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 .
The previous examiner handling this application has left the office. This applicant is being handled by a new examiner. The amendment of the applicant has overcome the prior rejections.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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 1-3,5-7,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Yanagawa JP 2009003111
Yanagawa JP 2009003111 (machine translation attached) in the examples A-E teaches Al-Ti alloys (See table 1)where the pellicle frame is 1400 mm x 1700 mm square with a thickness/height of 6 mm. The surface is treated to reduce reflection by sandblasting for 30 seconds to achieve a satin finish, washing with caustic soda (NaOH) and anodized to a black color [0068-0071]. The use of shot blasting or other roughening is disclosed and other blackening treatments to reduce reflectivity is disclosed [0059-0062]. The use of extremely short wavelengths for exposure is disclosed [0062]. Films of nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, fluorine-based polymer, etc. that transmit light used for exposure well are appropriately selected for the pellicle film [0063].
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The position of the examiner is that the anodization results in the formation of black aluminite (aluminum oxide), which is an insulator. The examiner notes that alumina is disclosed as an insulator in the prepub of the instant application at [0051].
Claims 1-2,5-7,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Nagata JP H11167198.
Nagata JP H11167198 ( machine translation attached) to the in embodiment 1 teaches an aluminum frame which was washed and then roughened with blasting using 90 micron glass beads for 10 minutes, followed by chemical polishing/treatment with NaOH, anodizing/dying/sealing to yields surface roughness of Ra 0.45 microns, Rt 4.5 microns and RMS roughness of 0.45 microns. This was cleaned, an adhesive applied to the upper face and a pellicle membrane attached and trimmed. It was possible to detect 1.0 micron polystyrene particles using inspection with a halogen lamp and a laser scattering measurement device and no erroneous detections were observed [0015]. Embodiment 2 teaches an aluminum frame which was washed and then roughened with blasting using 90 micron glass beads for 10 minutes, followed by anodizing/dying/sealing to yields surface roughness of Ra 0.5 microns, Rt 5.1 microns and RMS roughness of 0.5 microns. This was cleaned, an adhesive applied to the upper face and a pellicle membrane attached and trimmed. It was possible to detect 1.0 micron polystyrene particles using inspection with a halogen lamp and a laser scattering measurement device and no erroneous detections were observed [0017]. Comparative example 1, teaches an aluminum frame which was washed and then roughened with blasting using 90 micron glass beads for 10 minutes, followed by anodizing/dying/sealing to yields surface roughness of Ra 0.9 microns, Rt of 9.1 microns and RMS roughness of 1.2 microns. This was cleaned, an adhesive applied to the upper face and a pellicle membrane attached and trimmed. It was possible to detect 1.0 micron polystyrene particles using inspection with a halogen lamp and a laser scattering measurement device. The laser based apparatus could detect the polystyrene without erroneous detections, but the halogen light based detector could not. [0016]. Comparative example 2, teaches an aluminum frame which was washed and then roughened with blasting using 40 micron glass beads for 10 minutes, followed by anodizing/dying/sealing to yields surface roughness of Ra 0.2 microns, Rt of 3.0 microns and RMS roughness of 0.2 microns. This was cleaned, an adhesive applied to the upper face and a pellicle membrane attached and trimmed. It was possible to detect 1.0 micron polystyrene particles using inspection with a halogen lamp and a laser scattering measurement device. The Halogen lamp based apparatus could detect the polystyrene without erroneous detections, but the laser based detector could not. [0018]. However, the surface of the pellicle frame is generally roughened by sand blasting or chemical polishing to make it matt. Therefore, if the inner surface of the pellicle frame is coated with an adhesive resin, this resin enters the roughened surface and diffuses the inspection light. Many foreign substances seem to adhere to the inner surface of the pellicle frame, or foreign substances that should be detected are overlooked, resulting in a decrease in yield [0004]. That is, in the present invention, the surface roughness of the inner surface of the pellicle frame is Ra 0.3 to 0.9 μm, Rt 4.0-8.5 μm, RMS 0.3-1.1 μm [0006,0010]. When the surface roughness of the inner surface of the pellicle frame 1 is smaller than the value specified in the present invention, if the inner surface of the pellicle frame is coated with an adhesive resin, the resin that has entered the unevenness of the inner surface fills the unevenness. Although the inspection light is not irregularly reflected and is not erroneously recognized as a foreign substance, since the reflected light on the inner surface of the pellicle frame increases, for example, when the foreign substance on the pellicle film 2 is inspected by a laser scattering type inspection apparatus, The laser light may be reflected on the inner surface of the pellicle frame and may be mistaken as if a foreign substance exists on the pellicle film. Meanwhile, pellicle frame When the surface roughness of the inner surface is larger than the value specified in the present invention, the amount of light scattered on the inner surface of the pellicle frame can be reduced. The resin that has entered the irregularities on the side surface irregularly reflects the inspection light, and it is erroneously recognized that many foreign substances are attached to the inner side surface, which makes not only the inspection difficult, but also the foreign substance actually attached. If the pellicle is used, the foreign matter falls off and adheres to the reticle surface when the pellicle is used, thereby lowering the yield [0010]. The method is not limited, and examples include sandblasting and chemical polishing. For example, when an aluminum material is used, a method is known in which blasting is performed using carborundum, glass beads, or the like, and the surface is roughened by chemical polishing using NaOH or the like [0008].
The position of the examiner is that the anodization results in the formation of black aluminite (black aluminum oxide), which is an insulator.
Claims 1,2,6,7,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated Kashida et al. JP-H0743892.
Kashida et al. JP-H0743892 (machine translation attached) in example 1, coats a pellicle frame with 15 micron thick polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and a dye [0015-0018]. A nitrocellulose film was then attached to the frame using an epoxy. A polybutene adhesive was then coated on the opposite face as the pellicle film. Example 2 was similar but used a fluorinated polymer with the formula
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In place of PMMA
Claims 1,2,4-7,9,16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Nagata et al. 20130065164.
Nagata et al. 20130065164 in example 1 forms an Al alloy pellicle frame, which is sand blasted, anodized to form an oxide coating) and blackened. The interior surfaces were then coated with 10 microns of an acrylic adhesive and a filter provided, a Teflon pellicle membrane was attached via an epoxy adhesive (thermoset). An acrylic adhesive was then applied and use to bond the pellicle to a Cr photomask, and the composite used in an ArF scanner. [0068- 0086]. In manufacturing semiconductor devices such as LSI and super-LSI or in manufacturing a liquid crystal display board or the like, a pattern transferring is conducted by irradiating light to an exposure original plate such as a semiconductor wafer or an original plate for liquid crystal, but if a dust particle exists adhering to the exposure original plate, the dust particle absorbs the light or refracts it, giving rise to deformation and roughened edges to a transferred pattern and black stains to a white background, which lead to problems such as a damaged dimension, a poor quality, a deformed appearance, and lowering of the performance and the yield of the finished device [0003].
Claims 1,2,6,7,9,12,16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Hamada et al. EP 1868033.
Hamada et al. EP 1868033 teaches an aluminum frame, which is sand blasted and then etched with an alkaline solution. It was then coated using electrodeposition with a 5 micron thermosetting Electrocoat Frosty W-2. This weas coated on one face with a silicon pressure sensitive adhesive, provided with a PTFE filter and a Teflon film is adhered using an epoxy resin. This was then attached to a Cr mask and exposed using ArF [0044-0054]. Examples 2-4 is similar [0055-0092]. A pellicle equipped with a pellicle frame formed by providing an anodized coating on the surface of an aluminum alloy has been used conventionally. With regard to this pellicle frame, an acid such as sulfuric acid, an organic acid (oxalic acid, acetic acid, etc.), or nitric acid, or a salt thereof that has been incorporated into the anodized coating during formation of the coating, dyeing, sealing, or surface etching, etc. desorbs from the interior of the frame during irradiation with UV light (i rays or g rays, KrF laser, ArF laser, F.sub.2 laser, etc.) in a lithographic step, exposure, or photomask storage, is generated as a gaseous material in a closed space formed between the pellicle and the photomask, and undergoes a photochemical reaction with ammonia, a cyan compound, or another hydrocarbon compound, etc. present in the environment under UV light during exposure or separately generated and supplied from the pellicle member, etc., thereby generating the cloudiness called haze, represented by ammonium sulfate, etc., or generating microparticles [0016]. In the pellicle of the present invention, the polymer coating provided on the pellicle frame covers various types, such as an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, an aminoacrylic resin, or a polyester resin, but it is preferable to form the polymer coating from a thermosetting resin rather than a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermosetting resin are primarily acrylic resins. After a thermosetting coating is electrodeposition coated, the coating may be thermally cured [0029]. The present invention relates to a pellicle for lithography that is used as a debris shield for a lithography mask when producing a liquid crystal display panel or a semiconductor device such as an LSI or a ULSI [0001].
Claims 1-2,6,7,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Murakami et al. 20120122025.
Murakami et al. 20120122025 in example 1, sand blasts an aluminum pellicle frame and electrodeposits an black epoxy and thermally cured it in an oven [0103-0105]. Examples 2-5 are similar. [0106-0111]. Comparative examples 1-3 use a black acrylic coating. Comparative example 4 uses a black silane coating. [0115]. Comparative example 5 anodized the surface [0116]. Comparative examples 6-8 use epoxy as the coating [0117- 0122].
Claims 1-2,5-7,9,12,16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Horikoshi et al. 20160062229.
Horikoshi et al. 20160062229 teaches an aluminum frame which is roughened, anodized to form a black oxide coating and then coated with a 5 micron poly-chloro-p-xylene) coating using CVD [0077-0080]. A silicone adhesive and filter were added, a pellicle film adhered , this was attached to a photomask and used in an ArF scanner [0081-0093]. Comparative example 2 coated the anodized frame with electrocoat Frosty W-2 (acrylic rein) , coated with silicon adhesive, a filter added, attached to a photomask and exposed using an ArF scanner.[0100-0106]. The present invention relates to a pellicle frame of a pellicle and the pellicle that are used as an extraneous-material cover for a photomask for use in lithography when a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an integrated circuit (IC) and large scale integration (LSI), or a liquid crystal display (LCD) is produced [0002]
1
Claims 1-2,4-6,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Holmes et al. 20060269847.
Holmes et al. 20060269847 teaches pellicle ring/frame formed of borosilicate glass, which is coated on the face to be attached to the mask with a maleic anhydride polymer using vapor deposition and then this polymer is contacted with an amine dendrimer coated mask and bonded to the photomask by crosslinking [0030-0035]. The formation of an oxide layer (70) between the pellicle frame and the photomask to form an anodic bond is disclosed [0036-0037]. As photolithography processes for the fabrication of semiconductor devices continue to scale to the sub 100 nm regime, it is desirable to reduce the exposure wavelength from 193 nm to 157 nm and below in order to provide a capability for enhanced resolution and depth of focus process latitude. However, there may be technical problems associated with a migration to a 157 nm exposure wavelength due to the strong absorbance of many commonly used optical materials at this wavelength. For example, it is often desirable to substitute CaF.sub.2 optical materials for the typically used silicon dioxide materials for lens fabrication. Thus, new polymers for photoresist masks should be developed to provide sufficient transparency, and new pellicle materials should be developed due to possible degradation and film thickness changes of conventional pellicle materials upon irradiation at 157 nm [0005].
The first embodiment meets claims 1-2,4,6,9 and 12
The second embodiment meets claims 1-2,5-6,9 and 12
Claims 1-2,6,9 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Matsuoka et al. 5834143.
Matsuoka et al. 5834143 in example 1 teaches an anodized aluminum pellicle frame which was sprayed with a Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) solution to seal the surface. This was then provided with a nitrocellulose pellicle adhered via an epoxy resin/adhesive and a silicone adhesive on the opposite face (col 7/line 15-8/9). In the present invention, the smoothing treatment includes, for example, metal plating, treatment with a glass flit of low melting point, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) such as sputtering, as well as, coating treatment with an organic polymer or a combination of organic polymers to form a surface-sealing layer on the surface of the frame. The coating treatment is preferably carried out in the present invention because of its simplicity and its superior smoothing effect. A method of the smoothing treatment of the part of the surfaces of the frame is conventional including, for example, one where the part to which the smoothing treatment should not be subjected (for example, both the end surfaces) is masked with pressure sensitive adhesive tapes for masking in a conventional manner, then the non-masked part is subjected to the smoothing treatment and then the masking tapes are released. Various kind of organic polymers can be used for the purpose of the coating treatment, that is, coating the surfaces of the frame therewith, including non-adhesive, transparent organic polymers including thermoplastic and thermosetting resins such as, for example, acrylic resins, epoxy resins, silicone resins, fluorocarbon resins and the like (4/58-5/7)
Claims 1-3,5-9,12,14, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) as being fully anticipated by Iizuka et al. WO 2020045293.
Iizuka et al. WO 2020045293 (machine translation attached) in example 1 a Ti frame cut from 0.8 mm thick Ti sheet. This is then heat treated at 800 degrees C in the presence of acetylene to form a carbon oxide surface layer [0063-0067] The height (thickness) of the pellicle frame 1 is preferably 0.5 to 10 mm, more preferably 1 to 7 mm, and most preferably 1.0 to 3.0 mm. By setting the height (thickness) of the pellicle frame 1 to these values, deformation of the pellicle frame 1 can be suppressed, and good handling properties can be secured [0037]. The cross-sectional shape of the pellicle frame 1 is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired, and may be any of various conventionally known shapes, but is preferably a quadrilateral whose upper side and lower side are parallel. The upper side of the pellicle frame 1 needs to have a width for stretching the pellicle film, and the lower side needs to have a width for providing an adhesive layer for bonding and bonding to the original exposure plate. For this reason, it is preferable that the width (W) of the upper side and the lower side of the pellicle frame 1 be about 1 to 3 mm [0038]
The surface is an oxidized TiC.
One reading the reference would immediately envision the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film as in claims 9 and 14 and the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film attached to a photomask as in claim 16 based upon the disclosure.
Claims 1-2,5-9,12,14,16,19-20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Tu et al. 20180059535.
Tu et al. 20180059535 teaches with respect to figure 1,
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The mask 108, also referred to as a photomask or a reticle, includes patterns of one or more target IC devices. The mask 108 provides a patterned aerial image to the radiation beam 104. The mask 108 is a reflective mask in the present embodiment, and may incorporate resolution enhancement techniques such as phase-shifting mask (PSM) and/or optical proximity correction (OPC). The pellicle frame 111 is a rigid frame. In an embodiment, the pellicle frame 111 comprises anodized aluminum alloy. The pellicle membrane 109 comprises a graphene layer in the present embodiment. The pellicle membrane 109 protects the surface of the mask 108 from outside contaminants. Due to different depth of focus (DOF), impurities on the surface of the pellicle membrane 109 do not affect the patterned aerial image generated by the mask 108. The mask stage 110 secures the mask 108 thereon, such as by vacuum, and provides accurate position and movement of the mask 108 during alignment, focus, leveling and exposure operation in the EUV lithography system 100.
One reading the reference would immediately envision the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film as in claims 9 and 14 and the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film attached to a photomask in the EUV exposure apparatus (which would be under vacuum) as in claim 16 based upon the disclosure.
Claims 1-2,5-9,12,14,16,19-20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Kohmura et al. WO 2015182482.
Kohmura et al. WO 2015182482 (machine translation attached) teaches with respect to figure 1, an aluminum pellicle frame useful for EUV, which has a protective film which is resistant to hydrogen radicals and EUV light, formed of an oxide film, which may be colored black [0059].
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The thickness t of the pellicle frame can be, for example, 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, and more preferably 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm [0055]. Figure 20 shows a pellicle frame (814) with a pellicle membrane (812) mounted on a photomask (833) as part of an EUV exposure apparatus.
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One reading the reference would immediately envision the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film as in claims 9 and 14 and the pellicle frame with the disclosed pellicle film attached to a photomask in the EUV exposure apparatus (which would be under vacuum) as in claim 16 based upon the disclosure.
Claims 1,2,6,7,9,16,19 and 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagata et al. 20130065164, in view of Hatakeyama et al. 20090081588 and/or Hasegawa et al. 20120148945
Hasegawa et al. 20120148945 teaches that In either of the topcoat and topcoatless processes, the ArF immersion lithography requires a scanning speed of about 300 to 700 mm/sec in order to gain higher throughputs. In the event of such high-speed scanning, if the water repellency of the resist or protective film is insufficient, water droplets may be left on the film surface after scanning. Residual droplets may cause defects. To eliminate such defects, it is necessary to improve the water repellency of the relevant coating film and the flow or mobility of water (hereinafter, water slip) on the film. The film material must be designed so as to increase the receding contact angle (see 2nd International Symposium on Immersion Lithography, 12-15 Sep. 2005, Defectivity data taken with a full-field immersion exposure tool, Nakano et al). In connection with such polymer design, it is reported that introduction of fluorine is effective for improving water repellency, and formation of micro-domain structure by a combination of different water repellent groups is effective for improving water slip. See XXIV FATIPEC Congress Book, Vol. B, p 15 (1997) [0008]. An antireflective coating ARC-29A (Nissan Chemical Co., Ltd.) of 95 nm thick was deposited on a silicon substrate. The resist solution was applied onto the ARC and baked at 120.degree. C. for 60 seconds to form a resist film of 150 nm thick. Using an ArF scanner model S610C (Nikon Corp., NA 1.20, a 0.98, 4/5 dipole illumination (open angle 35.degree.), binary mask), the resist film on the wafer was exposed at a scan speed of 500 mm/s. This was followed by baking (PEB) at 110.degree. C. for 60 seconds and development with a 2.38 wt % TMAH aqueous solution for 30 seconds. The wafer as developed was further baked at 110.degree. C. for 60 seconds, completing a 45-nm line-and-space pattern [0160]
Hatakeyama et al. 20090081588 discloses pellicle in scanners [0007] and immersion scanners with speeds of 300-550 mm/sec. [0015]
Nagata et al. 20130065164 does not describe the speed of the scanning exposure used in example 1 or the device made.
It would have been obvious to modify example 1 of Nagata et al. 20130065164 by forming either a semiconductor or liquid crystal display as taught at [0003] of Nagata et al. 20130065164 using scanning exposures in the 300-550 or 300-700 mm/sec as taught for ArF scanners by Hatakeyama et al. 20090081588 and/or Hasegawa et al. 20120148945 to preform the exposures rapidly and with a high throughput with a reasonable expectation of forming useful devices.
Claims 1,2,6,7,9,15,16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagata et al. 20130065164, in view of Lin et al. 20210132490 and/or Kohmura et al. 20170212418
Lin et al. 20210132490 teaches that the border or the pellicle membrane can be a different materials from the top membrane portion. The use of silicon as a border material is disclosed. The pellicle frame may have the same shape as the border (e.g., rectangular), as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In one example, the pellicle frame may be formed from Si, SiC, SiN, glass, a low coefficient of thermal expansion material (e.g., an Al alloy, a Ti alloy, Invar, Kovar, or the like), another suitable material, or any combination thereof. [0055,0065].
Kohmura et al. 20170212418 teaches the outer/peripheral edge of the pellicle membrane/film is formed of silicon for reinforcement. [0063].
Nagata et al. 20130065164 does not exemplify the use of a support at the rim/periphery of the pellicle membrane.
It would have been obvious to modify example 1 of Nagata et al. 20130065164
by adding a support along the periphery of the pellicle membrane as is known in the art as evidenced by Lin et al. 20210132490 and/or Kohmura et al. 20170212418 to reinforce the pellicle membrane at the edge/rim/periphery with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful pellicle.
Claim 1,2,4-9,14,16 and 19-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shirasaki et al. 20160291460.
Shirasaki et al. 20160291460 in example 1, teaches and aluminum allow frame with a height of 2.5 mm with a (protruding) vent was formed. A pellicle film was then attached via a an adhesive and trimmed and the resulting pellicle was adhered to a mask [0068-0071]. The use of this pellicle with EUV is disclosed [0054,0064,0066]. It is possible, as need be, to apply to the surface of the pellicle frame 21 such treatments as anodic oxidation, plating, polymer coating, and dyeing. Also, in order to suppress the reflection of the exposure light and to improve the accuracy of the visual foreign material inspection, the pellicle frame 21 is preferably black in color. Especially in the case where the mother material of the pellicle frame 21 is aluminum alloy, it is preferable that the surface of the pellicle frame is roughened by abrasive such as stainless beads, glass beads, and carborundom, and then is subjected to black alumite treatment [0062]. In general, a pellicle is basically built up in a manner such that a pellicle membrane having a high transmittance against the light used in the exposure process is adhered tensely to an upper annular face of a pellicle frame, and an airtight gasket is adhered to the lower annular face of the pellicle frame. The airtight gasket is generally composed of an agglutinant layer. The pellicle membrane is made of cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate and a fluorine-containing polymer or the like which transmit well such lights that are often used in the light exposure (e.g., g-line [430 nm] and i-line [365 nm] created by mercury lamp, or KrF excimer laser [248 nm], and ArF excimer laser [193 nm]) or in the case of the EUV exposure, a very thin silicon is being studied to make the pellicle membrane [0003,0006]. The present invention relates to a pellicle for lithography, useful as a dust-fender employed in the scenes of manufacturing a semiconductor device, an IC package, a printed circuit board, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL display panel and the like [0002,0004] As for the adhesive to adhere the pellicle membrane 20 to the pellicle frame 21 may be anything that have been conventionally used. In particular, for example, acrylic resin adhesive, epoxy resin adhesive, silicone resin adhesive, or fluorine-containing polymers such as fluorine-containing silicone adhesive can be used. Among these the fluorine-containing polymers are preferred. Examples of the fluorine-containing polymers include CYTOP (a product name of ASAHI GLASS CO., LTD). The adhesive is diluted in a solvent, as need be, and is applied to the upper annular face of the pellicle frame. On this occasion the method adopted may be brushing, spraying, by automatic dispenser or the like [0058].
Shirasaki et al. 20160291460 does not treatment of the pellicle frame used in example 1, the devices made using the exposure of example 1. As this is EUV, the entire apparatus is under vacuum/reduced pressure (EUV is absorbed by oxygen/air)
With respect to claims 1,2,5-9,14,16 and 19-21, it would have been obvious to one skilled int art to modify the process of example 1 by treating the pellicle frame to blacken it using anodic oxidation to form alumite, plating, polymer coating, and dyeing to suppress the reflection of the exposure light and to improve the accuracy of the visual foreign material inspection as taught at [0062] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful pellicle, pellicle/masks composites and device produced.
With respect to claims 1,2,4-9,14,16 and 19-21, it would have been obvious to one skilled int art to modify the process of example 1 by treating the pellicle frame to blacken it using anodic oxidation to form alumite, plating, polymer coating, and dyeing to suppress the reflection of the exposure light and to improve the accuracy of the visual foreign material inspection as taught at [0062] and the pellicle is adhered using an epoxy adhesive as disclosed at [0058].
With respect to claims 1,2,4-9,14,16 and 19-23, it would have been obvious to one skilled int art to modify the process of example 1 by treating the pellicle frame to blacken it using anodic oxidation to form alumite, plating, polymer coating, and dyeing to suppress the reflection of the exposure light and to improve the accuracy of the visual foreign material inspection as taught at [0062] and the pellicle is adhered using an epoxy adhesive as disclosed at [0058] and using the resultant process to form semiconductor devices or LCDs as taught at [0002,0004].
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Eschenbach et al. 20050045262 teaches with respect to figure. 4A and 4B are a top view and a cross-sectional side view, respectively, of a pellicle 402, an outer pellicle frame 404 and an inner pellicle frame 406 in accordance with an embodiment. The pellicle 402 may be optically transparent to a pre-determined exposure wavelength, such as 157 nm, 193 nm, 248 nm or other wavelengths, for example. The pellicle 402 may be a thin polymer membrane, e.g., less than or equal to 10 microns thick, such as 6 microns thick or one micron thick. The pellicle 402 may be a thin film formed by spin coating, extruding, casting or some other method. The pellicle 402 may be any thermoplastic polymer (such as a fluoro polymer, a hydrocarbon polymer, such as cellulose, or a silicon-containing polymer, such as polysilicon) or copolymers of the above polymers, which may meet desired optical transparency and irradiation durability specifications. An example of a specification for optical transparency may be transmission greater than 90% at an exposure wavelength of 157 nm, 193 nm, 248 nm or any other wavelength. An example of a specification for optical durability may be transmission greater than 90% after several kilojoules/cm.sup.2 irradiation equivalent dose at an exposure wavelength of 157 nm, 193 nm, 248 nm or any other wavelength. The dual frames 404, 406 in FIGS. 4A-4B may be made of metals, such as aluminum or invar (metal alloy containing iron (Fe), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co)). The outer pellicle frame 404 may be made of the same material or a different material as the inner frame 406. The frames 404, 406 may have various application-dependent forms. As an example, the frames 404, 406 may have a size of 148.times.122.times.6.3 mm or 148.times.105.times.5.0 mm. Another possible length.times.width dimension may be 144 mm.times.120. Other possible pellicle dimensions may be based at least in part by values from a lithography stepper equipment manufacturer [0021-0028]
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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 Martin J Angebranndt whose telephone number is (571)272-1378. The examiner can normally be reached 7-3:30 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ching-Yu (Coris) Fung can be reached at 571-270-5713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MARTIN J. ANGEBRANNDT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1737
/MARTIN J ANGEBRANNDT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 June 3, 2026
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