Appeal No. 2005-0077
Application No. 10/293,545
prior art references teaches the claimed step of widening the
segments of the original design that are transverse to the
direction of elongation of the web in order to compensate for
over-etching in the transverse direction. However, the examiner
correctly points out that Wolf evidences that it was known in the
art to specifically modify the mask dimensions of a pattern to be
translated in the direction of the observed over-etching (page
523, second paragraph). Also, Whittle provides additional
evidence that over-etching may be compensated for by modifying
the dimensions of the mask which translates a pattern to the
substrate to be etched (see column 2, lines 45-50). Accordingly,
although appellant urges that neither of Wolf nor Whittle teaches
the problem of over-etching being greater in the transverse
direction, we agree with the examiner that one of ordinary skill
in the art would have found it obvious to apply the principles of
mask modification disclosed by Wolf and Whittle to solve the
problem of over-etching in any direction, including the
transverse direction particularized by appellant. We are
confident that the recognition of the problem of over-etching in
the transverse direction, and its solution by applying the
principles articulated by Wolf and Whittle, would have been
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