant argues that it is improper to combine Neoh and On as
these references solve different problems (Brief, page 9). As
correctly stated by the examiner (Answer, pages 12-13), Neoh and On
are directed to solving the same problem, namely the formation of
gas bubbles in the fluid being delivered to coat the semiconductor
wafer (Neoh, col. 1, ll. 30-37; On, col. 1, ll. 23-26; col. 2, ll.
1-2). Although Neoh is limited to delivering photoresist (as
discussed above with regard to the rejection under section 102(b)),
On teaches that the delivery of photoresist, SOG and etchant all
have the same bubble problem (col. 1, ll. 1-53; col. 2, ll. 1-2).
We agree with the examiner that, in view of the teachings of Neoh
regarding the detection of bubbles using the capacitive sensor to
determine dielectric constants of the fluid, the tube, and the gas
bubbles (col. 1, ll. 44-48), one of ordinary skill in this art
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