Appeal No. 2006-1320
Application No. 10/024,958
introducing a processing gas comprising carbon
monoxide and chlorine gas into the processing chamber,
wherein the carbon monoxide and chlorine gas have a molar
ratio between about 1:9 and about 9:1; and
delivering power to the processing chamber to generate
a plasma and remove exposed portions of the metal photomask
layer.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Meyer et al. (Meyer) 4,600,686 Jul. 15, 1986
Yasuzato et al. (Yasuzato) 5,750,290 May 12, 1998
Kornblit et al. (Kornblit) 5,948,570 Sep. 7, 1999
Demmin et al. (Demmin) 6,635,185 Oct. 21, 2003
(filed: Dec. 31, 1997)
Appellants’ claimed invention is directed to a method for
processing photolithographic reticles. The method entails plasma
etching exposed portions of a metal photomask layer, such as
chromium, with a processing gas comprising carbon monoxide and
chlorine gas.
Appealed claims 1-24 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Kornblit in view of Meyer,
Yasuzato and Demmin.
Appellants have not presented separate substantive arguments
for the dependent claims on appeal. Accordingly, the dependent
claims stand or fall together with the independent claims upon
which they depend, namely, claims 1, 13 and 20.
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