DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, claims 1-10, in the reply filed on August 22, 2025, is acknowledged. Claims 11-20, are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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) 1-9, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0062226 (hereinafter referred to as Lin) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0093814 (hereinafter referred to as Chen).
Lin, in the abstract, and in paragraph no. [0019], and in figure 5, discloses a photomask (exposure mask) that includes main features (pattern part), wherein the main features that is exposed to light (exposure) form a projected pattern that becomes the pattern (design pattern) on the substrate (see [0001]), that photomask includes regions around the main features (claimed surrounding part) the regions include the periphery of the main feature, the photomask also includes a plurality of OPC features (claimed correction pattern parts). Lin, in [0017], and in figure 3, discloses that the plurality of OPC features is disposed in a line along the edge of the main feature (pattern part) (claim 1). Lin, in figure 3, illustrates plurality of OPC features wherein the OPC features include plurality of serifs (plurality of correcting patterns) that are arranged in a first direction with a first pitch, and the OPC features also includes a plurality of second assistant features positioned on the photomask in a second direction and at a second pitch, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other. Lin in figure 3, illustrates serifs (312, OPC features) scattering bars (314) and assistant features (320A and 320B) arranged in a line along an edge of the main pattern, wherein the assistant features are arranged in a first direction and assistant features arranged in a second direction (claims 2-3). Lin, in [0019], and in figure 5, discloses the first assistant features at a first pitch and the second assistant features at a second pitch, wherein the first and second assistant features are arranged at a peripheral region that surrounds the main features such that the first pitch and the second pitch are the same (claim 4). Lin, in [0019], and figure 5, discloses the pitch of the first assistant features and the second assistant features are positioned in a region that has a width larger than 300nm and the pitch of 520A is at least larger than 300nm (520A assistant features positioned at each end of the assistant region, perpendicular to the width, Wr, and parallel to the main feature direction) , similarly, the pitch of the second assistant feature 520B is at least larger than about 300nm (520B assistant features positioned at either ends the of peripheral portion of 506 and is at either ends of the peripheral edge of the photomask, and perpendicular to the main feature direction) and the total pitch i.e., the first and second pitch is larger than 300nm and includes 20 micron (claim 5). Lin, in [0015], discloses a photomask that has assistant features (correcting patterns) and illustrates in figure 1, that the assistant features are planar (claim 6). Lin, in figure 3, and in [0017], discloses serifs (correcting patterns) that have the same area, and scattering bars (correcting patterns) that have the same area (claim 7). Lin, in figure 5, illustrates first and second assistant features (plurality of correcting patterns) and Lin, in figure 6, illustrates first and second assistant features (correcting patterns) in the Wr region and scattering bars (correcting patterns), wherein each these OPC features have a quadrangle shape (claim 8). Lin, in [0017], discloses that the plurality of assistant features (first and second assistant features, the claimed plurality of correcting pattern) have a cross shape (form a plaid pattern) (claim 9).
The difference between the claims and Lin is that Lin does not disclose that the correcting patterns (assist features and serifs and scattering bars ) transmit light to form an exposure pattern.
Chen, in the abstract and in [0022], discloses second printable dummy patterns that corrects the second target pattern, and that during exposure (in use) transmits light and can be printed on the wafer (form an exposure pattern).
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Lin by using a printable pattern as the correction pattern as taught by Chen because Lin, in figure 2, discloses the transferring of the assistant pattern portion(120) onto the wafer (photoresist on the wafer) and does not completely prohibit the use of an assistant pattern to transmit light and form a pattern on the layer and Chen teaches using correction features (dummy features) that are printable i.e., can transmit light and form pattern and still use them as correction patterns and modify dummy features to either print or not print based on positioning and based on desired correction i.e., to increase luminous flux of the target pattern via overlapping.
Claim(s) 10, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0062226 (hereinafter referred to as Lin) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0093814 (hereinafter referred to as Chen) as applied to claims 1-9, above and further in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0074677 (hereinafter referred to as Laidig).
Lin in view of Chen is discussed in paragraph no. 4, above.
The difference between the claims and Lin in view of Chen is that Lin in view of Chen does not disclose that the assistant features that are quadrangular have the edge chamfered as recited in claim 10.
Laidig, in [0014], [0016], discloses a mask (photomask) that has vertical and horizontal scattering bars or assist features (claimed plurality correcting patterns, and are quadrangular) wherein the scattering bars are chamfer scattering bars (as illustrated in chamfer 76 of figure 11 or figure 13A, or chamfer 95 in figure 13b) and the assist features are chamfer assist features (the edges are chamfered).
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Lin in view of Chen by chamfering the edges of the assist features or scattering bars as taught by Laidig because Lin does not prohibit the beveling of the edges of the OPC features and Laidig, in [0014], and in [0052], discloses that using assist features with a chamfer (chamfer scattering bar, or chamfer assist feature) improves printing performance of the corner features in the layout while providing full protection of the isolated features, and provide maximum defocus protection for the features.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Amendment and Remarks, filed December 15, 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1-9 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) 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 Chen, see paragraph no. 4, above. With respect to applicant’s argument that Lin’s assist features do not transmit light or form the exposure pattern, Lin’s assist features, as illustrated in figure 2, transmit a portion of the exposure light resulting in the printing of the partial pattern in (220) in the photoresist layer on the wafer, however, Chen is dependent upon to disclose the use of correction patterns (dummy features) that transmit light and still can be used to either print features or not print features on the wafer and Laidig is not dependent upon to disclose the argued limitation.
Conclusion
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 Daborah Chacko-Davis whose telephone number is (571) 272-1380. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:30AM-6:00PM EST Mon-Fri. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark F. Huff can be reached on (571) 272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DABORAH CHACKO-DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 February 18, 2026.
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