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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/05/2025 has been entered.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 11-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Hua et al (US 2010/0095979).
Hua et al teach an apparatus.
The apparatus comprises:
A remote plasma source 112;
A reaction chamber 102;
A down tube 106;
A pump 148;
A fore line 150, 150b;
A gate valve 146;
A chamber pump port 154.
The apparatus is disclosed as conducting the following:
Cause the remote plasma source 112 to generate the cleaning gas and to supply the cleaning gas to the reaction chamber 102 via the downtube 106, wherein the cleaning gas forms a gas flow streamlines (the referenced stream lines are formed at least due to the presence of valve 130), the streamlines flow from at an injection port of the down tube 106 and terminate at port 154;
Modify flow characteristics of the cleaning gas by pressure, time, flow of gases through nozzles 108;
Flow at least a portion of the streamlines in proximity of the inner perimeter to remove the residue deposits from the inner perimeter (readable at least on the vertical walls of the chamber 102, which are orthogonal to the horizontal surface of the chamber which includes the injection port of the down tube 106).
Periodically switching between high-pressure and low-pressure cleaning by controlling valve 146.
Hua et al also teach switching to the high-pressure cleaning by fully opening valve 146.
See at least Figures 1, 6 and the related description, the description at [0005-35] and Figures 1, 2, 4 and the description of the incorporated by Hua et al US 2009/0120464. The cleaning operation and the functioning of valve 146 is best described at [0021-25].
Hua et al do not specifically recite fully closing the valve 146, but since Hua et al recommend fast switching between the high-pressure cleaning and low-pressure cleaning by valve 146 and teach fully opening the valve 146 for switching from the high-pressure cleaning to the low-pressure cleaning (see at least Figure 2A and the related description and the description at [0024]) it would have been obvious to an ordinary artisan at the time the invention was filed to fully close the valve 146 during switching from the low-pressure cleaning to the high-pressure cleaning.
Further, since, Hua et al teach all the referenced functioning of the apparatus, the presence of the controller configured to enable the referenced functioning is inherent.
Alternatively, it would have been obvious to an ordinary artisan at the time the invention was filed to provide the apparatus Hua et al with a controller configured to perform the disclosed functioning in order to automate the functioning of the apparatus.
As to claims 13 and 18:
Hua et al, as applied above teach the apparatus as claimed except for the specific recitation of the specific duration and pressures as recited by the claims.
However, Hua et al teach the referenced parameters as result effective and teach ranges for the referenced parameters that include the claimed ranges/values. See at least [0006-7], [0022], [0024], [0026], [0028].
It would have been obvious to an ordinary artisan at the time the invention was filed to find an optimum pressure and duration in modified Hua et al depending from the specifics of the application by routine experimentation.
As to claim 14:
Hua et al teach detecting a clean uniformity associated with removing the residue deposits (readable on the end point of the cleaning in Hua et al) and controlling the duration of the process based on the detecting.
AS to claim 15:
Hua et al teach monitoring of the end point by sensor 144. The claimed filler plates are readable at least on plates of the valve 130, which is disposed on the vertical surface 128.
AS to claim 16
Hua et al teach monitoring of the end point by sensor 144. The claimed slit valve ports are readable at least on the ports of the valve 130, which is disposed on the vertical surface 128.
As to claim 19:
Hua et al do not specifically teach a second valve functioning as the valve 146. However, it has been held that mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960). The applicants have not demonstrated any unexpected results achieved by the inclusion of a second valve.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/05/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicants again argue that valve 146 is not controlled as claimed.
This is not persuasive.
Hua et al teach periodically switching between high-pressure and low-pressure cleaning by controlling valve 146.
Hua et al also teach switching to the high-pressure cleaning by fully opening valve 146.
The cleaning operation and the functioning of valve 146 is best described at [0021-25].
Hua et al do not specifically recite fully closing the valve 146, but since Hua et al recommend fast switching between the high-pressure cleaning and low-pressure cleaning by valve 146 and teach fully opening the valve 146 for switching from the high-pressure cleaning to the low-pressure cleaning (see at least Figure 2A and the related description and the description at [0024]) it would have been obvious to an ordinary artisan at the time the invention was filed to fully close the valve 146 during switching from the low-pressure cleaning to the high-pressure cleaning.
It is noted that the applicants allege that paragraphs [0033-34] of Hua et al contradict to the above explanation.
The referenced paragraphs are cited below:
[0033] Vacuum system 114 also includes additional isolation valves 140 and 142, an endpoint detector 144, an additional throttle valve 146 and a roughing pump 148. During substrate processing operations, isolation valve 140 is closed while gate valve 132 and isolation valve 142 are open. Gases are exhausted into a foreline 150 through port 152 and gas conduit 150a. Pressure during substrate processing operations is controlled by throttle valve 130. During a chamber clean operation, gate valve 132 and isolation valve 142 are closed while valve 140 is open. The cleaning gas is exhausted into foreline 150 through port 154 and gas conduit 150b. Pressure during the chamber cleaning operation is controlled by throttle valve 146. Gas conduits 150a and 150b are part of gas foreline 150.
[0034] Chamber body 102, body member 126 and throttle body 128 are welded together to form an integral housing. Port 154 is one of three ports that are located at about the same height on chamber 100. The other two ports are located 90 degrees to the left and right of port 154 and are thus not shown in FIG. 6. Each of the aforementioned three ports are upstream (with respect to gas flow into and out of the chamber during substrate processing and chamber clean operations) from gate valve 132 and turbo molecular pump 134. In some embodiments of the invention, the ports not shown are typically used to couple devices such as a pressure gauge or purge of helium gas to chamber 100. In embodiments where increased pumping capacity is utilized, however, however, these additional ports are coupled directly to the foreline with appropriate fittings and valves to provide gas flow paths to the foreline in addition to the path through port 154 during a chamber cleaning operation and thereby increase the pumping capacity of chamber 100 during a chamber cleaning operation. Further details of such a foreline arrangement are discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/265,641 published on May 14, 2009 as U.S. Publication No. 2009/0120464, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In contrast to the applicants’ allegation nothing in the referenced paragraphs contradicts to the position of the Office.
In opposite, to the applicants’ allegation, the cited paragraphs support the position of the Office by reciting that the pressure during the chamber cleaning operation is controlled by throttle valve 146.
Please, also see paragraph [0024] and Figure 2A of Hua et al.
[0024] Generally it is desirable to reduce the pressure in step 12 as quickly as possible to as low of a pressure level as possible. At reduced chamber pressure levels, clean efficiency temporarily drops. Step 12 can be endpointed on either a time basis or a pressure basis. That is, in some embodiments the reduced pressure clean step 12 is stopped after X seconds while in other embodiments it is stopped once the pressure drops to X Torr. In one embodiment, step 12 is endpointed after a selected period of between 4-8 seconds. In another embodiment, step 12 is endpointed upon reaching a selected pressure between 0.5-4 Torr. In still another embodiment, step 12 is endpointed upon reaching a selected pressure of between 0.5-2.5 Torr. To maintain an overall high clean efficiency, embodiments of the invention minimize the duration of step 12 relative to step 10. In some embodiments, the duration of step 12 is between 10-33 percent of the duration of step 10.
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Thus, the teaching of Hua et al does not contradicts to the position of the Office, but supports the position of the Office.
Thereby the applicants’ arguments are not persuasive.
Conclusion
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/ALEXANDER MARKOFF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711