Appeal 2007-3197
Application 10/817,131
an excitation system that electrically excites the fluorine based gas to
establish a plasma in the chamber which interacts with a conductive surface
to transform the surface from a conductive material into a passive layer that
includes a conductivity facilitating compound having conductivity
facilitating properties.
The Examiner relies upon the following references in the rejection of
the appealed claims:
Carducci 2003/0037880 A1 Feb. 27, 2003
Grimbergen 6,835,275 B1 Dec. 28, 2004
Appellant's claimed invention is directed to a system for in-situ
surface treatment to make a memory cell. The system comprises a gas
distribution system that selectively provides a fluorine-based gas into a
processing chamber, and an excitation system for making a plasma from the
gas in the chamber. The plasma is used to change the surface of a
conductive material into a passive layer.
Appealed claims 1-16 and 20 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)
as being anticipated by Carducci. Claims 1-10 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 102(e) as being anticipated by Grimbergen. Also, claims 17-19
stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Carducci
in view of Grimbergen.
With the exception of claims 14 and 17, Appellant has not separately
argued the appealed claims under rejection. Accordingly, with the noted
exceptions, the groups of claims separately rejected by the Examiner stand
or fall together.
We have thoroughly reviewed each of Appellant's arguments for
patentability. However, we are in full agreement with the Examiner that the
claimed subject matter is unpatentable over the cited prior art. Accordingly,
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