Appeal No. 2005-0155
Application No. 09/760,884
As found by the examiner (Answer, pages 9-10), Chen teaches
that copper can be directly electroplated onto the barrier layer
or can be electroplated onto a seed layer or can be electroplated
onto an ultra-thin copper seed layer covering the barrier layer.
See also Chen, the abstract and page 12. Indeed, we note that
the appellants acknowledge at page 6 of the Brief that “[t]he
Chen abstract apparently supports the Examiner by reciting:
‘electroplate copper directly onto a barrier layer material.’”
Consistent with Chen’s teaching, Landau and Ting also teach
electroplating copper directly onto a barrier layer formed by a
seed layer. As found by the examiner (Answer, pages 10-11),
“Ting . . . clearly teach[es], ‘The seed layer also functions as
a barrier/adhesion layer for the subsequently plated Cu or Cu-
base alloy’ (see page 4 of Appellant’s [sic] Brief and . . .
[Ting] at col. 6, lines 41-47 and Abstract).” The fact that Chen
teaches a preference for electroplating copper after an ultra-
thin copper seed layer is deposited onto the barrier layer does
not negate Chen’s additional teaching that copper can be directly
electroplated onto the barrier layer. See the abstract and pages
12-14. Thus, substantial evidence supports the examiner’s
determination that one of ordinary skill in the art would have
employed any one of the three conventional electroplating
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