DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 6-12, filed 9/9/2025, with respect to the amended claims have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of the claims has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, the claims are rejected in view of Deshumuku (JP 2015-149186) in view of Nagai et al. (US PGPub 2020/0301285) produced below.
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.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deshumuku et al. (JP 2015-149186, hereinafter Deshumuku) (submitted with IDS of 31 January 2023) in view of Nagai et al. (US PGPub 2020/0301285, hereinafter Nagai).
Regarding claim 1, Deshumuku teaches an EUV light source apparatus (EUV light source device, see abstract), comprising:
a light source part configured to generate a plasma that emits EUV light (light radiated from plasma P, see abstract);
a vacuum housing located between the light source part and a utilizing apparatus in which the EUV light is utilized (see Fig. 6);
a debris trap located inside the vacuum housing and configured to deflect traveling directions of debris particles emitted from the plasma from a ray direction of the EUV light, whereby the debris particles do not ingress into the utilizing apparatus (shield member 6 having an opening for light progressing and shielding radiation from the plasma P from reaching the cover member 11, see abstract);
a heat shield panel structure located inside the vacuum housing and located between the plasma and the debris trap (thermal shielding member 7 receives is located between the plasma P and the foil trap 4, see Fig. 3); and
the heat shield panel structure having a first heat shield panel and a second heat shield panel overlapping the first heat shield panel, the first heat shield panel and the second heat shield panel being disposed at an interval (shielding member 6 includes a heat shielding member 7 spaced apart and aligned with shielding member 6, see Fig. 3),
the second heat shield panel being disposed between the first heat shield panel and the plasma (shielding member 6 disposed between the plasma P and the thermal shielding member 7, see Fig. 3), and
the first heat shield panel is spaced apart from the debris trap (Fig. 3 depicts the thermal shielding member 7 is spaced apart from the foil trap 4).
Deshumuku fails to disclose the first heat shield panel being configured to be cooled by the cooling mechanism, wherein the cooling mechanism has a cooling water pipe configured to cool the vacuum housing and a holding portion that is brought into contact with the vacuum housing and that is configured to hold the first heat shield panel.
Fig. 2 of Nagai discloses a heat shield 7a is cooled by the heat exchangers 62, 63 and 67 (see paragraph [0056]), wherein the heat exchangers 67 flow a cooling medium, e.g. water, to cool the vacuum chamber container 2a through a flow path 2b (i.e. pipe) and a holding portion (e.g. expansion-contraction member 73) that is brought into contact with the chamber container 2a and is configured to hold the heat shield 7a (see paragraph [0067]).
Nagai modifies Deshumuku by suggesting cooling the heat shield with a cooling mechanism including a cooling water pipe to cool the vacuum housing.
Since both inventions are drawn to EUV light sources, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to modify Deshumuku by providing a cooling pipe to cool the heat shield and vacuum chamber for the purpose of efficiently conducting heat to extend the lifetime of the heat shield and vacuum chamber.
Regarding claim 3, Deshumuku teaches an EUV light source apparatus (EUV light source device, see abstract), comprising:
a light source configured to generate a plasma that emits EUV light (light radiated from plasma P, see abstract);
a vacuum housing located between the light source part and a utilizing apparatus in which the EUV light is utilized (see Fig. 6);
a debris trap located inside the vacuum housing and configured to deflect traveling directions of debris particles emitted from the plasma from a ray direction of the EUV light, whereby the debris particles do not ingress into the utilizing apparatus (shield member 6 having an opening for light progressing and shielding radiation from the plasma P from reaching the cover member 11, see abstract);
a heat shield panel structure located inside the vacuum housing and located between the plasma and the debris trap (thermal shielding member 7 receives is located between the plasma P and the foil trap 4, see Fig. 3); and
the heat shield panel structure having a first heat shield panel and a second heat shield panel overlapping the first heat shield panel, the first heat shield panel and the second heat shield panel being disposed at an interval (shielding member 6 includes a heat shielding member 7 spaced apart and aligned with shielding member 6, see Fig. 3),
the second heat shield panel being disposed between the first heat shield panel and the plasma (shielding member 6 disposed between the plasma P and the thermal shielding member 7, see Fig. 3), and
the second heat shield panel is spaced apart from the vacuum housing and is not connected to the first heat shield panel (see Fig. 3), and wherein the second heat shield panel is maintained at a higher temperature (shielding member 6 facing the high temperature plasma P, the temperature of the shielding member 6 easily reaches the melting point of tin or more). As the shielding member 6 is closer in proximity to the plasma P, the shielding member 6 inherently is exposed to a higher temperature than shielding member 7, thereby is heated more than shielding member 7.
Deshumuku further teaches the debris particles deposited on the second heat shield panel become debris droplets and fall down along the heat shield panel (tin deposited on the shielding member surface is melted. Although tin that has become droplets due to gravity moves downwards, as shown in Fig. 4, providing the groove 6b on the surface, the droplets do not cross the opening 6a).
Deshumuku fails to disclose the first heat shield panel being configured to be cooled by the cooling mechanism.
Fig. 2 of Nagai discloses a heat shield 7a is cooled by the heat exchangers 67 (see paragraph [0056]), wherein the heat exchangers 67 flow a cooling medium, e.g. water, to cool the chamber container 2a through a flow path 2b (i.e. pipe) and a holding portion (e.g. expansion-contraction member 73) that is brought into contact with the chamber container 2a and is configured to hold the heat shield 7a (see paragraph [0067]).
Nagai modifies Deshumuku by suggesting cooling the heat shield with a cooling mechanism including a cooling water pipe to cool the vacuum housing.
Since both inventions are drawn to EUV light sources, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to modify Deshumuku by providing a cooling pipe to cool the heat shield and vacuum chamber for the purpose of efficiently conduct heat to extend the lifetime of the heat shield and vacuum chamber.
Regarding claim 4, Deshumuku teaches an EUV light source apparatus (EUV light source device, see abstract), comprising:
a light source configured to generate a plasma that emits EUV light (light radiated from plasma P, see abstract);
a vacuum housing located between the light source part and a utilizing apparatus in which the EUV light is utilized (see Fig. 6);
a debris trap located inside the vacuum housing and configured to deflect traveling directions of debris particles emitted from the plasma from a ray direction of the EUV light, whereby the debris particles do not ingress into the utilizing apparatus (shield member 6 having an opening for light progressing and shielding radiation from the plasma P from reaching the cover member 11, see abstract);
a heat shield panel structure located inside the vacuum housing and located between the plasma and the debris trap (thermal shielding member 7 receives is located between the plasma P and the foil trap 4, see Fig. 3); and
the heat shield panel structure having a first heat shield panel and a second heat shield panel overlapping the first heat shield panel, the first heat shield panel and the second heat shield panel being disposed at an interval (shielding member 6 includes a heat shielding member 7 spaced apart and aligned with shielding member 6, see Fig. 3),
the second heat shield panel being disposed between the first heat shield panel and the plasma (shielding member 6 disposed between the plasma P and the thermal shielding member 7, see Fig. 3),
the second heat shield panel is spaced apart from the vacuum housing and is not connected to the first heat shield panel (see Fig. 3), and wherein the second heat shield panel is maintained at a higher temperature (shielding member 6 facing the high temperature plasma P, the temperature of the shielding member 6 easily reaches the melting point of tin or more). As the shielding member 6 is closer in proximity to the plasma P, the shielding member 6 inherently is exposed to a higher temperature than shielding member 7, thereby is heated more than shielding member 7.
While Deshumuku does not explicitly disclose the second heat shield panel has a central portion made of tungsten and a peripheral portion made of molybdenum and surrounding the central portion, the central portion and the peripheral portion are replaceably connected, Deshumuku teaches the shielding member 6 is made of molybdenum, tungsten, and an alloy containing molybdenum or tungsten (In the DMT (debris reduction device) of the present invention, a shielding member 6 is provided between the high temperature plasma P and the cover member 11 to shield radiation (thermal radiation) from the high temperature plasma P from reaching the cover member 11. Provided. The shielding member 6 is made of molybdenum, tungsten, and an alloy containing molybdenum or tungsten, and has an opening 6a). It would have been obvious at the time of invention to a person of ordinary skill in the art to form the shielding member from the disclosed materials, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
As the material selection of the shielding member can reduce the rate of which the deterioration occurs, but cannot reduce the rate to zero, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that over time, the shielding member must be replaceable at some point to maintain use of the device.
Deshumuku fails to disclose the first heat shield panel being configured to be cooled by the cooling mechanism.
Fig. 2 of Nagai discloses a heat shield 7a is cooled by the heat exchangers 67 (see paragraph [0056]), wherein the heat exchangers 67 flow a cooling medium, e.g. water, to cool the chamber container 2a through a flow path 2b (i.e. pipe) and a holding portion (e.g. expansion-contraction member 73) that is brought into contact with the chamber container 2a and is configured to hold the heat shield 7a (see paragraph [0067]).
Nagai modifies Deshumuku by suggesting cooling the heat shield with a cooling mechanism including a cooling water pipe to cool the vacuum housing.
Since both inventions are drawn to EUV light sources, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to modify Deshumuku by providing a cooling pipe to cool the heat shield and vacuum chamber for the purpose of efficiently conduct heat to extend the lifetime of the heat shield and vacuum chamber.
Regarding claim 5, Deshumuku discloses a debris container (not shown) located below the heat shield panel structure and the debris trap and configured to receive debris particles from the heal shield panel structure and the debris trap, wherein the second heat shield has an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the vertical plane, wherein the inclined portion facilitates entering the debris particles reflected by the heat shield panel structure and the debris trap into the debris container, and wherein the debris particles deposited on the inclined portion become debris droplets and fall down along the inclined portion into the debris container (In addition, the protrusion part 6c is provided in the lower part of the shielding member 6 shown in FIG. The debris (tin) deposited and liquefied on the surface of the shielding member 6 moves downward through the surface of the shielding member 6, the groove 6b, etc., but as shown in FIG. By providing 6c, the liquefied debris collects in the said protrusion part 6c, and falls below it. For this reason, the liquefied debris can be collected and collected in one place, and debris can be easily collected.).
Conclusion
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Hanway Chang
/HC/Examiner, Art Unit 2881
/MICHAEL J LOGIE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881