Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/6/2026 has been entered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 520, 532. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 531, 561. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome the previously presented rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and thus the rejections are withdrawn.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 11, the limitation “wherein the wires are coupled to one or more of a plurality of slip-ring structures” is not fully supported by the specification. Specifically, the only teaching of the claimed rotor and stator arrangement, including the stator vertically below the rotor and the rotor vertically overlapping with the stator along a vertical axis through a center of the shaft, is the stator 281 and rotor 282 in Fig. 2 of the specification, and there is no support for the claimed rotor and stator arrangement when combined with the limitation that the rotation assembly comprises “a plurality of slip-ring structures”. Paragraph 0032 describes that the rotary feedthrough 280 may have a slip-ring type structure; however, as seen in Fig. 3A and paragraph 0033 of the specification, the rotor is provided within a center of the stator and not vertically below/above each other as claimed. Therefore, claim 11 lacks written description support.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 9, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Lin (US 20170040198 A1), Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) teaches an electrostatic chuck 150 comprising a substrate support 124 (pedestal) with a support surface for supporting a substrate S and a second surface opposite to the support surface coupled to a support shaft 112 (para 0018-0019; Fig. 1). Subramani also teaches the shaft 204 extending from the bottom of the disk 202 (pedestal) for supporting from the substrate, wherein the shaft and disk (pedestal) are rotated by a magnetic drive assembly 222 (rotation assembly) (Abstract, para 0026, 0031; Fig. 2). Subramani also teaches a chucking electrode 208 and biasing electrode 210 within the disk 202 (pedestal) (para 0027-0028; Fig. 2).
Subramani teaches lamps 214 (heating element) for heating the dielectric disk 202 (pedestal) (para 0027, 0029; Fig. 2) but fails to explicitly teach the heating element is within the pedestal. However, Lin (US 20170040198 A1), in the analogous art of substrate heating, teaches a resistive heating element 288 may be embedded within the chuck to heat the substrate and electrostatic chuck, which has a dielectric body, as an alternative to an outside heating element such as a lamp assembly, wherein the chuck may also include an embedded electrode 223 (para 0024, 0031, 0034-0036; Fig. 2A). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the lamp heaters of Subramani with a resistive heater embedded within the dielectric disk, as described by Lin, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of heating the substrate and its pedestal. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani and Lin fails to explicitly teach the rotation assembly comprises a rotor vertically beneath the shaft and a stator vertically beneath the rotor, wherein the rotor vertically overlaps with the stator along a vertical axis through a center of the shaft. However, Mori (US 20220085693 A1), in the analogous art of rotating substrate holders, teaches a slip ring 50 for supplying power to a heater 5 in the substrate stage 2 and having a rotary part 51 (rotor) and a fixed part 52 (stator), where the rotor is vertically beneath the shaft 4 and the stator 52 has a portion vertically beneath the rotor 51 where the rotor and stator vertically overlap along a vertical axis through the center of the shaft (para 0051; Fig. 1-2). Subramani teaches power lines 228 extending through the shaft and a bearing assembly 224 at the bottom of the shaft (para 0032; Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the bearing assembly of Subramani with the slip ring assembly of Mori because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of supplying power to elements in the substrate support through a rotating shaft. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani, Lin, and Mori fails to explicitly teach a plurality of contacts on a bottom of the stator, wherein a contact of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), in the analogous art of substrate supports, teaches a slip ring 250 to facilitate electrical coupling of power sources through leads/wires (213, 215), where the leads pass through pins (326, 348) (contacts) in the bottom of a lower cylindrical body 324 (stator) of the slip ring, where the cylindrical body is fixed (para 0028-0030; Fig. 2-3). Subramani teaches at least two chucking power lines 228 extending through the interior of the shaft 204 to connect the power supply 226 to the chucking electrodes 208 (para 0032; Fig. 2) and Mori teaches a wiring line for supplying power to an electrode through the slip ring (para 0051; Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring connections of Subramani and Mori with wiring passing through pins (plurality of contacts) on the bottom of the slip ring/stator, as described by Mustafa, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, and Mustafa fails to explicitly teach that one of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a mounting table 40 attached to a rotary shaft 50 and driving device 52 for rotating the mounting table, wherein wiring lines are connected between electrodes and heaters in the mounting table where one of the wires is aligned with a rotational axis AX (vertical axis) of the shaft (para 0026-0029; Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring arrangement of Subramani in view of Mustafa with the wiring arrangement of Mitsunaga, including a wire extending aligned with the axis of the substrate support, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B). As a result, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga includes at least one pin/contact aligned with the vertical axis.
Alternatively, or in addition, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of wiring in Mustafa such that at least one of the pins/contacts aligns with the vertical axis of the substrate support because shifting the position of the wire would not have modified the operation of the device. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(C).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the rotation assembly includes a magnetic drive assembly 222 (magnetically driven rotation assembly) (Subramani para 0031; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the chucking electrode 208, biasing electrode 210 (Subramani para 0027-0028; Fig. 2), and the heating element 288 (Lin para 0035; Fig. 2A) are all embedded within the pedestal as well as that the pedestal 202 is rotated by the shaft 204 (Subramani para 0031; Fig. 2). Therefore, the combination would necessarily rotate the electrodes and heating element by rotating the pedestal.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the heating element 288 comprises resistive heating elements (Lin para 0035; Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the shaft 204 of the electrostatic chuck is partially within the chamber interior volume (Subramani para 0018-0019; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the shaft 204 is within a housing 206 (outer shaft), wherein the inner shaft is rotated while the housing/outer shaft remains stationary (Subramani para 0026, 0030-0031; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches a lifting mechanism 113 coupled to the shaft 112 for providing vertical movement of the chuck/pedestal between an upper and lower position (Subramani para 0019; Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 19, Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) teaches an apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising a chamber 100 comprising an electrostatic chuck 150 for holding a semiconductor wafer, wherein the chuck includes a housing 206 (first shaft) enclosing a disk 202 (pedestal) and passing through the bottom of the chamber, wherein the pedestal is coupled to a first end of a (second) shaft 204, which also passes through the bottom of the chamber, positioned within the housing 206 (first shaft) (para 0017-0018, 0026; Fig. 1-2). Subramani also teaches a bellows assembly (baffle) connected between the housing 206 (first shaft) and the chamber body that seals the chamber from losing vacuum (para 0019; Fig. 2-3 – zig-zag pattern). Subramani also teaches a magnetic drive assembly 222 (rotation assembly) coupled to the second shaft 204 to rotate the second shaft and disk 202 (pedestal) relative to the housing 206 (first shaft), which remains stationary (para 0031; Fig. 2).
Subramani also teaches a chucking electrode 208 and biasing electrode 210 within the disk 202 (pedestal) (para 0027-0028; Fig. 2). Subramani teaches lamps 214 (heating element) for heating the dielectric disk 202 (pedestal) (para 0027, 0029; Fig. 2) but fails to explicitly teach the heating element is within the pedestal. However, Lin (US 20170040198 A1), in the analogous art of substrate heating, teaches a resistive heating element 288 may be embedded within the chuck to heat the substrate and electrostatic chuck, which has a dielectric body, as an alternative to an outside heating element such as a lamp assembly, wherein the chuck may also include an embedded electrode 223 (para 0024, 0031, 0034-0036; Fig. 2A). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the lamp heaters of Subramani with a resistive heater embedded within the dielectric disk, as described by Lin, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of heating the substrate and its pedestal. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani and Lin fails to explicitly teach a vacuum feedthrough at an end of the second shaft opposite from the pedestal and a radio frequency rotary feedthrough below the vacuum feedthrough where the rotation assembly comprises a rotor vertically beneath the second shaft and a stator vertically beneath the rotor, wherein the rotor vertically overlaps with the stator along a vertical axis through a center of the second shaft. However, Mori (US 20220085693 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a rotary shaft 21 (second shaft) below a stage 2 (pedestal) and inside a cylindrical casing 22 (first shaft), wherein wiring is passed through an air-tightly sealed hermetic seal 25 (vacuum feedthrough) at the lower end of the rotary shaft 21 and the wiring is also passed through a slip ring 50 (rotary feedthrough) below the hermetic seal, wherein the slip ring, which is part of the rotation assembly, comprises a rotary part 51 (rotor) and a fixed part 52 (stator) where the rotor is beneath the shaft 4, the stator is beneath the rotor, and the rotor vertically overlaps with the stator along a vertical axis through a center of the second shaft (para 0019, 0038-0039, 0051; Fig. 1-2). Subramani teaches passing wires 228 through the interior of the shaft 204 and through a bearing assembly 224 at the bottom of the shaft (para 0032; Fig. 2). Additionally, Lin teaches at least one wire extending from the power supply 283 to the heater 288 through the support step 226 (shaft) (para 0036; Fig. 2A). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the bearing assembly of Subramani with the slip ring assembly and hermetic seal of Mori at the bottom of the inner/second shaft because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of supplying power to elements in the substrate support through a rotating shaft. See MPEP 2143(I)(B). The hermetic seal allows wires to pass through while maintaining an airtight seal or preventing the loss of vacuum, thus making it a vacuum seal/feedthrough. Additionally, the slip ring has a rotary part for rotating the wiring (Mori para 0051), wherein some of the wiring may supply an AC (RF) power source to the heater (Lin para 0036), thus making it a radio frequency (RF) rotary feedthrough.
The combination of Subramani, Lin, and Mori fails to explicitly teach a plurality of contacts on a bottom of the stator, wherein a contact of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), in the analogous art of substrate supports, teaches a slip ring 250 to facilitate electrical coupling of power sources through leads/wires (213, 215), where the leads pass through pins (326, 348) (contacts) in the bottom of a lower cylindrical body 324 (stator) of the slip ring, where the cylindrical body is fixed (para 0028-0030; Fig. 2-3). Subramani teaches at least two chucking power lines 228 extending through the interior of the shaft 204 to connect the power supply 226 to the chucking electrodes 208 (para 0032; Fig. 2) and Mori teaches a wiring line for supplying power to an electrode through the slip ring (para 0051; Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring connections of Subramani and Mori with wiring passing through pins (plurality of contacts) on the bottom of the slip ring/stator, as described by Mustafa, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, and Mustafa fails to explicitly teach that one of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a mounting table 40 attached to a rotary shaft 50 and driving device 52 for rotating the mounting table, wherein wiring lines are connected between electrodes and heaters in the mounting table where one of the wires is aligned with a rotational axis AX (vertical axis) of the shaft (para 0026-0029; Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring arrangement of Subramani in view of Mustafa with the wiring arrangement of Mitsunaga, including a wire extending aligned with the axis of the substrate support, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B). As a result, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga includes at least one pin/contact aligned with the vertical axis.
Alternatively, or in addition, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of wiring in Mustafa such that at least one of the pins/contacts aligns with the vertical axis of the substrate support because shifting the position of the wire would not have modified the operation of the device. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(C).
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Lin (US 20170040198 A1), Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lim (US 20060137710 A1).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga fails to explicitly teach the heating element in the pedestal comprises a plurality of lamps. However, Lim (US 20060137710 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a substrate pedestal 304 may include both a resistive heater 330 and a plurality of gas filled lamps 328 embedded within the pedestal to control the temperature of the substrate (para 0052; Fig. 3). Lin teaches using embedded resistive heaters in the pedestal to heat the chuck and substrate (para 0035). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the resistive heaters of Lin with the combination of lamps and resistive heaters, as described by Lim, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of heating the substrate. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Lin (US 20170040198 A1) Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Lubomirsky (US 20120103970 A1).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the volume between the shaft 204 and the interior of the housing 206 (outer shaft), which contains inner magnet 222A, is at a vacuum pressure (Subramani para 0031; Fig. 2). The aforementioned combination fails to explicitly teach the interior of the shaft is configured to be at atmospheric pressure. However, Lubomirsky (US 20120103970 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a cavity 30 in the pedestal shaft 28 for passing wires (64a, 64b) though the shaft, wherein the cavity is under atmospheric pressure (para 0022, 0024-0025; Fig. 4). Subramani teaches passing wires 228 through the interior of the shaft 204 (para 0032; Fig. 2) but is silent to the presence of a cavity or a pressure within the shaft. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the inner shaft of Subramani with the inner shaft having an atmospheric pressure of Lubomirsky because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Claim(s) 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Lin (US 20170040198 A1), Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Janakiraman (US 20160145742 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Subramani teaches at least two chucking power lines 228 extending through the interior of the shaft 204 to connect the power supply 226 to the chucking electrodes 208 (para 0032; Fig. 2). Additionally, Lin teaches at least one wire extending from the power supply 283 to the heater 288 through the support step 226 (shaft) (para 0036; Fig. 2A). However, the previous combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga fails to explicitly teach seven wires extend up the shaft to contact the chucking electrode, biasing electrode, and heating element. However, Janakiraman (US 20160145742 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a substrate support 128 adapted to move vertically and rotate about an axis including heating elements 126 and bias/chucking electrodes (623A, 623B) each connected to power supplies through wiring extending through the shaft/stem 122 (para 0030-0032, 0046; Fig. 6). Subramani teaches that power is delivered to the RF bias electrodes 210 via an RF bias plate 212 disposed below the disk 202 in order to deliver power to the electrodes while the pedestal is rotating (para 0028; Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the RF bias plate for delivering power to the RF bias electrodes with wiring extending through the shaft and connected to the bias electrodes, as described by Janakiraman, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of applying power to the bias electrodes while rotating. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Furthermore, Mitsunaga teaches a mounting table 40 attached to a rotary shaft 50 for rotating the mounting table, wherein a plurality of heaters (56a-56d), such as five or more heaters, embedded in the electrostatic chuck to control heating in different regions of the substrate, and wherein each heater is connected to separate wiring lines extending through the shaft (para 0028-0029, 0052; Fig. 4). Lin teaches the chuck assembly may include one or more embedded heaters 288, wherein each heater is connected to at least one wire (para 0035; Fig. 2A). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the heater arrangement of Lin with an arrangement having 5 or more heaters, each with their own wiring, as described by Mitsunaga, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B). As a result, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, Mitsunaga, and Janakiraman includes at least 7 wires extending through the shaft to the heaters, bias electrode, and chucking electrode (at least one wire for each of the 5 heaters, at least one wire for a bias electrode, and at least one wire for a chucking electrode).
Alternatively, or in addition, the mere duplication of wires has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced and thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include additional heaters, electrodes, and associated wires with a reasonable expectation of success. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Subramani, Lin, Mori, Mustafa, Mitsunaga, and Janakiraman teaches the wiring is coupled to a slip ring 50 having a rotary part 51 and stator 52 as well as a bearing 53 (plurality of slip ring structures), thus allowing for rotation of the wires (Mori para 0051, Fig. 2; Mustafa para 0028).
Claim(s) 12-15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) teaches an apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising a chamber 100 comprising an electrostatic chuck 150 for holding a semiconductor wafer, wherein the chuck includes a housing 206 (first shaft) enclosing a disk 202 (pedestal), wherein the pedestal is coupled to a first end of a (second) shaft 204 positioned within the housing 206 (first shaft) (para 0017-0018, 0026; Fig. 1-2). Subramani also teaches a bellows assembly (baffle) connected between the housing 206 (first shaft) and the chamber body that seals the chamber from losing vacuum (para 0019; Fig. 2-3 – zig-zag pattern). Subramani also teaches a magnetic drive assembly 222 (rotation assembly) coupled to the second shaft 204 to rotate the second shaft and disk 202 (pedestal) relative to the housing 206 (first shaft), which remains stationary (para 0031; Fig. 2).
Subramani fails to explicitly teach the rotation assembly comprises a rotor vertically beneath the second shaft, and a stator vertically beneath the rotor, wherein the rotor vertically overlaps with the stator along a vertical axis through a center of the second shaft. However, Mori (US 20220085693 A1), in the analogous art of rotating substrate holders, teaches a slip ring 50 for supplying power to a heater 5 or electrode in the substrate stage 2 and having a rotary part 51 (rotor) and a fixed part 52 (stator), where the rotor is vertically beneath the shaft 4 and the stator 52 has a portion vertically beneath the rotor 51 where the rotor and stator vertically overlap along a vertical axis through the center of the shaft (para 0051; Fig. 1-2). Subramani teaches power lines 228 extending through the shaft and a bearing assembly 224 at the bottom of the shaft (para 0032; Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the bearing assembly of Subramani with the slip ring assembly of Mori at the bottom of the inner/second shaft because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of supplying power to elements in the substrate support through a rotating shaft. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani and Mori fails to explicitly teach a plurality of contacts on a bottom of the stator, wherein a contact of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), in the analogous art of substrate supports, teaches a slip ring 250 to facilitate electrical coupling of power sources through leads/wires (213, 215), where the leads pass through pins (326, 348) (contacts) in the bottom of a lower cylindrical body 324 (stator) of the slip ring, where the cylindrical body is fixed (para 0028-0030; Fig. 2-3). Subramani teaches at least two chucking power lines 228 extending through the interior of the shaft 204 to connect the power supply 226 to the chucking electrodes 208 (para 0032; Fig. 2) and Mori teaches a wiring line for supplying power to an electrode through the slip ring (para 0051; Fig. 2). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring connections of Subramani and Mori with wiring passing through pins (plurality of contacts) on the bottom of the slip ring/stator, as described by Mustafa, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani, Mori, and Mustafa fails to explicitly teach that one of the plurality of contacts is aligned with the vertical axis. However, Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a mounting table 40 attached to a rotary shaft 50 and driving device 52 for rotating the mounting table, wherein wiring lines are connected between electrodes and heaters in the mounting table where one of the wires is aligned with a rotational axis AX (vertical axis) of the shaft (para 0026-0029; Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the wiring arrangement of Subramani in view of Mustafa with the wiring arrangement of Mitsunaga, including a wire extending aligned with the axis of the substrate support, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results. See MPEP 2143(I)(B). As a result, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga includes at least one pin/contact aligned with the vertical axis.
Alternatively, or in addition, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of wiring in Mustafa such that at least one of the pins/contacts aligns with the vertical axis of the substrate support because shifting the position of the wire would not have modified the operation of the device. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(C).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the rotation assembly includes a magnetic drive assembly 222 (Subramani para 0031; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches an inner (first) magnet 222A is attached to the second shaft 204 and an outer (second) magnet 222B positioned outside the housing 206 (first shaft), wherein the first and second magnet are magnetically coupled such that driving the outer magnet results in driving the inner magnet (Subramani para 0031; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches a housing 206 (first shaft) and (second) shaft 204 having the power source 226 connected through the bottom of the first shaft and passing power lines 228 (wires) through the interior of the shaft (Subramani para 0032; Fig. 2), wherein the power is supplied through a wiring to the elements in the pedestal via the slip ring 50 (rotating electrical feedthrough) that has a rotary part 51 and is positioned below the rotating shaft 4 (Mori para 0039, 0051; Fig. 2). As a result, the slip ring (rotating electrical feedthrough) of Subramani in view of Mori located below the rotating (inner) shaft includes at least a portion positioned below a portion of each of the inner and outer shaft (Subramani – 204, 206).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the power lines (conductive wires) pass through the interior of the shaft 204 to the chucking electrodes 208 in the pedestal/disk 202 (components in the pedestal) (Subramani para 0032), wherein the wires also pass from the slip ring 50 (rotating electrical feedthrough) to supply power to the electrodes in the stage/pedestal (Mori para 0039, 0051; Fig. 2).
Claim(s) 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Subramani (US 20150170952 A1) in view of Mori (US 20220085693 A1), Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1), and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1), as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Lin (US 20170040198 A1) and Janakiraman (US 20160145742 A1).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, and Mitsunaga teaches the components in the pedestal comprise chucking electrodes 208 and bias electrodes 210, wherein power lines are routed through the shaft to the chucking electrodes (Subramani para 0027-0028, 0032; Fig. 2).
Subramani teaches lamps 214 (heating element) for heating the dielectric disk 202 (pedestal) (para 0027, 0029; Fig. 2) but fails to explicitly teach the heating element is within the pedestal. However, Lin (US 20170040198 A1), in the analogous art of substrate heating, teaches a resistive heating element 288 may be embedded within the chuck to heat the substrate and electrostatic chuck, which has a dielectric body, as an alternative to an outside heating element such as a lamp assembly, wherein the chuck may also include an embedded electrode 223, and wherein the heater is connected to a power supply via wiring passing through the shaft (para 0024, 0031, 0034-0036; Fig. 2A). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the lamp heaters of Subramani with a resistive heater embedded within the dielectric disk, as described by Lin, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of heating the substrate and its pedestal. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
The combination of Subramani, Mori, Mustafa, Mitsunaga and Lin fails to explicitly teach wires pass to the bias electrode. However, Janakiraman (US 20160145742 A1), in the analogous art of substrate processing, teaches a substrate support 128 adapted to move vertically and rotate about an axis including heating elements 126 and bias/chucking electrodes (623A, 623B) each connected to power supplies through wiring extending through the shaft/stem 122 (para 0030-0032, 0046; Fig. 6). Subramani teaches that power is delivered to the RF bias electrodes 210 via an RF bias plate 212 disposed below the disk 202 in order to deliver power to the electrodes while the pedestal is rotating (para 0028; Fig. 2). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the RF bias plate for delivering power to the RF bias electrodes with wiring extending through the shaft and connected to the bias electrodes, as described by Janakiraman, because this is a substitution of known elements yielding predictable results of applying power to the bias electrodes while rotating. See MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 8-11, filed 2/6/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 12, and 19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Mustafa (US 20180358768 A1) and Mitsunaga (US 20170330787 A1, previously cited in office action mailed 7/18/2024).
Conclusion
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/PATRICK S OTT/Examiner, Art Unit 1794