DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9/25/2025 has been entered.
Claim Status
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claims 1 and 15-16 are currently amended.
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.
Claims 1-4, 7-9, and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1), in view of Ishikawa (US 20110064545 A1), and Thakur (US 20060156979 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Iizuka teaches a facility for manufacturing a semiconductor (Fig. 1, substrate processing apparatus 10) comprising:
an index module including a first transfer robot (Fig. 1, [0033], transfer chamber 12 houses robot R) and configured to carry out and transfer a substrate mounted on a container using the first transfer robot (Fig. 1, [0032], robot R transfers wafer W from cassette CS);
a process chamber configured to treat the substrate heated by the buffer chamber (Fig. 1, [0037], process chamber 15b); and
a buffer chamber directly connected to the process chamber (Fig. 1, [0037], process chamber 15b is connected to buffer chamber 15a via gate valve GV2).
Iizuka fails to teach a transfer module including a second transfer robot and configured to relay the substrate transferred by the index module using the second transfer robot; a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module; and a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected.
However, Ishikawa teaches a transfer module (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], transfer region 107) including a second transfer robot (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], robot assembly 117) and configured to relay the substrate transferred by the index module using the second transfer robot (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], robot assembly 117 transfers substrates to and from process chambers 102,104).
Ishikawa is considered analogous art to the claimed invention because it is in the same field of semiconductor processing. It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the apparatus of Iizuka to incorporate the heated robot assembly of Ishikawa as doing so would allow for retrieving substrates at a high temperature without thermal shock by maintaining the substrates at a high temperature using the heated end effector (Ishikawa, [0027]). As well, the transfer apparatus and pivot shaft of Iizuka (Iizuka, [0036]-[0037]) could be replaced by the robot assembly of Ishikawa, potentially reducing cost and/or complexity by having a singular transfer robot instead of two separate transfer assemblies.
Modified Iizuka fails to teach a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module; a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected.
However, Thakur teaches a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G & 13E, [0146], plate 153 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates after transfer from pods 105); a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber (Thakur, [0059], system controller 102 carries out the various processing methods and sequences of cluster tool 100), directly connected to the process chamber (Thakur, Figs. 2C & 13E, [0067], buffer chamber 150 is connected to chamber 201), to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G & 13E, [0146], plate 153 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201), and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G, & 13E, [0149], in step E1, substrate is transferred from buffer position 152A in buffer chamber 150A to processing chamber 201, where plate 153 at buffer position 152 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201, [0146]).
Thakur is considered analogous art to the claim invention because it is in the same field of semiconductor processing. It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have incorporated the substrate heating mechanisms and associated controller programming as taught by Thakur into the apparatus of modified Iizuka as doing so would help minimize the temperature stabilization time needed by the processing chamber, thereby enhancing throughput (Thakur, [0143]).
Regarding claim 2, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out.
However, Thakur teaches wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out (Thakur, Figs. 2C and 2G, [0074]-[0076], plural substrates are individually heated on shelves 185 while in buffer chamber prior to transfer to processing chamber 201, where one or plural wafers can be transferred to/from processing chamber 201).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have incorporated the substrate heating mechanisms and associated controller programming as taught by Thakur into the apparatus of modified Iizuka as doing so would help minimize the temperature stabilization time needed by the processing chamber, thereby enhancing throughput (Thakur, [0143]).
Regarding claim 3, Iizuka teaches wherein the buffer chamber is provided separately in each process chamber in response to the process chamber being plural (Fig. 1, [0037], each process module 15 includes a buffer chamber 15A and process chamber 15B).
Regarding claim 4, Iizuka teaches wherein the buffer chamber is coupled to a front surface of the process chamber, into which the substrate is loaded (Fig. 1, [0037], a wafer W is loaded into buffer chamber 15A via gate valve GV1, and then subsequently transferred into process chamber 15B via gate valve GV2).
Regarding claim 7, Iizuka teaches wherein an inside of the transfer module is a vacuum environment (Fig. 1, [0034], transport chamber 14 is evacuated to a reduced pressure).
Iizuka fails to teach wherein the second transfer robot is configured to transfer the substrate heated by the buffer chamber to the process chamber.
However, Ishikawa teaches wherein the second transfer robot is configured to transfer the substrate heated by the buffer chamber to the process chamber (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0036], robot assembly 117 transfers substrates to processing chambers 102 and 104)
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the apparatus of Iizuka to incorporate the heated robot assembly of Ishikawa as doing so would allow for retrieving substrates at a high temperature without thermal shock by maintaining the substrates at a high temperature using the heated end effector (Ishikawa, [0027]). As well, the transfer apparatus and pivot shaft of Iizuka (Iizuka, [0036]-[0037]) could be replaced by the robot assembly of Ishikawa, potentially reducing cost and/or complexity by having a singular transfer robot instead of two separate transfer assemblies.
Regarding claim 8, Iizuka fails to teach wherein a heating wire is installed in an end effector of the second transfer robot.
However, Ishikawa teaches wherein a heating wire is installed in an end effector of the second transfer robot (Ishikawa, Fig. 4a, [0054], spiral coils 255 used for heating are installed in blade 204).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the apparatus of Iizuka to incorporate the heated robot assembly of Ishikawa as doing so would allow for retrieving substrates at a high temperature without thermal shock by maintaining the substrates at a high temperature using the heated end effector (Ishikawa, [0027]).
To clarify the record, the claim limitation “wherein an inside of the transfer module is a vacuum environment” is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
Regarding claim 9, Iizuka teaches wherein an inside of the transfer module is an atmospheric pressure environment (Fig. 1, [0034], transport chamber 14 is evacuated to a reduced pressure).
To clarify the record, the claim limitation “wherein an inside of the transfer module is an atmospheric pressure environment” is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
Regarding claim 13, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to heat the substrate above a reference temperature, wherein the reference temperature is a temperature, at which the substrate can be immediately treated in the process chamber.
However, Thakur teaches wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to heat the substrate above a reference temperature, wherein the reference temperature is a temperature, at which the substrate can be immediately treated in the process chamber (Thakur, [0144], [0146], substrate is preheated to a desired temperature before placement into the processing chamber 201).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have incorporated the substrate heating mechanisms and associated controller programming as taught by Thakur into the apparatus of modified Iizuka as doing so would help minimize the temperature stabilization time needed by the processing chamber, thereby enhancing throughput (Thakur, [0143]).
Regarding claim 14, Iizuka teaches wherein the process chamber is configured to clean the substrate using radicals ([0039], process chamber 15b is configured with gas supplying nozzles, a wafer chuck, a wafer heating mechanism, and plasma generation for processes such as etching).
To clarify the record, the claim limitation “to clean the substrate using radicals” is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. The process chamber of Iizuka as described is capable of running a dry clean process via plasma generation. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1) in view of Ishikawa (US 20110064545 A1), and Thakur (US 20060156979 A1), as applied in claims 1-4, 7-9, and 13-14, and further in view of Yamada (US 20110117492 A1).
The limitations of claims 1-4, 7-9, and 13-14 are set forth above.
Regarding claim 5, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate, and the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to provide the purge gas to the substrate while the substrate is heated.
However, Yamada teaches wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature), and the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to provide the purge gas to the substrate while the substrate is heated (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature, where hot plate 61H heats the substrate).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the buffer chamber of modified Iizuka to incorporate the temperature control unit of Yamada as doing so helps prevent a decrease in temperature of the wafer during transfer actions (Yamada, [0038]).
Regarding claim 6, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature.
However, Yamada teaches wherein the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature to equal temperature of hot plate 61H, which can range from 26 to 100°C, [0035]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the buffer chamber of modified Iizuka to incorporate the temperature control unit of Yamada as doing so helps prevent a decrease in temperature of the wafer during transfer actions (Yamada, [0038]).
Claims 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1) in view of Ishikawa (US 20110064545 A1), and Thakur (US 20060156979 A1), as applied in claims 1-4, 7-9, and 13-14, and further in view of Trussell (US 20170110351 A1).
The limitations of claims 1-4, 7-9, and 13-14 are set forth above.
Regarding claim 10, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the buffer chamber is installed inside the transfer module.
However, Trussell teaches wherein the buffer chamber is installed inside the transfer module (Trussell, Fig. 2, [0098], buffer stacks 240, 242 are installed in wafer transport assembly 209).
Trussell is considered analogous art to the claimed invention because it is in the same field of semiconductor processing. It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the transfer module of Iizuka to incorporate the buffer stacks of Trussell within the transfer module as doing so achieves a compact footprint by leveraging space that already exists between the process modules (Trussell, [0100]).
Regarding claim 11, Iizuka teaches wherein the buffer chamber is installed in a contact surface with the index module, is further installed in a surface facing the contact surface (Fig. 1, [0034], load lock chambers 13 are installed against transfer chamber 12).
Iizuka fails to teach wherein the buffer chamber is installed in a section between two different process chambers in response to the process chamber being plural.
However, Trussell teaches wherein the buffer chamber is installed in a section between two different process chambers in response to the process chamber being plural (Trussell, Fig. 2, [0098], buffer stack 240 is installed in wafer transport assembly 209 between process chambers 100 and 210).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the transfer module of Iizuka to incorporate the buffer stacks of Trussell within the transfer module as doing so achieves a compact footprint by leveraging space that already exists between the process modules (Trussell, [0100]).
Regarding claim 12, Iizuka fails to explicitly teach wherein an inside of the transfer module is a vacuum environment.
However, Trussell teaches wherein an inside of the transfer module is a vacuum environment (Trussell, [0097], wafer transport assembly 209 is operated under pressure conditions ranging from atmosphere to vacuum conditions).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the transfer module of Iizuka to incorporate the buffer stacks of Trussell within the transfer module and allow the transfer module to operate at atmosphere or vacuum as doing so achieves a compact footprint by leveraging space that already exists between the process modules (Trussell, [0100]), and improving throughput by reducing the vent/pump cycles for substrate transfers (Trussell, [0134]).
To clarify the record, the claim limitation “wherein an inside of the transfer module is a vacuum environment” is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1), in view of Ishikawa (US 20110064545 A1), Yamada (US 20110117492 A1), and Thakur (US 20060156979 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Iizuka teaches a facility for manufacturing a semiconductor (Fig. 1, substrate processing apparatus 10) comprising:
an index module including a first transfer robot (Fig. 1, [0033], transfer chamber 12 houses robot R) and configured to carry out and transfer a substrate mounted on a container using the first transfer robot (Fig. 1, [0032], robot R transfers wafer W from cassette CS);
a buffer chamber (Fig. 1, buffer chamber 15A);
a plurality of process chambers configured to treat the substrate heated by the buffer chamber (Fig. 1, [0037], each process module 15 includes a buffer chamber 15A and process chamber 15B); and
wherein the buffer chamber is provided separately in each of the plurality of process chambers (Fig. 1, [0037], each process module 15 includes a buffer chamber 15A and process chamber 15B), and is coupled to a front surface of the plurality of the process chambers, into which the substrate is loaded (Fig. 1, [0037], a wafer W is loaded into buffer chamber 15A via gate valve GV1, and then subsequently transferred into process chamber 15B via gate valve GV2),
Iizuka fails to teach a transfer module including a second transfer robot and configured to relay the substrate transferred by the index module using the second transfer robot;
a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module; and
a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out,
wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate; and
wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to provide the purge to the substrate while the substrate is heated, and the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature.
However, Ishikawa teaches a transfer module (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], transfer region 107) including a second transfer robot (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], robot assembly 117) and configured to relay the substrate transferred by the index module using the second transfer robot (Ishikawa, Fig. 1, [0030], robot assembly 117 transfers substrates to and from process chambers 102,104).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the apparatus of Iizuka to incorporate the heated robot assembly of Ishikawa as doing so would allow for retrieving substrates at a high temperature without thermal shock by maintaining the substrates at a high temperature using the heated end effector (Ishikawa, [0027]). As well, the transfer apparatus and pivot shaft of Iizuka (Iizuka, [0036]-[0037]) could be replaced by the robot assembly of Ishikawa, potentially reducing cost and/or complexity by having a singular transfer robot instead of two separate transfer assemblies.
Iizuka modified by Ishikawa fails to teach a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module;
wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate; and
wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to provide the purge to the substrate while the substrate is heated, and the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature; and
a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out.
However, Yamada teaches a buffer chamber configured to heat the substrate relayed by the transfer module (Yamada, Fig. 1, heating room 61 of buffer room 63 heats wafer W by hot plate 61H); wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature); and wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber to provide the purge to the substrate while the substrate is heated (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature, where hot plate 61H heats the substrate), and the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature to equal temperature of hot plate 61H, which can range from 26 to 100C, [0035]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the buffer chamber of Iizuka to incorporate the hot plate and temperature control unit of Yamada as doing so helps prevent a decrease in temperature of the wafer during transfer actions (Yamada, [0038]).
Modified Iizuka fails to teach a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out.
However, Thakur teaches a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber (Thakur, [0059], system controller 102 carries out the various processing methods and sequences of cluster tool 100), directly connected to the process chamber (Thakur, Figs. 2C & 13E, [0067], buffer chamber 150 is connected to chamber 201), to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G & 13E, [0146], plate 153 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201), and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G, & 13E, [0149], in step E1, substrate is transferred from buffer position 152A in buffer chamber 150A to processing chamber 201, where plate 153 at buffer position 152 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201, [0146]), and heat the substrate while the substrate treated by the process chamber waits before being carried out (Thakur, Figs. 2C and 2G, [0074]-[0076], plural substrates are individually heated on shelves 185 while in buffer chamber prior to transfer to processing chamber 201, where one or plural wafers can be transferred to/from processing chamber 201).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have incorporated the substrate heating mechanisms and associated controller programming as taught by Thakur into the apparatus of modified Iizuka as doing so would help minimize the temperature stabilization time needed by the processing chamber, thereby enhancing throughput (Thakur, [0143]).
Claims 16-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1), in view of Thakur (US 20060156979 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Iizuka teaches an apparatus for treating a substrate (Fig. 1, substrate processing apparatus 10) comprising:
a process chamber configured to treat a substrate (Fig. 1, [0037], process chamber 15b); and
a buffer chamber providing a space, in which the substrate waits (Fig. 6, [0049], unprocessed wafer WU1 sits on substrate holding member 15D).
Iizuka fails to teach a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber such that the substrate waits in the buffer chamber before being loaded into the process chamber, and waits in the buffer chamber before being carried out after being treated by the process chamber,
wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected.
However, Thakur teaches a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber such that the substrate waits in the buffer chamber before being loaded into the process chamber, and waits in the buffer chamber before being carried out after being treated by the process chamber (Thakur, Figs. 2C and 2G, [0074]-[0076], substrates are transferred to shelves 185 in buffer chamber 150 before and after processing in process chamber 201),
wherein the controller is programmed to control the buffer chamber (Thakur, [0059], system controller 102 carries out the various processing methods and sequences of cluster tool 100), directly connected to the process chamber (Thakur, Figs. 2C & 13E, [0067], buffer chamber 150 is connected to chamber 201), to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G & 13E, [0146], plate 153 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201), and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected (Thakur, Figs. 2C, 2G, & 13E, [0149], in step E1, substrate is transferred from buffer position 152A in buffer chamber 150A to processing chamber 201, where plate 153 at buffer position 152 in buffer chamber 150 preheats substrates prior to placement in processing chamber 201, [0146]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have incorporated the substrate heating mechanisms and associated controller programming as taught by Thakur into the apparatus of Iizuka as doing so would help minimize the temperature stabilization time needed by the processing chamber, thereby enhancing throughput (Thakur, [0143]).
Regarding claim 17, Iizuka teaches wherein the buffer chamber is provided separately in each process chamber in response to the process chamber being plural (Fig. 1, [0037], each process module 15 includes a buffer chamber 15A and process chamber 15B).
Regarding claim 18, Iizuka teaches wherein the buffer chamber is coupled to a front surface of the process chamber, into which the substrate is loaded (Fig. 1, [0037], a wafer W is loaded into buffer chamber 15A via gate valve GV1, and then subsequently transferred into process chamber 15B via gate valve GV2).
Regarding claim 20, Iizuka teaches wherein the process chamber is configured to clean the substrate using radicals ([0039], process chamber 15b is configured with gas supplying nozzles, a wafer chuck, a wafer heating mechanism, and plasma generation for processes such as etching).
To clarify the record, the claim limitation “to clean the substrate using radicals” is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. The process chamber of Iizuka as described is capable of running a dry clean process via plasma generation. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka (US 20110076117 A1), in view of Thakur (US 20060156979 A1), as applied in claims 16-18 and 20, and further in view of Yamada (US 20110117492 A1).
The limitations of claims 16-18 and 20 are set forth above.
Regarding claim 19, modified Iizuka fails to teach wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate while the substrate is heated, wherein the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature.
However, Yamada teaches wherein the buffer chamber is configured to provide a purge gas to the substrate while the substrate is heated (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature while the substrate is heated by hot plate 61H), wherein the purge gas is a gas having a high temperature higher than room temperature (Yamada, Fig. 2, [0038], temperature control unit supplies temperature-controlled air into buffer room 63 to control the temperature to equal temperature of hot plate 61H, which can range from 26 to 100C, [0035]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of filing to have modified the buffer chamber of Iizuka to incorporate the hot plate and temperature control unit of Yamada as doing so helps prevent a decrease in temperature of the wafer during transfer actions (Yamada, [0038]).
Response to Arguments
In the Applicant’s response filed 9/25/2025, the Applicant asserts that the cited prior art, particularly Choi, fails to teach the newly amended claim limitation in claims 1, and 15-16 of “a controller programmed to control the buffer chamber, directly connected to the process chamber, to heat the substrate while the substrate waits before being directly loaded from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected, and control to directly transfer the heated substrate from the buffer chamber into the process chamber to which the buffer chamber is directly connected”. In response to the amendments, the Examiner has newly rejected the claims in the “Claims Rejections” sections above, thereby rendering the arguments moot.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Weaver (US 20160307782 A1) teaches a method by which an unprocessed wafer is heated while waiting for a processed wafer to be transferred out.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TODD M SEOANE whose telephone number is (703)756-4612. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/TODD M SEOANE/Examiner, Art Unit 1718 /GORDON BALDWIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1718