DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicants’ submission, filed on 07/28/2026, in response to claims 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, 17, 19-21, and 23-26 rejection from the non-final office action (01/28/2026), by amending claims 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, and 19-20, cancelling method claims 12-14 and 18, and adding new claims 27-30 is entered and will be addressed below.
The examiner notices Applicants did not cite support for the amendment.
Election/Restrictions
Applicants’ cancellation of claims 12-14 and 18 is acknowledged.
Claim Interpretation
The “wherein the first surface comprises a substrate support surface, and the platen comprises an exterior region surrounding the substrate support that is exposed during plasma operations and is characterized by a coating thickness that is at least 50% greater than a coating thickness along the first surface of the platen” of claim 8, the first surface may be any portion of the top surface of the substrate support surface. Not Applicants’ drawing did not show the exact location of the first surface.
The “wherein the shaft of the substrate support couples with a hub outside of the semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein the coating extends along the shaft to the hub” of claim 9, as Applicants’ Specification did not disclose the particular feature of hub (e.g. material or function), the hub is considered any connector or anchor of the shaft.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 19-21, 23-26, and 29 are 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.
The newly added limitation “wherein the coating is characterized by a thickness on all coated surfaces of greater than or about 5 µm and less than or about 50 µm to conformally cover each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions without filling space between adjacent protrusions”, there is no support of this limitations in Applicants’ Specification.
The new claim 29 recites “wherein the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate is fluidly accessible through a lateral side of the showerhead … wherein the coating conformally extends along the lateral side of the showerhead providing fluid access to the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate”, there is no support of this limitation in Applicants’ Specification. Note Applicants’ disclosure does not include a second gas inlet location.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 19-21 and 23-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The newly added limitation “wherein the coating is characterized by a thickness on all coated surfaces of greater than or about 5 µm and less than or about 50 µm to conformally cover each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions without filling space between adjacent protrusions”, this limitation is self-contradictory. A conformally coated surface has coating between the protrusions, it does not filled up the space between the adjacent protrusions. Without any coating between adjacent protrusions, it would not be a conformal coating.
Claim 19 will be examined inclusive either one of the above interpretations.
Dependent claims 20-21 and 23-26 are also rejected under USC 112(a) and 112(b) at least due to dependency to rejected claim 19.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. (US 20200181771, hereafter ‘771), in view of Rossman (US 20020146512, hereafter ‘512).
‘771 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 1: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 having one or more chamber components that are coated with a coating layer in accordance with embodiments … The processing chamber 100 may be used for processes in which a corrosive plasma environment having plasma processing conditions is provided … Examples of chamber components that may include a coating layer (e.g., a ceramic coating) include a substrate support assembly 148, an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly 150, a ring (e.g., a process kit ring or single ring), a chamber wall, a base, a gas distribution plate, a showerhead, a liner ([0025], includes the claimed “A semiconductor processing chamber comprising: a chamber body; a showerhead; and a substrate support comprising”):
the substrate support assembly 148 includes a mounting plate 162 supporting a pedestal 152, and an ESC assembly 150 ([0043], either the mounting plate 162 or the inner liner 118 is narrower than the top of the support assembly 148, is considered “a shaft”, includes the claimed “a platen characterized by a first surface facing the showerhead, and a shaft coupled with the platen along a second surface of the platen opposite the first surface of the platen, wherein the shaft extends at least partially through the chamber body”),
ALD allows for a controlled self-limiting deposition of material through chemical reactions with the surface of the article. Aside from being a conformal process, ALD is also a uniform process and is capable of forming very thin films, for example, having a thickness of about 3 nm or more ([0023], includes the claimed “wherein a coating conformally extends about the platen and the shaft”),
the rare earth metal-containing layer comprises Y2O3, … and SiO2 ([0032]), With reference to FIG. 2C, in some embodiments, the multi-layer coating contains more than two layers … or may include layer 216 and a sequence of alternating layers for the rare earth metal-containing oxide layer ([0064], therefore, the alternating upper layers may also include SiO2, includes the claimed “wherein a coating extends conformally about the first surface of the platen”),
If layer 216 is an adhesion layer, the thickness of the adhesion layer may be about 1 nm to about 50 nm, or about 2 nm to about 25 nm, or about 5 nm to about 10 nm ([0056], last sentence, includes the claimed “and wherein the coating comprises an adhesion layer comprising silicon oxide formed contacting the first surface of the platen having a thickness of less than or equal to 90 nm”),
an additional layer 220 to form a multi-layer plasma resistant coating (Fig.2B, [0058]) and a stack 237 of alternating layers (Fig. 2C, [0067]), The thickness of the rare earth metal-containing layer may be about 5 nm to about 10 μm ([0063]), The stack 237 of alternating layers may have a total thickness of about 5 nm to about 3 μm. The thin interspersed layers between the layers of the rare earth metal-containing material may prevent crystal formation in the rare earth metal-containing layers ([0070], 2nd last sentence, includes the claimed “a first layer formed on and contacting the adhesion layer having a thickness of 50 nm to 500 nm, and a second layer of material on and contacting the first layer of silicon, and wherein the coating is characterized by a thickness on all coated surfaces of greater than or about 1 µm, and the second layer of material comprises greater than or about 75% of an overall thickness of the coating”).
Note as the adhesion layer can be 5 nm, the first layer can be 5 nm, or as the claimed 50 nm, and the second layer up to 10 μm, clearly includes “the second layer of material comprises greater than or about 75% of an overall thickness of the coating“.
‘771 does not teach the other limitations of:
Claim 1: (a first layer) of silicon (formed on and contacting the adhesion layer having a thickness of 50 nm to 500 nm).
‘512 is an analogous art in the field of high density plasma CVD ([0003], last sentence). ‘512 teaches that a method of depositing an improved seasoning film. In one embodiment the method includes, prior to performing a substrate processing operation, forming a layer of silicon over an interior surface of the substrate processing chamber as opposed to a layer of silicon oxide. In certain embodiments, the layer of silicon comprises at least 70% atomic silicon, is deposited from a high density silane (SinH2n+2) process gas and/or is deposited from a plasma having a density of at least 1x1011 ions/cm3 (abstract), In one embodiment the improved seasoning layer is a silicon film while in another embodiment the improved seasoning layer is a multilayer film having a silicon oxide layer and a silicon layer ([0022]), for the purpose of providing optimal results for decreased devices sizes ([0005]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted a silicon layer and silicon oxide layer, as taught by ‘512, as the stack 237 above layer 216 of ‘771, for the purpose of providing optimal results for decreased devices sizes, as taught by ‘512 ([0005]), while keeping the advantage of improving adhesion of ‘771 ([0056]).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of Naim et al. (US 20150376760, hereafter ‘760).
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 2: wherein the coating is characterized by an adhesion strength to the platen of greater than or equal to 1000 psi in pull testing.
‘760 is an analogous art in the field of EMISSIVITY CONTROLLED COATINGS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR CHAMBER COMPONENTS (title), having plasma resistance (abstract), multi-tiered protection for semiconductor processing chamber components ([0091], last sentence). ‘760 teaches that The coating bond strength was tested following the standard procedure outlined in in ASTM C633. For Example 1, the coating bond strength was measured to be >5000 psi ([0066]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have set the specification of the adhesive layer 216 of ‘771 at about 5000 psi, for the purpose of good adhesion as required by ‘771.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, ‘512, and ‘760, as being applied to claim 2 rejection above, in view of Malik et al. (US 20190368035, hereafter ‘035).
The combination of ‘771, ‘512, and ‘760 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 3: wherein the adhesion layer comprises an amorphous silicon oxide layer.
‘035 is an analogous art in the field of IN-SITU CVD AND ALD COATING OF CHAMBER TO CONTROL METAL CONTAMINATION (title) including plasma ([0012]), subsequent to forming the second protective film, a substrate on a substrate support pedestal ([0007], last sentence). ‘035 teaches that The interior components coated with the protective film include a chamber sidewall, a chamber bottom, a substrate support pedestal, a showerhead, and a chamber top. The protective film can be of various compositions including amorphous Si … SiO2 (abstract, see Fig. 1 for protective film 120), for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers ([0004]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted amorphous Si and SiO2 as taught by ‘035, as the stack 237 above layer 216 of ‘771, for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers, as taught by ‘035 ([0004]) while keeping the advantage of improving adhesion of ‘771 ([0056]).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of Kitabayashi et al. (US 5530616, hereafter ‘616)
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 5: wherein the platen defines a plurality of protrusions extending from the first surface of the platen, and the coating extends about each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions, wherein each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions is characterized by a width of at least 1 mm, and the first surface of the platen defines at least 250 protrusions.
‘616 is an analogous art in the field of Electrostatic Chuck (title), processing a semiconductor wafer in a plasma atmosphere (col. 1, line 10-11). ‘616 teaches that The protrusions 5 have upper portions or surfaces serving as clamping surfaces for being held in direct contact with a semiconductor wafer W. As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusions 5 are arranged in a multiplicity of concentric circular patterns disposed in the clamping region 3b around the center of the upper surface of the dielectric layer 3 (col. 4, lines 6-12), it is preferable for each of the protrusions 5 to have a diameter of 3 mm or less (col. 5, lines 36-47, Fig. 2 shows about 250 protrusions), for the purpose of higher cooling efficiency (col. 2, line 15).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted at least 250 protrusions with a diameter of 3 mm or less, as taught by ‘616, to the upper surface of the electrostatic chuck 150 of ‘771, for the purpose of higher cooling efficiency, as taught by ‘616 (col. 2, line 15).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of Enman et al. (US 20210032745, hereafter ‘745) and ‘035.
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 7: (7A) wherein the coating across the first surface of the substrate support is characterized by a variation in thickness of less than or about 10%, and
(7B) the second layer of the coating comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or silicon oxycarbonitride.
‘745 is an analogous art in the field of CORROSION RESISTANT FILM ON A CHAMBER COMPONENT (title) in a corrosive plasma environment ([0029]), mono-layer coatings, bi-layer coatings, multi-layer coatings of the same or different materials in various arrangement ([0092]). ‘745 teaches that the corrosion resistant film may be crystalline or amorphous and may conformally cover the reduced metal surface and features thereon with a substantially uniform thickness. In one embodiment, the plasma resistant coating has a conformal coverage of the underlying surface that is coated (including coated surface features) with a uniform thickness having a thickness variation of less than about ±20%, a thickness variation of ±10%, a thickness variation of ±5%, or a lower thickness variation when comparing the thickness of the coating at one location to another location ([0050]), for the purpose of improving the components' erosion and/or corrosion resistance ([0003]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted coating variation of ±5%, as taught by ‘745, to the coating stack 237 of ‘771 (the limitation of 7A), for the purpose of improving the components' erosion and/or corrosion resistance, as taught by ‘745 ([0003]).
‘035 is an analogous art as discussed above. ‘035 teaches that The interior components coated with the protective film include a chamber sidewall, a chamber bottom, a substrate support pedestal, a showerhead, and a chamber top. The protective film can be of various compositions including amorphous Si … SiN … SiO2 (abstract, see Fig. 1 for protective film 120), for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers ([0004]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted amorphous SiN, as taught by ‘035, as the top layer of the stack 237 above layer 216 of ‘771 (the limitation of 7B), for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers, as taught by ‘035 ([0004]), while keeping the advantage of improving adhesion of ‘771 ([0056]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of ‘035.
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 7: wherein the first surface comprises a substrate support surface, and the platen comprises an exterior region surrounding the substrate support that is exposed during plasma operations and is characterized by a coating thickness that is at least 50% greater than a coating thickness along the first surface of the platen.
‘035 is an analogous art as discussed above. ‘035 teaches that optionally, a portion of the substrate support pedestal 106, shown as an uncoated region 106B in this example ([0017], 6th sentence), for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers ([0004]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have removed or reduced the coating in a recess region of the ESC, as taught by ‘035, to the electrostatic chuck assembly 150 of ‘771, for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers, as taught by ‘035 ([0004]).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, in view of Foster et al. (US 5273588, hereafter ‘588) and BHATIA et al. (US 20170207069, hereafter ‘069).
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 9: wherein the shaft of the substrate support couples with a hub outside of the semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein the coating extends along the shaft to the hub, and wherein a ring connector extends about the shaft and connects the shaft with the hub, the coating extending within a portion of the ring connector.
‘588 is an analogous art in the field of Semiconductor Wafer Processing CVD Reactor Apparatus (title), including a plurality of plasma generating electrodes within the processing space (claim 1 of ‘588). ‘588 teaches that The drive shaft 50 is mounted to rotate on its axis, which is on the reactor axis 37, extends through a hole 51 in the bottom of the reactor housing 26, and is rigidly connected to the bottom of the susceptor 40 (Fig. 2, col. 10, lines 59-63), Above the secondary bearing 53 within the frame 47 and also surrounding the shaft 50 is an electrical slip ring connector 55. The slip ring 55 provides electrical connection with the rotating shaft 50 to supply electrical energy to the rotating susceptor and receives sensed temperature signals therefrom (col. 11, lines 7-12).
‘069 is an analogous art in the field of RPS DEFECT REDUCTION BY CYCLIC CLEAN INDUCED RPS COOLING (title), a remote plasma source (abstract). ‘069 teaches that Lift mechanism 154 may be flexibly sealed to body 130 by bellows 160 that prevents vacuum leakage from around the shaft 156 (Fig. 1, [0036], 2nd sentence, i.e. as vacuum is generated from the chamber, the plasma leakage is a possibility).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added a ring connector 55 within a shaft of ‘588, to the ESC 150 of ‘771, for the purpose of supplying electrical energy to the rotating susceptor and receiving sensed temperature signals, as taught by ‘588 (col. 11, lines 10-12). Furthermore, to have recognized a small amount of plasma leakage to the imported ring connector, as taught by ‘069, and to have applied partial coating to the imported ring connector, for the purpose of protecting the component from corrosive plasma.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Kalita et al. (US 20200402772, hereafter ‘772) and Shoji et al. (US 20190185999, hereafter ‘999).
‘771 further teaches some limitations of:
Claim 11: The showerhead 130 includes a gas distribution plate (GDP) 133 having multiple gas delivery holes 132 throughout the GDP 133. The showerhead 130 may include the GDP 133 bonded to an aluminum or an anodized aluminum showerhead base 104 ([0038], 2nd last sentence, includes the claimed “wherein the showerhead comprises a first plate and a second plate coupled together” and “the first plate and the second plate define a plurality of fluid channels extending through the showerhead“).
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 11: (11A) (wherein the showerhead comprises a first plate and a second plate coupled together) to define a volume between the first plate and the second plate, (the first plate and the second plate define a plurality of fluid channels extending through the showerhead), and (11B) wherein the first plate, the second plate, and the plurality of fluid channels of the showerhead are individually coated with the coating.
‘772 is an analogous art in the field of SEMICONDUCTOR CHAMBER COATINGS (title), a corrosion resistant coating. The corrosion resistant coating may include a conformal layer and a non-metal layer (abstract), the non-metal oxide layer may include diamond-like carbon, silicon carbide ([0011]). ‘772 teaches that The showerhead 225 may comprise an upper plate 214 and a lower plate 216. The plates may be coupled with one another to define a volume 218 between the plates (Fig. 2A, which is exactly the same as instant application, [0044]), for the purpose of preventing plasma damage ([0004]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced the showerhead 130 of ‘771 with the showerhead of ‘772 (the limitation of 11A), for the purpose of preventing plasma damage, as taught by ‘772 ([0004]) and/or for its suitability with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
‘999 is an analogous art in the field of EX SITU COATING OF CHAMBER COMPONENTS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING (title), a vapor deposition apparatus such as an atomic layer deposition apparatus and/or a chemical vapor deposition apparatus ([0005], last sentence), including plasma ([0010]), After the protective coating is formed, the chamber component is removed from the first reaction chamber and installed in a second reaction chamber. The chamber component serves its intended purpose (e.g., as a showerhead, as a lift pin, as a lift pin retainer, as a substrate support pedestal, etc.) ([0005], 2nd sentence). ‘999 teaches that FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate alternate views of a substrate support pedestal 500 that may be coated with a protective coating using the techniques described herein … The substrate support pedestal 500 includes a body portion 501 having a surface 502 on which a semiconductor wafer is supported during processing … lift pins and lift pin holders (as well as any other separable portions of the substrate support pedestal 500) may be coated together with the rest of the substrate support pedestal 500, or they may be coated separately. In the case where these parts are coated separately, the substrate support pedestal 500 may be assembled after all of the necessary parts are coated. The assembled support pedestal can then be installed in a reaction chamber. The body 501 of the substrate support pedestal 500 is connected to and supported by a stem 503. Certain areas may be masked before the protective coating is formed. For example, any regions where electrical contacts are formed may be masked to ensure that the contacts remain accessible and conductive. Masking of the electrical contact regions (and any other masked regions) is easier where the protective coating is formed ex situ compared to cases where it is formed as an in situ undercoat ([0085], therefore, ex situ coating will cover the whole stem and all surfaces of the body 501), for the purpose of a high quality, highly conformal protective coating ([0048]).
‘999 further teaches that FIGS. 2D-2G show a showerhead that may be coated with a protective coating using the techniques described herein ([0024], Fig. 2E of ‘999 further shows the showerhead includes an upper first plate and a lower second plate with holes, as it is done by ex situ ALD coating, all external surfaces are coated).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted ex situ coating of the chamber components, includes showerhead with multiple plates and the pedestal 500 with stem 503, ALD coating protective coating together or separately, as taught by ’999, to the imported multiple plates showerhead of ‘772 (the limitation of 11B), and then combined with ‘771 and ‘512, for the purpose of a high quality, highly conformal protective coating, as taught by ‘999 ([0048]). Note the coating would have had complete coverage on each individual components by the process of ‘999.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771 and ‘512, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Nakajima et al. (US 6452775, hereafter ‘775).
The combination of ‘771 and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 17: wherein the second layer of material is characterized by aluminum trace metal incorporation of less than or about 1 E10 atoms/cm2.
‘775 is an analogous art in the field of Electrostatic Chuck (title), an inductively coupled plasma etching apparatus (col. 1, lines 15-16). ‘775 teaches that ceramic layer 103, which has a predetermined thickness, is adhered on disk-shaped metal substrate 101 … High purity barrier layer 105 may be formed of any suitable insulative material … e.g., alumina (Al2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and sapphire (a form of Al2O3). The insulative material from which high purity barrier layer 105 is formed preferably has a purity of at least about 99%, and more preferably a purity of at least about 99.99% (Fig. 5, col. 3, lines 25-46), for the purpose of reducing contaminating backside of the wafer (col. 2, lines 2-4).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted a purity of the material of corrosion resistant film 208 of ‘745, at 99.99% pure, as taught by ‘775, for the purpose of reducing contaminating backside of the wafer (col. 2, lines 2-4). Note very high purity corrosion resistant film has little room for all contamination elements, and Aluminum is but one of the many contamination elements.
Claims 19, 21, and 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, in view of Keeton et al. (US 20030205324, hereafter ‘324) and ‘512.
‘771 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 19: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 having one or more chamber components that are coated with a coating layer in accordance with embodiments … The processing chamber 100 may be used for processes in which a corrosive plasma environment having plasma processing conditions is provided … Examples of chamber components that may include a coating layer (e.g., a ceramic coating) include a substrate support assembly 148, an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly 150, a ring (e.g., a process kit ring or single ring), a chamber wall, a base, a gas distribution plate, a showerhead, a liner ([0025], includes the claimed “A semiconductor processing chamber comprising: a chamber body; a showerhead; and a substrate support comprising”):
the substrate support assembly 148 includes a mounting plate 162 supporting a pedestal 152, and an ESC assembly 150 ([0043], either the mounting plate 162 or the inner liner 118 is narrower than the top of the support assembly 148, is considered “a shaft”, includes the claimed “a platen characterized by a first surface facing the showerhead, and a shaft coupled with the platen along a second surface of the platen opposite the first surface of the platen, wherein the shaft extends at least partially through the chamber body”),
ALD allows for a controlled self-limiting deposition of material through chemical reactions with the surface of the article. Aside from being a conformal process, ALD is also a uniform process and is capable of forming very thin films, for example, having a thickness of about 3 nm or more ([0023], includes the claimed “wherein a coating conformally extends about the platen and the shaft”),
the rare earth metal-containing layer comprises Y2O3, … and SiO2 ([0032]), With reference to FIG. 2C, in some embodiments, the multi-layer coating contains more than two layers … or may include layer 216 and a sequence of alternating layers for the rare earth metal-containing oxide layer ([0064], therefore, the alternating upper layers may also include SiO2, includes the claimed “wherein the coating comprises an adhesion layer of silicon oxide formed on and contacting the first and second surfaces of (the platen) and the shaft, a first layer formed on and contacting the adhesion layer, and a second layer of a silicon-containing material overlying the first layer”),
In embodiments, layer 216 may have a thickness of about 5 nm to about 10 μm, or about 25 nm to about 5 μm ([0056], 3rd sentence, includes the claimed “and wherein the coating is characterized by a thickness on all coated surfaces of greater than or about 5 µm and less than or about 50 µm to conformally cover” the platen).
‘771 does not teach the other limitations of:
Claim 19: (19A) wherein the first surface defines a recessed pocket configured to receive a substrate, a recessed ledge extending radially outward from an outer radial edge of the recessed pocket to an exterior edge of the platen, and a plurality of protrusions extending from the first surface within the recessed pocket;
(wherein a coating conformally extends about) the recessed pocket, the recessed ledge, each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions, the second surface of the platen, (and about the shaft),
(19B) (a first layer of silicon) formed on and (contacting the adhesion layer, and a second layer of a silicon-containing material overlying the first layer) of silicon,
(19C) (and wherein the coating is characterized by a thickness on all coated surfaces of greater than or about 5 µm and less than or about 50 µm to conformally cover) each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions without filling space between adjacent protrusions.
‘324 is an analogous art in the field of Wafer Holder With Stiffening Rib (title), the processing of wafers within semiconductor processing chambers and, more particularly, to a wafer holder that effects a more uniform temperature distribution across a wafer held thereon ([0003]), A typical process of manufacturing a wafer holder involves forming the part from graphite, possibly with the wafer-receiving recess and/or grid structure therein … Then, in a separate high temperature process, the part is coated with silicon carbide and subsequently annealed. Advantageously, the coating closely conforms to and seals the graphite after outgassing ([0008]). ‘324 teaches that FIG. 2 shows the susceptor 20 as viewed from the top, looking into a recessed pocket 102 sized and shaped to closely accommodate a particular class of substrate. The pocket 102 is defined by a raised outer shoulder 106 and an inner pocket surface 109. The shoulder 106 surrounds and has an upper surface 107 positioned higher than the inner pocket surface 109 ... In the illustrated embodiment, the pocket 102 has a set of perpendicular, crossing grid grooves that are cut into the surface 109 and surrounded by an annular groove 104 radially inward of the shoulder 106. While shown across only a portion of the susceptor pocket 102, it will be appreciated that the grid extends across the full susceptor pocket 102 up to the annular groove 104 ... In embodiments having a concave surface 109, the tops of the grid protrusions along the circumference closest to the edge of the pocket 102 define a plane on which the wafer rests ([0039], Fig. 4 shows “recessed ledge extending radially outward from an outer radial edge of the recessed pocket to an exterior edge of the platen“ at upper right).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted the susceptor 20 of ‘324 as the shape of the substrate support assembly 148 of ‘771 (the limitations of 19A and 19C), for the purpose of more uniform temperature distribution, as taught by ‘324 ([0003]). Note the conformal coating will coat the bottom space between adjacent protrusions but not fill the space up, see 112(b) rejection above.
‘771 also teach an additional layer 220 to form a multi-layer plasma resistant coating (Fig.2B, [0058]) and a stack 237 of alternating layers (Fig. 2C, [0067]).
‘512 is an analogous art in the field of high density plasma CVD ([0003], last sentence). ‘512 teaches that a method of depositing an improved seasoning film. In one embodiment the method includes, prior to performing a substrate processing operation, forming a layer of silicon over an interior surface of the substrate processing chamber as opposed to a layer of silicon oxide. In certain embodiments, the layer of silicon comprises at least 70% atomic silicon, is deposited from a high density silane (SinH2n+2) process gas and/or is deposited from a plasma having a density of at least 1x1011 ions/cm3 (abstract), In one embodiment the improved seasoning layer is a silicon film while in another embodiment the improved seasoning layer is a multilayer film having a silicon oxide layer and a silicon layer ([0022]), for the purpose of providing optimal results for decreased devices sizes, ([0005]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted a silicon layer and silicon oxide layer, as taught by ‘512, as the stack 237 above layer 216 of ‘771, for the purpose of providing optimal results for decreased devices sizes, as taught by ‘512 ([0005]), while keeping the advantage of improving adhesion of ‘771 ([0056]).
‘771 further teaches the limitations of:
Claim 23: If layer 216 is an adhesion layer, the thickness of the adhesion layer may be about 1 nm to about 50 nm, or about 2 nm to about 25 nm, or about 5 nm to about 10 nm ([0056], includes the claimed “wherein the adhesion layer is less than or about 90 nm thick”).
Claim 24: The thickness of the rare earth metal-containing layer may be about 5 nm to about 10 μm ([0063], includes the claimed “wherein the second layer of a silicon-containing material is greater than 500 nm thick”).
Claim 21: The thickness of the rare earth metal-containing layer may be about 5 nm to about 10 μm ([0063], as layer 216 can be as low as 5 nm, [0056], the first layer can be 5 nm and the second layer up to 10 μm, clearly includes the claimed “wherein the second layer of the coating comprises greater than or about 75% of an overall thickness of the coating”, note it is obvious to select the outermost layer as thick as possible).
Claims 20 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, ‘324, and ‘512, as being applied to claim 19 rejection above, further in view of ‘035. Alternatively, claims 19, 21, 23-24 are also rejected over ‘771, ‘324, ‘512 and ‘035.
The combination of ‘771, ‘324, and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 20: wherein the second layer of the coating comprises silicon carbide, silicon oxycarbide, silicon carbon nitride, or silicon oxycarbonitride.
Claim 26: wherein first layer of silicon comprises amorphous silicon.
‘035 is an analogous art in the field of IN-SITU CVD AND ALD COATING OF CHAMBER TO CONTROL METAL CONTAMINATION (title) including may include the deposition of one or more layers … plasma … ([0012]), subsequent to forming the second protective film, a substrate on a substrate support pedestal ([0007], last sentence). ‘035 teaches that The interior components coated with the protective film include a chamber sidewall, a chamber bottom, a substrate support pedestal, a showerhead, and a chamber top. The protective film can be of various compositions including amorphous Si … polysilicon, SiC (abstract, see Fig. 1 for protective film 120), for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers ([0004]).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted amorphous Si and SiC of ‘035, as the stack 237 of ‘771, for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers, as taught by ‘035 ([0004]) and/or for its suitability for protective film with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
In case Applicants argue that ‘771 does not teach a shaft of claim 19, Fig.1 of ‘035 clearly shows a shaft and coating on both the upper and lower surface of the support pedestal 106.
Alternatively, claim 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, ‘324, and ‘512 (optionally with ‘035), as being applied to claim 19 rejection above, further in view of Suzuki (US 20130252002, hereafter ‘002).
In case Applicants argue that ‘771 teaches a wide range that is applicable to each layer of the stack 237, therefore, too many variation and not specifically teaching the limitation of claim 21 “wherein the second layer of the coating comprises greater than or about 75% of an overall thickness of the coating”.
First of all, this is merely an engineer choice. Applicants’ Specification [0058] includes a total of eighteen different second layer percentage and there is nothing specific about the advantage of 75% or greater.
Furthermore, ‘002 is an analogous art in the field of GAS BARRIER FILM (title), a gas barrier film, which can exhibit excellent barrier performance under a high-temperature and a high-humidity environment, can be achieved by a gas barrier film including a base; a first barrier layer containing at least silicon, which is laminated on at least one surface of the base; and a second barrier layer containing silicon oxynitride, which is laminated on the first barrier layer ([0020], 2nd sentence), the first barrier layer is formed while the susceptor 24 (Fig. 3, [0062]). ‘002 teaches examples of the thickness ratio of the second barrier layer to the first barrier layer above 75%, and some examples well above 75% in Table I (page 16, barrier film number 4 to 8).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted the thickness ratio of the second layer to the first layer at 75% or greater, as taught by ‘002, to the stack 237 of ‘771, for its suitability with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, ‘324, and ‘512, as being applied to claim 19 rejection above, further in view of HASHIGUCHI et al. (US 20120247667, hereafter ‘667).
The combination of ‘771, ‘324, and ‘512 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 25: wherein the coating on the first surface of the platen is at least 20% thicker than the coating on the second surface of the platen.
‘667 is an analogous art in the field of PLASMA TREATMENT APPARATUS (title), supporting table 21 functioning as a lower electrode for horizontally supporting a wafer 100 serving as a processing target is arranged in the chamber 11 ([0015]), A coated film (hereinafter referred to as yttria film) containing yttrium oxide particles can be used as the protective film 50 ([0026]). ‘667 teaches that The protective film is formed thicker on the plasma exposed surface than on the side surface of the insulator ring ([0012], last sentence), or instance, the thickness of the protective film 50 of the upper surface section 223 may be 100 µm and the thickness of the protective film 50 of the side surface section 224 may be 50 µm (Fig. 4, [0037], 2nd sentence, 100% more).
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted twice the thickness of the corrosion resistant film on the upper surface facing plasma than the bottom surface away from the plasma, as taught by ‘667, to the substrate support assembly 148 of ‘771, for the purpose of proper protection against plasma erosion, as taught by, as taught by ‘667 ([0012], last sentence).
Claims 27-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘771, in view of ‘772, ‘999, ‘512, and ‘035.
‘771 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 27: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 having one or more chamber components that are coated with a coating layer in accordance with embodiments … The processing chamber 100 may be used for processes in which a corrosive plasma environment having plasma processing conditions is provided … Examples of chamber components that may include a coating layer (e.g., a ceramic coating) include a substrate support assembly 148, an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly 150, a ring (e.g., a process kit ring or single ring), a chamber wall, a base, a gas distribution plate, a showerhead, a liner ([0025], includes the claimed “A semiconductor processing chamber comprising: a chamber body; a substrate support disposed within the chamber body; a showerhead facing the substrate support”):
The showerhead 130 includes a gas distribution plate (GDP) 133 having multiple gas delivery holes 132 throughout the GDP 133. The showerhead 130 may include the GDP 133 bonded to an aluminum or an anodized aluminum showerhead base 104 ([0038], 2nd last sentence, includes the claimed “the showerhead comprising a first plate and a second plate coupled together” and “wherein the first plate and the second plate define a plurality of fluid channels extending through the showerhead”),
Examples of chamber components that may include a coating layer (e.g., a ceramic coating) include a substrate support assembly 148, an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly 150, a ring (e.g., a process kit ring or single ring), a chamber wall, a base, a gas distribution plate, a showerhead, a liner ([0025]), ALD allows for a controlled self-limiting deposition of material through chemical reactions with the surface of the article. Aside from being a conformal process, ALD is also a uniform process and is capable of forming very thin films, for example, having a thickness of about 3 nm or more ([0023]), FIG. 2A depicts one embodiment of a deposition process 200 in accordance with an ALD technique to grow or deposit a coating on an article ([0048], includes the claimed “a coating conformally that extends about exterior surfaces of the first plate and the second plate and within the plurality of fluid channels”),
an additional layer 220 to form a multi-layer plasma resistant coating (Fig.2B, [0058]) and a stack 237 of alternating layers (Fig. 2C, [0067]), The thickness of the rare earth metal-containing layer may be about 5 nm to about 10 μm ([0063]), The stack 237 of alternating layers may have a total thickness of about 5 nm to about 3 μm. The thin interspersed layers between the layers of the rare earth metal-containing material may prevent crystal formation in the rare earth metal-containing layers ([0070], 2nd last sentence, includes the claimed “a first layer formed on and contacting the first plate and the second plate having a thickness of 50 nm to 500 nm; and a second layer of material on and contacting the first layer of silicon having a thickness of greater than 500 nm”).
‘771 does not teach the other limitations of:
Claim 27: (27A) a showerhead facing the substrate support, the showerhead comprising a first plate and a second plate coupled together to define a volume between the first plate and the second plate,
(27B) wherein the first plate and the second plate are individually coated with the coating prior to being coupled together,
(27C) (a first layer) of silicon comprising amorphous silicon (formed on and contacting the first plate and the second plate having a thickness of 50 nm to 500 nm; and
a second layer of material) comprising amorphous silicon oxide (on and contacting the first layer of silicon having a thickness of greater than 500 nm).
‘772 is an analogous art as discussed above.
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced the showerhead 130 of ‘771 with the showerhead of ‘772 (the limitation of 27A), for the purpose of preventing plasma damage, as taught by ‘772 ([0004]) and/or for its suitability with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
‘999 is an analogous art as discussed above.
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted ex situ coating of the chamber components, includes showerhead with multiple plates, ALD coating protective coating together or separately, as taught by ’999, to the imported multiple plates showerhead of ‘772 (the limitation of 27B), and then combined with ‘771, for the purpose of a high quality, highly conformal protective coating, as taught by ‘999 ([0048]). Note the coating would have had complete coverage on each individual components by the process of ‘999.
‘512 and ‘035 are an analogous arts as discussed above.
Before the effective filing dates of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted a silicon layer and silicon oxide layer, as taught by ‘512, furthermore, to have adopted amorphous form of Si and SiO2 as taught by ‘035as the stack 237 above layer 216 of ‘771 (the limitations of 27C), for the purpose of providing optimal results for decreased devices sizes, as taught by ‘512 ([0005]) and for the purpose of improved protection of the internal components of process chambers, as taught by ‘035 ([0004]) while keeping the advantage of improving adhesion of ‘771 ([0056]).
The combination of ‘771, ‘772, ‘999, ‘512, and ‘035 further teaches the limitations of:
Claim 28: The coupling of the plates may be so as to provide first fluid channels 219 through the upper and lower plates, and second fluid channels 221 through the lower plate 216. The formed channels may be configured to provide fluid access from the volume 218 through the lower plate 216 via second fluid channels 221 alone, and the first fluid channels 219 may be fluidly isolated from the volume 218 between the plates and the second fluid channels 221. The volume 218 may be fluidly accessible through a side of the gas distribution assembly 225 ([0044], includes the claimed “wherein the plurality of fluid channels defined by the showerhead comprises: a plurality of first fluid channels extending through both the first plate and the second plate of the showerhead; and a plurality of second fluid channels extending through the second plate of the showerhead; wherein the second fluid channels are fluidly coupled with the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate, wherein the first fluid channels are fluidly isolated from both the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate and the second fluid channels”),
ALD allows for a controlled self-limiting deposition of material through chemical reactions with the surface of the article. Aside from being a conformal process, ALD is also a uniform process and is capable of forming very thin films, for example, having a thickness of about 3 nm or more (‘771, [0023], includes the claimed “and wherein the coating conformally covers internal surfaces defining both the first fluid channels and the second fluid channels”).
Claim 29: The coupling of the plates may be so as to provide first fluid channels 219 through the upper and lower plates, and second fluid channels 221 through the lower plate 216. The formed channels may be configured to provide fluid access from the volume 218 through the lower plate 216 via second fluid channels 221 alone, and the first fluid channels 219 may be fluidly isolated from the volume 218 between the plates and the second fluid channels 221. The volume 218 may be fluidly accessible through a side of the gas distribution assembly 225 ([0044], includes the claimed “wherein the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate is fluidly accessible through a lateral side of the showerhead, wherein the second fluid channels are distributed substantially evenly across a bottom surface of the second plate amongst the first fluid channels, and wherein the coating conformally extends along the lateral side of the showerhead providing fluid access to the volume defined between the first plate and the second plate”).
Claim 30: A plasma may be ignited either in chamber plasma region 215 above showerhead 225 or substrate processing region 233 below showerhead 225. Plasma may be present in chamber plasma region 215 to produce the radical precursors from an inflow of, for example, a fluorine-containing precursor or other precursor. An AC voltage typically in the radio frequency (RF) range may be applied between the conductive top portion of the processing chamber, such as faceplate 217, and showerhead 225 and/or ion suppressor 223 to ignite a plasma in chamber plasma region 215 during deposition ([0041], includes the claimed “wherein an RF power supply is electrically coupled with the showerhead, and the showerhead is configured to operate as a conductive electrode to ignite a plasma within the semiconductor processing chamber during delivery of plasma effluents into a processing region facing the second plate, the coating protecting a bottom surface of the second plate facing the processing region from plasma erosion during plasma ignition”).
Response to Argument
Applicant's arguments filed 07/28/2026 have been fully considered but they are not convincing in light of the new grounds of rejection above.
The examiner notices the inventive concept of instant Application is the conformal coating for preventing corrosion. This has at least three layers of protective coatings, each can have different compositions, different phase of the coating material, and a wide difference in thickness range, presenting a cascading Markush claim of more than thousands combinations. The current amendment taking out some of these combinations to get around some prior arts on record. Furthermore, the current amendment added details of the known features of showerhead and chuck in many different components, which does not have any unexpected result from the corrosion coating layers, creates additional order of magnitude of combination and burden on examination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20180100228 is cited for the conformal protective layer is a plasma resistant rare earth oxide film having a substantially uniform thickness of less than 300 μm (abstract), a 5 micron (μm) coating ([0058]).
US 20060019039 is cited for “Reduction of metal contamination of ion implantation processes is achieved by first depositing a passivation layer on all chamber surfaces prior to performing the ion implantation process. The passivation layer may be a silicon-containing layer such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon, silicon carbide …” [0168].
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEATH T CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1870. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5:00 pm.
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/KEATH T CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
