DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This Office action is in response to the application filed January 25, 2023.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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) 1-12, and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over ROBINSON et al (2018/0373143).
The claimed invention recites the following:
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ROBINSON et al anticipates the claimed invention at Examples 1-10 as report on pages 4 and 5, paras. [0058] – [0062] shown below:
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Claims 2-12 and 14-17 are met by the Examples 1-4 for the content of the metal component, the metal component and metal salt, such as tin chloride, the polymer in Example 1-4 for the poly (o-cresyl-glycidyl ether)-co-formaldehyde, the diphenyliodonium 4-methyl benzenesulfonate (PAG).
The examples in the prior art reference are literally identical to the Examples in the current application. The photoabsorption cross section value of 4X 106 cm2 /mol is not explicitly disclosed however the property of the resist composition must necessarily be so as the Examples are identical.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of photosensitive composition to duplicate the examples recited in ROBINSON et al ‘143 and reasonably expect same or similar results for the photoabsorption cross-section having high sensitivity, increase photospeed for higher output, and improved resolution.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ROBINSON et al (2018/0373143) in view of MIHARA (2019/0391490).
The claimed has been recited above and is included by reference.
ROBINSON et al has been discussed above and is included by reference.
ROBINSON et al lack the recited acid labile tertiary alkoxycarbonyl group in recited in claim 13, but suggests acid labile group containing polymers in para. [0018].
MIHARA et al disclose convention photoresist compositions comprising an inorganic filler as an additive reported in para. [0104]. The copolymer used in the composition may contain a t-butyl methacrylate repeating unit reported in para. [0077]. This unit meets the scope of claim 13 for the tertiary alkylcarbonyl group, see below:
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It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of photosensitive compositions to use copolymers having a tertiary alkylcarbonyl group such as t-butyl methacrylate in the art of ROBINSON et al for a polymer having acid labile groups as suggested in para. [0018] with the reasonable expectation of same or similar results for the photoabsorption cross-section having high sensitivity, increase photospeed for higher output, and improved resolution.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
BASS et al (8,703,386) is cited of interest as reporting a metal peroxo compound with organic co-ligands, photoacids, and crosslinking agents.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN S CHU whose telephone number is (571)272-1329. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, IFP-Flex.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Huff, can be reached at telephone number 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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/John S. Chu/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
J. Chu
July 29, 2025