Appeal No. 2006-0374
Application No. 10/120,511
quoted finding. Rather, as just explained, the tips of
patentee's array are exposed to a hydrocarbon gas in order to
form a silicon carbide surface layer having electrically
conductive properties useful for field emission purposes.
It is true that Neukermans discloses in lines 31-51 of
column 5 an embodiment wherein his microstructures are exposed to
nitrogen in the form of ammonia gas in order to form a Si N3 4
layer. However, this embodiment is completely unrelated to the
column 3 teaching directed to an array of tips for field emission
purposes. Indeed, this column 3 teaching is incompatible with
the column 5 embodiment. This is because Neukermans expressly
teaches that his Si N layer is useful for its insulative3 4
properties (again, see the abstract) and that this silicon
nitride layer is formed "when electric insulation is paramount"
(column 5, lines 65-66). Thus, forming an insulating silicon
nitride layer on the tips of patentee's field emission array
embodiment in column 3 would be counterproductive to the
electrically conductive purpose served by the tips of this array.
In light of the foregoing, it is apparent that Neukermans'
column 3 method of treating an array of current emitters, even if
modified in each of the numerous ways proposed by the examiner in
view of the other applied references, would fail to include the
appealed claim 1 step of "exposing said hydrogenation process-
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