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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 03/02/2023, 06/09/2023, 02/28/2025, 04/11/2025, 04/22/2025, 07/17/2025, and 08/04/2025 are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 7, the claim recites a composition according to claim 1, but then references ‘the repeating unit C’ – this limitation is not present in claim 1 but is present in claim 4. There is no antecedent basis for this limitation.
For the purpose of claim interpretation and examination, claim 7 will be treated on the merits as if it were dependent from claim 4.
Regarding Claim 9, the claim makes reference to an acid diffusion controlling agent and a radiation sensitive acid generator that is separate from the acid-generating resin. These limitations are not present in claim 1 and as such there is no antecedent basis for them in claim 9. These limitations are present in claim 2, and as such for the purposes of examination claim 9 is being treated as if dependent from claim 2.
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(s) s 1-3, 6, and 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sasami et al (US 20200218154 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Sasami discloses a resist composition comprising a polymer compound having acid-generating moieties thereupon, as well as other structural units. The composition also comprises a solvent (Abstract).
The composition of Sasami is generally disclosed from [0009]-[0108], where specific components such as the resin are described from [0029]-[0074], sulfonium/iodonium salts that may be added to the composition are described from [0075]-[0086, solvents are described from [0087]-[0089], and other component such as nitrogen-containing compounds and surfactants are discussed from [0090]-[0110].
In the experimental Examples, Polymer P-15 (Table 1, [0117]) comprises the subunits A-5, B-2, C-5, D-, and E-2, which have been replicated below for clarity:
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The subunit B-2 reads upon the instantly claimed formula (1) where, as claimed :
RT is a hydrogen
RX is an isopropyl group (C3 hydrocarbon)
Cy is a cyclopentyl group (C5 alicyclic hydrocarbon)
The subunit A-5 reads upon the limitations of the claim for where the subunit comprising an aromatic ring structure having at least one fluorine, and further reads upon the limitations of claim 3 for where, as claimed:
A-5 maps onto general formula (2)
RA is a methyl group
Y is an ethylene group with trifluoro substitution
Ry and Rz are each fluorine atoms
Subscript n1 is 1
The subunit D-5 reads upon claim 6 for where the subunit comprises a phenolic hydroxy group.
Regarding Claims 2 and 9, Sasami discloses the limitations of the claims as discussed above regarding claim 1. Further, in the experimental examples at [0118] and Table 2-1, polymer P-15 is mixed in a solvent (PGMEA) along with onium salt 1-3 to make Resist R-15:
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This compound functions as an acid diffusion controller as it will generate an acid having a pKa higher than that of the fluorosulfonic acid of the resin P-15. (This salt is also present in applicant’s own specification at [0204] Formula 55). As per claim 9, the salt comprises an iodinated aromatic ring.
Regarding Claims 10 and 11, the compositions of Sasami are coated onto a substrate having an antireflection film thereupon, baked on a hot plate, exposed to EUV using an NXE3300 apparatus, post-exposure baked, and then developed using an aqueous TMA developer ([0122])
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 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) 4,5, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasami et al US 20200218154 A1).
Regarding claims 4, 5, and 7, Sasami discloses a resist composition comprising a polymer compound having acid-generating moieties thereupon, as well as other structural units. The composition also comprises a solvent (Abstract).
The composition of Sasami is generally disclosed from [0009]-[0108], where specific components such as the resin are described from [0029]-[0074], sulfonium/iodonium salts that may be added to the composition are described from [0075]-[0086, solvents are described from [0087]-[0089], and other component such as nitrogen-containing compounds and surfactants are discussed from [0090]-[0110].
Sasami however does not disclose an experimental embodiment having an onium salt comprising an organic acid anion moeity and a sulfonium cation having an aromatic ring structure with a fluorine atom.
This limitation is met by the general disclosure of the reference as detailed below:
The resin comprises one or two subunits having acid-generating moieties p-1 through p-3:
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Where R1, R4, and R6 are H or Me groups; Z1 is a single bond, phenylene, or group outlined in [0043]; Z2 is a single bond, -Z21-COO-, Z21-O-, or Z21-O(C=O)- group where Z21 is an alkanediyl group having 1-2 carbons that may be substituted with carbonyl, ester or ether bonds; R2 and R3 are each a monovalent hydrocarbon group that may be substituted; R5 is a H or CF3 group; Z3 is a single bond, methylene, ethylene, phenylene, fluorinated phenylene, -Z31-(C=O)O-, Z31-O-, or Z31-(C=O)-NH-, where Z31 is an alkylene group of 1-6 carbons that may comprise carbonyl, ester, or ether substitution. M1+ represents a counteraction that may be sulfonium, ammonium, or iodonium. M0- represents a counter anion that is nonnucleophilic.
Formula p-3 reads upon the instantly claimed invention of claim 4 for where it is a subunit having an onium cation moeity and acid anion moeity.
Further, it reads upon claim 7 for general formula (5) where:
RB is H or Me
Y2 is Z3, where Z3 is a single bond, methylene, ethylene, phenylene, fluorinated phenylene, -Z31-(C=O)O-, or Z31-(C=O)-NH-. where Z31 and Y21 overlap for alkanediyl groups of 1-6 carbons that may optionally have carbonyl groups, ester linkages, or ether linkages
Additional repeating units (a-1) are disclosed from [0051]-[0057], conforming to the general formula below:
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R7 is a methyl or hydrogen atom
Y is a group that changes the polarity of the unit by action of an acid so as to increase solubility in alkali.
Examples of these units are given in [0055]
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Where the above units read upon the claimed Cy and Rx of the instant claim for where:
Rx is a C2-C4 hydrocarbon group
Cy is a C7-C10 polycyclic alicyclic hydrocarbon group (norbornyl, adamantyl)
Additional units are described from [0058]-[0074].
A salt may be present in the composition, where the salt conforms to the formula (B), or (B1) ([0075]-[0081],
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Where M2+ is a cation that may be ammonium, iodonium, or sulfonium; Ma is a linear/branched/cyclic hydrocarbon that may be substituted and bears 1-35 carbon atoms.
R18-R19 may be H, F, CF3; R20 is linear/branched/cyclic C1-C20 alkyl, C6-C30 carbon aryl, OH, or Hydrogen. Example anions are presented in [0081]. The carboxylic anion has a lower acid strength than the sulfonium salt of the resin and as such this salt functions as a quencher or acid-diffusion control agent ([0081].
A fluorosulfonate salt (B2) that functions as an additional acid generator is disclosed from [0082]-[0086].
The reference does not specifically exemplify the cations of these salts, but does present sulfonium, iodonium, and ammonium cations elsewhere in the reference at [0046]-[0048]:
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An ordinarily skilled artisan would have found it obvious to arrive at the claimed invention prior to the filing date from the general disclosure of Sasami - a person of ordinary skill in the art would naturally look to the total disclosure of the reference for arriving at one or both of the salts (B1) and (B2) and would find it obvious to try a mixture of cations from [0046]-[0048] with the taught anions of (B1) and/or (B2) to arrive at an optimized composition having an acid generator and/or acid diffusion controller to improve the patterning of the composition’s resultant films.
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasami et al US 20200218154 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Sasami discloses the limitations of the claim as discussed above regarding claim 1 above.
Sasami does not, however, disclose an experimental embodiment meeting the limitations of claim 1 that also meets the limitations of claim 8 for the structural unit (6) as claimed.
This limitation is met by the general disclosure of the reference. Polymer P-15 (see discussion regarding claim 1) discloses a subunit E-2 out of several different embodiments of E subunits.
The reference also discloses subunit E4 and E5:
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E4 and E5 read upon the instantly claimed formula (6) for where (when polymerized):
RT is a methyl group
X is a methanediyl group or oxy (-O-) group
Subscript n6 is 0
The reference presents the E subunits as alternatives to one another (See Table 1, also see {0068]-[0074], where all of these subunits bear a lactam group therein. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to try the substitution of one alternative unit for another with recognition that they should behave similarly due to chemical similarity and because the art recognizes them as alternatives.
A person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to arrive at the claimed invention from the generally disclosed embodiments of lactam-bearing subunits in Sasami’s polymer resin, recognizing that art-recognized alternatives and chemically similar embodiments should behave in a similar manner and enable the generation of a resist composition having improved LWR and patterning performance.
Conclusion
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/A.P.T./Examiner, Art Unit 1737 /JONATHAN JOHNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1734