The opinion in support of the decision being entered today was not written for
publication and is not binding precedent of the Board.
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
_______________
BEFORE THE BOARD OF PATENT APPEALS
AND INTERFERENCES
_______________
Ex Parte JOHN WHITMAN and JOHN DAVLIN
Appeal No. 2006-1361
Application No. 09/997,019
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ON BRIEF
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Before KRASS, JERRY SMITH and MACDONALD, Administrative Patent Judges.
JERRY SMITH, Administrative Patent Judge.
This is a decision on the appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 134 from the examiner’s rejection of
claims 1-22, which constitute all the claims pending in this application.
The disclosed invention pertains to a method for preparing a surface of a semiconductor
device structure for planarization.
Representative claim 1 is reproduced as follows:
1. A method for preparing a surface of a semiconductor device structure for
planarization, comprising:
providing a semiconductor device structure including at least one recess formed in a
surface thereof and a first material layer substantially filling the at least one recess and
covering the surface, the first material layer having a nonplanar surface;
applying a second material to the first material layer; and
spreading the second material over the first material layer so as to form a second
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