Leung further relies on Example C5 which pre- and post-treats with a hydrogen plasma as
showing a significant decrease in resistivity when compared with a “control” sample. Leung argues:
The proper control figure to compare against the hydrogen plasma treatment
result is given in Table I on page 10 wherein the labeled “Control” result is
given as 16,000 micro-ohm-cm. With regard to the control figure of 16,000
micro-ohm-cm, the hydrogen plasma treatment result of 13,500 micro-ohm-cm
does indicate a decrease in the sheet resistivity measurement of greater than
15%.
Paper 85. p. 13. Leung further notes that
[a]lthough the improvement in resistivity may be minor compared to the results
achieved when a biased substrate is treated, there is clearly a more than
negligible improvement.
Paper 104, p. 13. In this regard, Leung also relies on the testimony of Dr. Mei Chang (LX 2021). Dr.
Chang testifies:
11. In one aspect the . . . specification teaches, the use of a hydrogen
plasma to reduce the carbon content and the resistivity of a metal nitride layer
deposited using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) through decomposition of
an organometallic precursor, which is a limitation of Leung claims 13, 19, 20
and 26. Specifically, on page 8, lines 18-21, the . . . specification states that
“the precursor gas used to form the plasma for the post-deposition treatment
step described herein can be any gas, but is preferably a
non-oxygen-and-carbon-containing gas, such as nitrogen, ammonia, argon, and
the like”. Hydrogen gas is a non-oxygen-and-carbon-containing gas. It is well
known in the art, and was well known in the art at the time of the Leung . . .
specification, that a plasma of ammonia gas contains a plasma of hydrogen gas.
Additionally, on page, 11, in Table II, the . . . specification details resistivity
measurements obtained for a metal nitride sample film C5 pre- and
post-deposition plasma treated using a hydrogen (H2) plasma. At page 11,
lines 6- 10, the metal nitride sample film C5 was plasma treated “using a low
power of 100 watts and without biasing the substrate”. Table II is a
continuation of Table I shown on page 10 of the . . . specification. In Table I,
the Control film has a resistivity of 16,000 microohmscentimeter (:S-cm). In
Table II, C5 has a resistivity of 13,500 :S-cm, which is approximately a 15 %
decrease in resistivity as compared to the Control film (see calculation 1).
⎛16 000 13 500− , ⎞
⎝⎜ ,16 000 ⎠⎟×100% 15%=
,
Given the . . . specification’s recitation on page 8, lines 16-19 that plasma
treated metal nitride films are “more crystalline, contain more nitrogen, and
have reduced oxygen and carbon content” as compared to untreated metal
-34-
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