Appeal No. 2006-1320
Application No. 10/024,958
teaches noble gases as examples of the “other gases,” and Meyer
teaches carbon monoxide as an equivalent of noble gas argon as a
carrier gas. While appellants stress that Meyer teaches the use
of carbon monoxide in combination with carbon tetrachloride, we
agree with the examiner that Yasuzato clearly teaches the
equivalence of chlorine gas and carbon tetrachloride as an
etchant for chromium (column 2, lines 12-14).1
Appellants contend that “the critical use of nitrogen
specifically in combination with chlorine and oxygen in Kornblit
teaches away from the use [sic, of] other compounds, such as
carbon monoxide recited in claims 1-24" (page 11 of principal
brief, penultimate paragraph). However, as explained above,
Kornblit expressly teaches the use of other gases in the etchant
mixture. Appellants have not explained why it would have been
nonobvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to use carbon
monoxide as a carrier gas in the etchant mixture of Kornblit.
Manifestly, the examiner’s finding of obviousness does not
require the elimination of nitrogen from the etchant mixture of
1
1We note that the Demmin reference is not necessary for our conclusion
of obviousness of the claimed subject matter.
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