Appeal 2007-0908
Application 10/152,077
claim construction that gives meaning to all the terms of the claim is
preferred over one that does not do so.")
Christenson has presented distinct arguments for the patentability of
claims 1, 8, and 47. Christenson's arguments regarding the remaining
claims, namely claims 2-5, 9-11, 45, and 46, are limited to observations that
the additional references applied do not remedy the alleged deficiencies of
the references applied to claim 1. All arguments not raised in the principal
or reply brief are waived. 37 C.F.R. § 41.37(c)(1)(vii). Accordingly, we
shall not separately consider the Examiner's rejections of claims other than
claims 1, 8, and 47.
Claim 1 recites three steps: creating an atmosphere, rinsing, and
drying.
Step [1] is "creating an atmosphere comprising gas" in the processing
chamber that houses the device. The specification does not appear to define
the term "creating" generally. In order to give significance to the language
of the claim while still giving the claim the broadest reasonable
interpretation consistent with the specification, we determine that an
atmosphere distinct from the ordinary ambient atmosphere of the laboratory
or manufacturing plant in any way (e.g., composition, pressure, absence of
particulates) must be created.
The rinsing step [2a] requires spraying a rinsing fluid onto the wafer
within the gas atmosphere "while also" [2b] supplying a surface tension
reducing agent ("STRA") into the gas atmosphere. The Specification
describes a variation of the invention in which the rinsing fluid is provided
in alternation with the flow of gaseous STRA. (FF 5; Specification
15
Page: Previous 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013