Appeal No. 2005-0166
Application 09/789,872
adjusting a process target value based on a manufacturing metric
distribution [brief, pages 7-8]. The examiner responds that the
manufacturing metric distribution of the claimed invention is not
supported by the specification. The examiner also responds that
the measurements made in Simmons meet the definition of metric as
claimed [answer, page 19].
We will not sustain the examiner’s rejection of the
claims under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for essentially the reasons argued
by appellants in the brief. The claims require a correlation
between manufacturing characteristic data, such as the gate
dimension of a transistor, with a manufacturing metric, such as
the power consumption or speed of the transistor. In other
words, the power consumption or speed of a transistor is measured
for varying values of the gate dimension so as to correlate each
gate dimension with a corresponding power consumption or speed.
The value of the process target value, such as a given gate
dimension, can then be adjusted depending on whether one is
producing transistors to emphasize power consumption or speed.
As noted above, the examiner’s position that this type of claimed
correlation is not supported by the disclosure is without merit.
We agree with appellants that the process described in Simmons
does not relate to the adjustment of a target value based on a
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