Appeal No. 2005-0931
Application 10/006,679
formed on any substrate by any physical vapor deposition method, wherein a temperature of the
front side of the substrate is controlled within a range of ± 2°C.
In addition to the similarities between the claimed thin film magnets and those produced
by a sputter deposition process in Araki with respect to the film composition and manner of
preparation found by the examiner (answer, page 3), we find that Araki would have disclosed
that the illustrative apparatus for preparing single as well as multiple thin film magnets can
“precisely” control the power applied to the target, the gas pressure and the temperature of the
substrate by appropriate controllers (e.g., col. 5, ll. 3-7, col. 10, ll. 4-6, and FIGs. 1 and 4),
which controllers are used in appellants’ apparatus that additionally includes a thermoelectric
couple on the back or front side of the substrate “to refer the temperature of the substrate”
(specification, e.g., page 13, ll. 10-17, and FIG. 11). We note that the illustrative apparatus of
both Araki (e.g., col. 4, ll. 57-58) and appellants (specification, page 12, l. 23, to col. col. 13, l.
1) have the substrate heater positioned behind the substrate. Araki also discloses that the
deposition of thin film magnets occurs at substrate temperatures in the range of 500° to 630°C,
wherein the thin film has “an Nd2Fe14B-based ferromagnetic phase as a main phase and the C-
axis of the crystal is oriented perpendicular to the film plane,” with the ranges of 510° to 590°C
and particularly, 530° to 570°C (col. 6, ll. 35-50, col. 13, ll. 30-31 and 33-39, col. 14, ll. 43-47
and Table 7). Araki discloses such thin film magnets as, among others, Sample 6 of Table 1
produced at 550°C, and Samples 3, 6, 9 and 12 of Table 7 illustrating 530°C and 570°C, which
thin film have a composition falling within appealed claim 1. These samples involve thin films
which have a composition falling within appealed claim 1. With respect to temperature of the
substrate, we find in the written description in appellants’ specification the disclosure that thin
film magnets similar to those of Araki cited here exhibit the required “interior structure” when
heated in the range of 520° to 560°C (specification, page 20 and Table 2).
Accordingly, in view of the similarity between the thin film magnets encompassed by
appealed claim 1 and disclosed by Araki in the common composition, including the composition
of particular samples falling within the composition of the film stated in appealed claim 1, the
common sputter deposition method using the same type of apparatus with “precise” control of
the substrate temperature in the same preferred ranges which obtains the same Nd2Fe14B type
crystalline main phase and perpendicular c-axis orientation to the film plane, we agree with the
- 3 -
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007