EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`
`References cited herein:
`
` U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716 (“‘716 Patent”)
`
` U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,382 (“Wang”)
`
` A. A. Kudryavtsev, et al, Ionization relaxation in a plasma produced by a pulsed inert-gas
`discharge, Sov. Phys. Tech. Phys. 28(1), January 1983 (“Kudryavtsev”)
`
` U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,512 (“Lantsman”)
`
` Milton Ohring, The Material Science of Thin Films, Academic Press, 1992 (“Ohring”)
`
` Donald L. Smith, Thin-Film Deposition: Principles & Practice, McGraw Hill, 1995
`(“Smith”)
`
`
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`14. A method for
`generating a strongly-
`ionized plasma, the
`method comprising:
`
`a. ionizing a feed gas
`in a chamber to form
`a weakly-ionized
`plasma that
`substantially
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`The combination of Wang and Kudryavtsev discloses a method for
`generating a strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`Wang at 7:19-25 (“Preferably, the peak power PP is at least 10 times the
`background power PB, more preferably at least 100 times, and most
`preferably 1000 times to achieve the greatest effect of the invention. A
`background power PB of 1kW will typically be sufficient to support a
`plasma with the torpedo magnetron and a 200 mm wafer although with
`little if any actual sputter deposition.”)
`
`Wang at 7:28-30 (“ the application of the high peak power PP instead
`quickly causes the already existing plasma to spread and increases the
`density of the plasma”) (emphasis added).
`
`Wang at 7:31-39 (“In one mode of operating the reactor, during the
`background period, little or no target sputtering is expected. The SIP
`reactor is advantageous for a low-power, low-pressure background
`period since the small rotating SIP magnetron can maintain a plasma at
`lower power and lower pressure than can a larger stationary magnetron.
`However, it is possible to combine highly ionized sputtering during the
`pulses with significant neutral sputtering during the background
`period.”)
`
`The combination of Wang and Kudryavtsev discloses ionizing a feed
`gas in a chamber to form a weakly-ionized plasma that substantially
`eliminates the probability of developing an electrical breakdown
`condition in the chamber.
`
`- 1 -
`
`INTEL 1326
`
`

`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`eliminates the
`probability of
`developing an
`electrical breakdown
`condition in the
`chamber; and
`
`Wang at Fig. 7
`
`Wang at 4:5-6 (“A sputter working gas such as argon is supplied from a
`gas source 32….”)
`
`Wang at 4:20-21 (“… a reactive gas, for example nitrogen is supplied to
`the processing space 22….”)
`
`Wang at 7:17-31 (“The background power level PB is chosen to exceed
`the minimum power necessary to support a plasma... [T]he application
`of the high peak power PP quickly causes the already existing plasma to
`spread and increases the density of the plasma.”)
`
`Wang at 7:19-25 (“Preferably, the peak power PP is at least 10 times the
`background power PB … and most preferably 1000 times to achieve the
`greatest effect of the invention. A background power PB of 1 kW
`[causes] little if any actual sputter deposition.”
`
`Wang at 4:23-31 (Ex. 1005) (“…thus creating a region 42 of a high-
`density plasma (HDP)…”)
`
`Wang at 7:3-49 (“Plasma ignition, particularly in plasma sputter
`reactors, has a tendency to generate particles during the initial arcing,
`which may dislodge large particles from the target or chamber… The
`initial plasma ignition needs be performed only once and at much lower
`power levels so that particulates produced by arcing are much
`reduced.”)
`
`Wang at 7:25-28 (“As a result, once the plasma has been ignited at the
`beginning of sputtering prior to the illustrated waveform, no more
`plasma ignition occurs.”).
`
`Wang at 7:58-61 (“… DC power supply 100 is connected to the target
`14 … and supplies an essentially constant negative voltage to the target
`14 corresponding to the background power PB.”)
`
`
`Wang at 7:22-23 (“A background power PB of 1 kW will typically be
`sufficient to support a plasma…”)
`
`b. supplying an
`electrical pulse across
`the weakly-ionized
`plasma that excites
`
`The combination of Wang and Kudryavtsev discloses supplying an
`electrical pulse across the weakly-ionized plasma that excites atoms in
`the weakly-ionized plasma, thereby generating a strongly-ionized
`plasma without developing an electrical breakdown condition in the
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`- 2 -
`
`

`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`atoms in the weakly-
`ionized plasma,
`thereby generating a
`strongly-ionized
`plasma without
`developing an
`electrical breakdown
`condition in the
`chamber.
`
`chamber.
`
`Wang at Fig. 7
`
`Wang at 7:61-62 (“The pulsed DC power supply 80 produces a train of
`negative voltage pulses.”)
`
`Wang at 7:19-25 (“Preferably, the peak power level PP is at least 10
`times the background power level PB, … most preferably 1000 times to
`achieve the greatest effects of the invention. A background power PB of
`1 kW will typically be sufficient…”)
`
`Wang at 7:28-30 (“… the application of the high peak power PP instead
`quickly causes the already existing plasma to spread and increases the
`density of the plasma.”).
`
`Wang at 7:36-39 (“However, it is possible to combine highly ionized
`sputtering during the pulses with significant neutral sputtering during
`the background period.”)
`
`Wang at 5:23-27 (“[The pulse’s] exact shape depends on the design of
`the pulsed DC power supply 80, and significant rise times and fall times
`are expected.”)
`
`Wang at 7:3-49 (“Plasma ignition, particularly in plasma sputter
`reactors, has a tendency to generate particles during the initial arcing,
`which may dislodge large particles from the target or chamber… The
`initial plasma ignition needs be performed only once and at much lower
`power levels so that particulates produced by arcing are much
`reduced.”).
`
`Kudryavtsev at 34, right col, ¶ 4 (“Since the effects studied in this work
`are characteristic of ionization whenever a field is suddenly applied to a
`weakly ionized gas, they must be allowed for when studying emission
`mechanisms in pulsed gas lasers, gas breakdown, laser sparks, etc.”)
`
`Kudryavtsev at Fig. 1
`
`Kudryavtsev at Fig. 6
`
`- 3 -
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`
`
`

`
`
`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Kudryavtsev at 31, right col, ¶ 7 (“The behavior of the increase in ne
`with time thus enables us to arbitrarily divide the ionization process into
`two stages, which we will call the slow and fast growth stages. Fig. 1
`illustrates the relationships between the main electron currents in terms
`of the atomic energy levels during the slow and fast stages.”).
`
`Kudryavtsev at 31, right col, ¶ 6 (“For nearly stationary n2 [excited atom
`density] values … there is an explosive increase in ne [plasma density].
`The subsequent increase in ne then reaches its maximum value, equal to
`the rate of excitation [equation omitted], which is several orders of
`magnitude greater than the ionization rate during the initial stage.”)
`
`Kudryavtsev at Abstract (“[I]n a pulsed inert-gas discharge plasma at
`moderate pressures… [i]t is shown that the electron density increases
`explosively in time due to accumulation of atoms in the lowest excited
`states.”)
`
`One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to use Kudryavtsev’s
`fast stage of ionization in Wang so as to increase plasma density and
`thereby increase the sputtering rate. Further, use of Kudryavtsev’s fast
`stage in Wang would have been a combination of old elements that in
`which each element performed as expected to yield predictable results
`of increasing plasma density and multi-step ionization.
`The combination of Wang with Kudryavtsev and Lantsman discloses
`supplying feed gas to the strongly-ionized plasma to transport the
`strongly-ionized plasma by a rapid volume exchange.
`
`- 4 -
`
`19. The method of
`claim 14 further
`comprising supplying
`feed gas to the
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`

`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`strongly-ionized
`plasma to transport
`the strongly-ionized
`plasma by a rapid
`volume exchange.
`
`See evidence cited in claim 14
`
`‘716 Patent at 2:19-30 [Discussed in connection with a prior art system]
`(“FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a known plasma generating
`apparatus 100…. The vacuum pump 106 is adapted to evacuate the
`vacuum chamber 104…. A feed gas from a feed gas source 109, such
`as an argon gas source, is introduced into the vacuum chamber 104
`through a gas inlet 110. The gas flow is controlled by a valve 112.”)
`(emphasis added).
`
`‘716 Patent at Fig. 1.
`
`Lantsman at Fig. 6
`
`
`Lantsman at 3:9-13 (“[A]t the beginning of processing, this switch is
`closed and gas is introduced into the chamber. When the plasma
`process is completed, the gas flow is stopped….”)
`
`Lantsman at 4:36-38 (“To end processing, primary supply 10 is
`disabled, reducing the plasma current and deposition on the wafer.
`Then, gas flow is terminated….”)
`
`Lantsman at 5:39-42 (“Sometime thereafter, gas flow is initiated and the
`gas flow and pressure (trace 48) begin to ramp upwards toward normal
`processing levels.”)
`
`Lantsman at 5:42-45
`
`Lantsman at 2:48-51 (“This secondary power supply ‘pre-ignites’ the
`plasma so that when the primary power supply is applied, the system
`smoothly transitions to final plasma development and deposition.”)
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to continue to apply
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`- 5 -
`
`

`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`the feed gas during Wang’s process as taught by Lantsman. Such a
`continuous introduction of feed gas balances gas withdrawn by the
`vacuum system (e.g., as shown in the drawings from Ohring and Smith,
`copied below) so as to maintain a desired pressure.
`
`One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Wang and
`Lantsman. Both Wang and Lantsman are directed to sputtering using
`plasma. See Wang at Title (“Pulsed sputtering with a small rotating
`magnetron”); see also Lantsman at 1:6-8 (“This invention relates to
`reduction of device damage in plasma processes, including DC
`(magnetron or non-magnetron) sputtering, and RF sputtering.”). Both
`references also relate to sputtering systems that use two power supplies,
`one for pre-ionization and one for deposition. See Lantsman at 4:45-47
`(“[T]he secondary [power] supply 32 is used to pre-ignite the plasma,
`whereas the primary [power] supply 10 is used to generate
`deposition.”); see Wang at Fig. 7. (showing the pulsed DC supply 80
`and DC power supply 100)
`
`Moreover, both Wang and Lantsman are concerned with generating
`plasma while avoiding arcing. See Wang 7:47-49 (“The initial plasma
`ignition needs be performed only once and at much lower power levels
`so that particulates produced by arcing are much reduced.”); see also
`Lantsman at 1:51-59 (“Furthermore, arcing which can be produced by
`overvoltages can cause local overheating of the target, leading to
`evaporation or flaking of target material into the processing chamber
`and causing substrate particle contamination and device damage….
`Thus, it is advantageous to avoid voltage spikes during processing
`whenever possible.”).
`
`Summarizing, Wang and Lantsman relate to the same application.
`Further, one of ordinary skill would have been motivated to use
`Lantsman’s continuous gas flow in Wang so as to maintain a desired
`pressure in the chamber. Finally, use of Lantsman’s continuous gas
`flow in Wang would have been a combination of old elements in which
`each element behaved as expected.
`
`Background:
`Ohring at Fig. 3-13
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`- 6 -
`
`

`
`EXHIBIT B.09
`U.S. Patent No. 7,604,716
`
`Claims 19 and 20
`
`Wang in view of Kudryavtsev and Lantsman
`
`
`
`
`Smith at Fig. 3-1
`
`
`
`20. The method of
`claim 19 wherein the
`transport of the
`strongly-ionized
`plasma by the rapid
`volume exchange
`permits additional
`power to be absorbed
`by the strongly-
`ionized plasma.
`
`
`
`
`The combination of Wang with Kudryavtsev and Lantsman discloses
`the transport of the strongly-ionized plasma by the rapid volume
`exchange permits additional power to be absorbed by the strongly-
`ionized plasma.
`
`See evidence cited in claim 19.
`
`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to continue to add
`the feed gas in Wang during production of the strongly-ionized plasma
`(i.e., during PP). Such addition of the feed gas would have both
`transported the strongly-ionized plasma by rapid volume exchange and
`allowed additional power from Wang’s repeating voltage pulses to be
`absorbed by the strongly-ionized plasma.
`
`ActiveUS 123180505v.1
`
`- 7 -