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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
1. 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:
2. 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.
3. Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Hatakeyama et al. (United States Patent Publication No. US 2017/0205709 A1), hereinafter Hatakeyama.
4. Regarding Claims 1-10, Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (the moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) a salt including a sulfonium cation having an aryl group substituted with an acid-decomposable group-containing group and having at least three fluorine atoms. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) a resin having a polarity that increases through decomposition by an action of an acid. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the acid-decomposable group-containing group includes a group having a polarity that increases through decomposition by an action of an acid. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the acid-decomposable group-containing group includes no fluorine atom. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the sulfonium cation is a triarylsulfonium cation. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the group having a polarity that increases through decomposition by an action of an acid is a group represented by General Formula (a-1) or (a-2) of the present application. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the group having a polarity that increases through decomposition by an action of an acid is the group represented by General Formula (a-1) of the present application. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the sulfonium cation has one group having a polarity that increases through decomposition by an action of an acid. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the sulfonium cation includes an aryl group substituted with at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorine atom and a fluoroalkyl group. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0050-0053], see particularly the sulfonium cations comprising both acid-decomposable group-containing group and fluorinated alkyl moieties as well as the formula of Paragraphs [0051-0052] which teaches “R5, R6 and R7 (moieties bonded to a sulfur cation) are each independently a C6-C20 aryl group, at least one hydrogen (one or more or even all hydrogen atoms) may be substituted by an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, cyano, amide, nitro, sultone, sulfonic acid ester, sulfone moiety or sulfonium salt-containing substituent”) the salt including the sulfonium cation has two or more cationic moieties and the same number of anionic moieties as the cationic moieties, and at least one of the cationic moieties is the sulfonium cation. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0129-0136]) a resist film formed of the actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0129-0130]) forming a resist film on a substrate, using the actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0131-0132]) exposing the resist film. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraphs [0132-0136]) developing the exposed resist film using a developer to form a pattern. Hatakeyama teaches (Paragraph [0003]) a method for manufacturing an electronic device comprising the pattern forming method.
5. However, Hatakeyama fails to explicitly teach all components of the composition limited by the present application with a single experimental example. That said, all components of the composition are described with sufficient detail by the prior art. Thus, a person of ordinary skill in the art in view of Hatakeyama would have found it obvious to try the combining the prior art elements of Hatakeyama which meet the limitations of the present application above according to known methods to yield predictable results. Herein, Hatakeyama included each element claimed by the present application for the relevant claims, although not necessarily in a single prior art reference, with the only difference between the claimed invention and the prior art being the lack of actual combination of the elements in a single prior art reference. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods taught by Hatakeyama, and that in combination, each element merely performs the same function as it does separately. Furthermore, Hatakeyama teaches one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable given that all of the elements are of the relevant claims of the present application are taught by Hatakeyama and are, even if not taught in a single experimental example, are taught as being functional alternatives to achieve predictable results in Hatakeyama’s stated aim of providing a photosensitive paste composition which achieves a high dissolution contrast and reduced LWR. (See: Hatakeyama Paragraph [0032])
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to RICHARD D CHAMPION at telephone number (571) 272-0750. The examiner can normally be reached on 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri EST.
7. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Huff can be reached at (571) 272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/R.D.C./Examiner, Art Unit 1737
/MARK F. HUFF/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1737