Appeal 2006-2499
Application 10/268,735
highly reflective surface on an electroplated conduction layer (Br. 2).
Independent claim 11 is illustrative of the invention and a copy of this claim
is reproduced below:
11. An integrated circuit having a conductive metal system made by a
method for creating a highly reflective surface on an electroplated
conduction layer, the method comprising the steps of:
depositing a barrier layer on a substrate using a self ionized plasma
deposition process, the barrier layer having a thickness of no more than
about one hundred angstroms,
depositing an adhesion layer on the barrier layer using a self ionized
plasma deposition process,
depositing a seed layer on the adhesion layer using a self ionized
plasma deposition process at a bias of no less than about one
hundred and fifty watts, and
electroplating the conduction layer on the seed layer, thereby forming
the highly reflective surface on the conduction layer, where the
highly reflective surface has a reflectance of greater than about
seventy percent.
The Examiner has relied on the following prior art references as
evidence of obviousness:
Lin US 6,342,448 B1 Jan. 29, 2002
Sung US 6,350,995 B1 Feb. 26, 20021
Singhvi US 6,368,880 B2 Apr. 09, 2002
Lee US 6,623,799 B1 Sep. 23, 2003
1 The Examiner cites and relies on Sung (Answer 3, ¶ (8) and 4) but does not
include Sung in the statement of the rejection (Answer 3, ¶ (9)). Therefore,
we do not consider or rely upon Sung. See In re Hoch, 428 F.2d 1341, 1342
n.3, 166 USPQ 406, 407 n.3 (CCPA 1970) (When a reference is relied upon
to support a rejection, whether or not in a minor capacity, there would
appear to be no excuse for not positively including that reference in the
statement of the rejection).
2
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