Detailed Correspondence
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/29/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicants’ submission of Specification amendment and replacement drawing, filed on 12/29/2025, is acknowledged. Applicants’ submission, filed on 12/29/2025, in response to claims 1-40 rejection from the final office action (10/23/2025), by amending claims 1, 20, 34, and 39 and adding new claims 41-42 is entered and will be addressed below.
The examiner notices Applicants did not narrow down independent claims.
Claim Interpretation
The “wherein the pedestal plate has a first diameter, the stem has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter, and the collar has a third diameter that is less than the first diameter and greater than the second diameter” of claim 23, as the stem and the collar are cylindrical body, the second and the third diameter can be either inner or outer diameter.
The ” A pedestal assembly comprising:
a pedestal including a pedestal plate;
…
a plurality of gas through holes extending from a first surface of the pedestal plate to a second surface of the pedestal plate,
wherein the plurality of gas through holes are not located in a second region outside of the first region and a third region located inside of the first region” of claim 23, as the first two lines of claim 23 does not exclude other second gas through holes, it does not exclude any gas through holes “in a second region outside of the first region and a third region located inside of the first region”. In the spirit of compact prosecution, claim 23 will be examined as “a pedestal plate consisting of a plurality of gas through holes“.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-7, 15-17, 23, 25-26, 31-32, 36-37, and 41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Unno et al. (US 20200312696, hereafter ‘696), in view of Lind et al. (US 20100317197, from IDS, hereafter ‘197). (Murata et al. US 20040226652, is evidenced that ESC and vacuum chuck in combination).
‘696 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 1: ELECTROSTATIC-CHUCK HEATER (title, includes the claimed “A pedestal assembly comprising”):
The electrostatic-chuck heater 10 is used in a process of forming a conductive film on a wafer W by CVD or the like and includes a ceramic base 20 and a hollow shaft 40 (Figs. 1-3, [0033], includes the claimed “a pedestal including a pedestal plate and a stem extending from the pedestal plate”);
The peripheral wall of the hollow shaft 40 has four through-holes 42 arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The through-holes 42 each extend vertically from the lower end of the hollow shaft 40 through to the in-ring area 20c of the ceramic base 20. The through-holes 42 are open at respective positions in the in-ring area 20c that are straightly above the peripheral wall of the hollow shaft 40. Openings 42a of the through-holes 42 are at respective positions in the in-ring area 20c that do not interfere with the embossed parts 24. A gas source, not illustrated, is connected to the through-holes 42 ([0036], 3rd sentence, includes the claimed “a plurality of gas through holes extending from a first surface of the pedestal plate to a second surface of the pedestal plate at a location radially outside of the stem).
Claim 23: ELECTROSTATIC-CHUCK HEATER (title, includes the claimed “A pedestal assembly comprising”):
The electrostatic-chuck heater 10 is used in a process of forming a conductive film on a wafer W by CVD or the like and includes a ceramic base 20 and a hollow shaft 40 (Figs. 1-3, [0033], includes the claimed “a pedestal including a pedestal plate and a stem extending from the pedestal plate” and “wherein the pedestal plate has a first diameter, the stem has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter”);
The peripheral wall of the hollow shaft 40 has four through-holes 42 arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The through-holes 42 each extend vertically from the lower end of the hollow shaft 40 through to the in-ring area 20c of the ceramic base 20. The through-holes 42 are open at respective positions in the in-ring area 20c that are straightly above the peripheral wall of the hollow shaft 40. Openings 42a of the through-holes 42 are at respective positions in the in-ring area 20c that do not interfere with the embossed parts 24. A gas source, not illustrated, is connected to the through-holes 42 ([0036], 3rd sentence, includes the claimed “a plurality of gas through holes extending from a first surface of the pedestal plate to a second surface of the pedestal plate).
‘696 also teaches Purge gas supplied into the through-hole 142 is ejected from the outer peripheral side face of the ceramic base 120 (Fig. 10, [0002]). In other words, the through-holes 42 is also supplied with purge gas.
‘696 does not teach the other limitations of:
Claim 1: a collar surrounding the stem of the pedestal,
wherein the collar defines an annular volume between an inner surface of the collar and an outer surface of the stem of the pedestal; and
wherein the plurality of gas through holes lie within the annular volume between the inner surface of the collar and the outer surface of the stem of the pedestal plate.
Claim 23: a collar surrounding the stem of the pedestal,
(wherein the pedestal plate has a first diameter, the stem has a second diameter that is less than the first diameter), and the collar has a third diameter that is less than the first diameter and greater than the second diameter; and
wherein the plurality of gas through holes are arranged in a first region of the pedestal plate that is defined between the second diameter and the third diameter, and
wherein the plurality of gas through holes are not located in a second region outside of the first region and a third region located inside of the first region.
Claim 2: further comprising a pedestal support structure attached to a distal end of the stem.
Claim 3: further comprising an "O"-ring located between the distal end of the stem and the pedestal support structure.
Claim 4: wherein the stem of the pedestal includes a flange extending radially outwardly at a bottom edge thereof and further comprising a pedestal support structure attached to the flange of the stem.
Claim 5: wherein the collar is attached to the pedestal support structure.
Claim 6: further comprising an “O”-ring located between a distal end of the collar and the pedestal support structure.
Claim 7: wherein the pedestal support structure includes a cylindrical body with a side wall, a vertical bore in the side wall defines a gas channel, and the gas channel fluidly communicates with the annular volume and the plurality of gas through holes.
Claim 32: wherein the plurality of gas through holes is in fluid communication with the annular volume.
Claim 25: further comprising a pedestal support structure attached to a distal end of the stem.
Claim 26: further comprising an "O"-ring located between the distal end of the stem and the pedestal support structure.
Claim 36: wherein the second and third diameters define an annular volume between the collar and the stem of the pedestal, and wherein the plurality of gas through holes lie within the annular volume.
Claim 37: wherein the plurality of gas through holes is in fluid communication with the annular volume.
Claim 41: wherein the second diameter of the stem is an outer diameter of the stem, and wherein the third diameter is an inner diameter of the collar.
‘197 is analogous art in the field of a semiconductor processing apparatus 10 that includes a chamber 12, formed by walls 13, and within which is pedestal assembly 14 supported on stem 20 secured to a wall 13 of chamber 12 (Fig. 1, [0030]). ‘197 teaches that a pedestal stem 74 (Fig. 5, [0049]), A purge gas, such as N2, is provide in conduit 92 to cavity 91 where the gas follows along annular path 101 and, thence, through purge paths 102 and 103 along adjacent sides of heat shield 63 ([0057], 4th sentence), a purge gas supply line 92 (as well as the vacuum line, not shown, to platen surface 63) are mounted within stem cavity 74A ([0058], 2nd sentence), for the purpose of greener operation ([0007]). Fig. 5 is shown in illustration below, particularly collar surrounding the stem.
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[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (collar)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Vacuum
annular
volume)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: connector][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (stem)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Flange of
stem)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Support
structure)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (O-ring)]
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have re-arranged the four purge gas through-holes 42 of ‘696 to align with the purge gas annular space 101 of ‘197 and to have combined the lower portion of the four purge gas through-holes 42 in the hollow shaft 40 of ‘696 into a purge gas annular space 101 of ‘197, and to have added a support structure supporting both the flange of the stem with O-ring and collar as shown in Fig. 5 of ‘197, to the bottom of hollow shaft 40 of ‘696, for the purpose of greener operation ([0007]) and/or for its suitability for supplying purge gas with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07. As the through-holes 42 and opening 42a in the base on ‘696 is unchanged, it would have had “wherein the plurality of gas through holes are arranged in a first region of the pedestal plate that is defined between the second diameter and the third diameter, and wherein the plurality of gas through holes are not located in a second region outside of the first region and a third region located inside of the first region”.
Note this combination, re-arranged the four purge gas through-holes 42 of ‘696 to align with the purge gas annular space 101 of ‘197, would have the plurality of gas through holes between the collar and the stem, the newly added limitation of claim 41.
Note also ‘696 does not have collar because the four purge gas through-holes 42 means part of the “collar” and the stem are connected. By combining the lower portion of the four purge gas through-holes 42 in the hollow shaft 40 of ‘696 into a purge gas annular space 101 of ‘197, it also makes ‘696 into a “collar” and a stem.
Applicants argued that ESC and vacuum chuck are completely different type of chuck, see “first” and “second” items of page 16. US 20040226652 is evidenced for “The upper electrostatic chuck 52 also has a vacuum attraction passage 54” (Fig. 3, [0033]). See also reference cited in conclusion.
‘696 further teaches the limitations of:
Claims 15-16: The ceramic base 20 is a disc made of aluminum nitride ([0034], includes the claimed “wherein the pedestal is made of ceramic” of claim 15 and “wherein the pedestal is made of aluminum nitride”).
Claim 17: The hollow shaft 40 is made of aluminum nitride ([0036], includes the claimed “wherein the collar is made of ceramic”).
Claim 31: Fig. 5 shows the openings 42a in a circle (includes the claimed “wherein the plurality of gas through holes are arranged in a circle in the first region of the pedestal plate”).
Claims 42, 20, 24 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claims 1 and 23 rejection above, further in view of MCRAY (US 20130026722, hereafter ‘722).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claims 42 and 24: wherein a first surface of the collar makes a surface-to-surface seal with the second surface of the pedestal.
Claims 30 and 20: wherein the surface-to-surface seal comprises a flat-to-flat seal.
‘696 further teaches that The upper end face of the hollow shaft 40 is attached to the back surface 20b of the ceramic base 20 by solid-state bonding or diffusion bonding ([0036]).
‘722 is analogous art in the field of A chuck assembly has a wafer chuck attached to a shaft that has a passage defined therewithin. The chuck assembly also has a seal module that has a rotatable assembly and a fixed assembly. The rotatable assembly is disposed around and anchored to the shaft and has a spacer, a rotatable collar, a rotatable diaphragm, and a rotatable seal ring connected to the rotatable collar through the diaphragm with a leak-tight seal. (Fig. 1, abstract). ’722 teaches that surfaces 216a and 226a are formed through a process that produces a suitably smooth and consistent surface to provide a leak-tight seal while the seal rings rotate against each other. For example, surfaces 216a and 226a may be lapped or polished surfaces (Fig. 2B, [0037]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced the diffusion bonding between the hollow shaft 40 and the back surface 20b of the ceramic base 20 of ‘696 with polished surfaces bonding, as taught by ‘722, for the purpose of leak-tight seal suitable for rotating, as taught by ‘722 ([0037]).
Alternatively, claims 3, 5, and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claims 2 and 25 rejection above, further in view of PATEL et al. (US 20190181028, hereafter ‘028).
In case Applicants’ argue that ‘197 does not expressly teaches O-ring between the flange of the stem and the support structure and Fig. 5 drawing does not clearly shows O-ring at such location.
‘028 is analogous art in the field of CRYOGENICALLY COOLED ROTATABLE ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK (title), n electrostatic chuck comprises a ceramic body ([0002]), for a semiconductor wafer S (Fig. 1, [0017]). ‘028 teaches that The bellows assembly 110 also includes a lower bellows flange 164 in contact with an O-ring 165 or other suitable sealing element which contacts bottom surface 126 to help prevent loss of chamber vacuum (Fig. 1, [0018], last sentence) and Fig. 2B of ‘028 shows O-rings or seal 261 in numerous locations.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added a support structure supporting both the flange of the stem with O-ring and collar as shown in Fig. 5 of ‘197, to the bottom of the hollow shaft 40 of ‘696, by adding O-ring in various locations, as taught by ‘208, for the purpose of greener operation, as taught by ‘197 ([0007]) and/or for its suitability with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07.
Claims 8-11, 34, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claims 1-2 and 23 rejection above, further in view of Lei et al. (US 5556476, hereafter ‘476).
‘197 teaches some limitations of:
Claim 34: The bottom of stem 74 includes a welded stainless steel hub or mounting end 80 and fasteners 84 are employed to secure a stainless steel end plate 82 to base hub 80 ([0049], last sentence, the illustration above shows the claimed “further comprising: a support structure supporting a bottom end of the pedestal assembly”).
Claim 39: The bottom of stem 74 includes a welded stainless steel hub or mounting end 80 and fasteners 84 are employed to secure a stainless steel end plate 82 to base hub 80 ([0049], last sentence, the illustration above shows the claimed “further comprising: a support structure supporting a bottom end of the pedestal assembly”).
Because of the annular purge paths, the fastener or welding has to ensure a seal. However, ‘197 does not expressly teach a clamp to the support structure.
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claims 39 and 34: and a clamp attached to the support structure,
wherein the collar is sealingly attached to the clamp.
Claim 8: wherein the pedestal support structure includes a cylindrical body defining an inner cavity and a flange extending radially outwardly from an upper surface of the cylindrical body.
Claim 9: further comprising one or more clamps connecting a flange located on a distal end of the stem to the flange extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical body of the pedestal support structure.
Claim 10: wherein the collar includes first and second flanges located on upper and lower surfaces thereof, respectively, and further comprising a clamp arranged around the flange of the pedestal support structure and the second flange of the collar.
Claim 11: further comprising an “O”-ring located between a second surface of the second flange and an upper surface of the clamp.
‘476 is analogous art in the field of A substrate processing apparatus comprising a housing defining a processing chamber for receiving a substrate therein. Inside the chamber a substrate supporting susceptor (abstract), Vacuum Clamping System (col. 11, line 19), to protect the stem 20 and maintain a vacuum thereabout, a shroud 94 extends downwardly about stem 20 from the underside of chamber base 16 and terminates on lower end sleeve 96. Shroud 94 and the outer surface of stem 20 extending below aperture 100 form annulus 127 therebetween (Fig. 3, col. 7, lines 61-66). ’476 teaches that but other attachment means, such as clamps or spring clips, may be substituted for the screws (col. 6, lines 9-11), This bore 50 provides a pilot to receive the end of the thermocouple 56 therein, and also provides an aperture for the receipt of the purge gas and vacuum supplies into the heater pedestal 18 (col. 5, lines 56-59), To prevent leakage of the vacuum or purge gas at the interface of the cover plate 43 and the sleeve 96, a circumferential groove is provided about the interface of the aligned apertures through which the vacuum and purge gas supplies are maintained (col. 6, lines 64-67, i.e. vacuum line and purge gas line are connected), for the purpose of improving processing (col. 2, line 56). Fig. 3 shows various O-ring, flanges, and screws/bolts, and a bottom support structure.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have combined the vacuum and purge lines, and to have adopted O-ring, flanges, and clamps, as taught by ‘476, to enhance the support structure 82 of ‘197, and then combined with ‘696, for the purpose of improving processing, as taught by ‘476 (col. 2, line 56).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696, ‘197, and ‘722 as being applied to claim 7 rejection above, further in view of MORIYAMA (US 20090269490, hereafter ‘490).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 12: further comprising: a first valve configured to selectively connect the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes to a vacuum source; and
a controller configured to selectively control the first valve to supply vacuum to the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes during processing of a substrate.
‘490 is analogous art in the field of COATING APPARATUS (title), includes a susceptor for supporting a silicon wafer, and a rotating portion for rotating the susceptor (abstract). ‘490 teaches that The exhaust pipe 107 passes through a substantially cylindrical quartz shaft 108 in the rotating shaft 104b and is connected to an evacuating mechanism 111 made up of a regulating valve 109 and a vacuum pump 110 provided outside the chamber 103 (Fig. 1 [0034], 2nd sentence), It should be noted that the evacuating mechanism 111 may be connected to the control mechanism 112, which controls the pressure in the P1 region, in order to vary the pressure in the P2 region in accordance with the pressure in the P1 region ([0036], last sentence), for the purpose of preventing wrap ([0008]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added an evacuating mechanism 111 and regulating valve 109, and the controlling mechanism of ‘490, to the annular volume of the combined apparatus of ‘696, ‘197, and ‘722, for the purpose of preventing wrap, as taught by ‘490 ([0008]).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696, ‘197 and ‘490, as being applied to claim 12 rejection above, further in view of ‘476. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claim 7 rejection above, further in view of ‘490 and ‘476.
The combination of ‘696, ‘197, and ‘490 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 13: further comprising a second valve configured to selectively connect the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes to a purge gas source, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively control the second valve to purge the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes.
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 14: further comprising: a valve configured to selectively connect the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes to a purge gas source; and
a controller configured to selectively control the valve to purge the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes.
‘476 and ‘490 are analogous art as discussed above.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added an evacuating mechanism 111 and regulating valve 109, and the controlling mechanism of ‘490, to the annular volume of the combined apparatus of ‘696 and ‘197, for the purpose of preventing wrap, as taught by ‘490 ([0008]). Furthermore, to have combined the vacuum and purge lines, and to have adopted O-ring, flanges, and clamps, as taught by ‘476, to enhance the support structure 82 of ‘197, and then combined with ‘696, for the purpose of improving processing, as taught by ‘476 (col. 2, line 56).
Alternatively, claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696, ‘197, and ‘490, as being applied to claim 12 rejection above, further in view of Lei et al. (US 5516367, hereafter ‘367). Alternatively, claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claim 7 rejection above, further in view of ‘490 and ‘367.
The combination of ‘696, ‘197, and ‘490 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 13: further comprising a second valve configured to selectively connect the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes to a purge gas source, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively control the second valve to purge the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes.
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 14: further comprising: a valve configured to selectively connect the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes to a purge gas source; and
a controller configured to selectively control the valve to purge the gas channel, the annular volume and the gas through holes.
‘490 is analogous art as discussed above.
‘367 is analogous art in the field of Chemical Vapor Deposition Chamber With A Purge Guide (title), Vacuum CVD chambers are disclosed which provide a more uniformly deposited thin film on a substrate. The chamber susceptor mount for the substrate (abstract), vacuum chuck (col. 5, line 39), Fig. 7 shows stem and collar, support structure, various clamps and flanges. ’367 teaches that The pressure in the vacuum feed line can be further adjusted by injecting an inert gas, such as argon, to adjust the center to edge uniformity of deposition onto the substrate (Fig. 4, col. 5, lines 29-32, see also claim 5 of ‘367).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added an inert gas to the vacuum chuck of ‘490, for the purpose of adjusting vacuum, as taught by ‘367 (col. 5, lines 29-320.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Lei et al. (US 5688331, hereafter ‘331).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 18: wherein the collar is made of alumina.
‘331 is analogous art in the field of Resistance Heated Stem Mounted Aluminum Susceptor Assembly (title), Vacuum CVD chambers are disclosed which provide a more uniformly deposited thin film on a substrate. The chamber susceptor mount for the substrate (abstract), vacuum chuck (col. 5, line 39), The seal between the stem and the back of the plate is hermetic, such that standards for leakage under a vacuum between the hollow center of the stem and the outside are met (col. 2, lines 65-67), Fig. 7 shows stem and collar, support structure, various clamps and flanges. ’331 teaches that in CVD processes susceptors can be made of a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride which has superior durability with respect to fluorine plasma (abstract), An alumina heater support tube 140 slips over the outside of the bottom end of the stem 120 (Fig. 23, col. 7, lines 58-60).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted alumina as the material of hollow shaft 40 of ‘696, for the purpose of plasma durability, as taught by ‘331 (abstract). Note AlN of ‘331 also teaches the limitation of claims 15-16.
Claims 19 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Breiling et al. (US 20210013080, hereafter ‘080).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 19: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) that is less than or equal to 20 micro inches.
Claim 21: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) that is less than or equal to 16 micro inches.
Claim 22: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) in a range from 3 to 8 micro inches.
‘080 is analogous art in the field of ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK WITH SEAL SURFACE (title). ’080 teaches that The upper annular seal surface 362 is a flat, planar, and smooth surface which at least partly enables a seal to be created between the backside of the substrate and the upper annular seal surface. In some embodiments, this smoothness may be equal to or less than 0.8128 microns (32 Ra), including about 0.2032 microns (8 Ra), or lower. The flatness may have a maximum range of 0.0254 millimeters (0.001 inches), which is the maximum variance from the highest place to the lowest place of the upper annular seal surface, and a localized range of 0.00254 millimeters for each 25.4 millimeter×25.4 millimeter square of the annular seal surface (0.0001 inch for every 1 inch×1 inch square) (Fig. 4A, [0085], last two sentences).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted polished surfaces at 8 Ra or lower, as taught by ‘080, as the surface roughness of the smooth surface seal of ‘722 and then combined with ‘696, for the purpose of leak-tight seal suitable for rotating, as required by ‘722 ([0037]).
Claims 27-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claim 23 rejection above, further in view of ‘722 and Breiling et al. (US 20210013080, hereafter ‘080).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claim 27: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) that is less than or equal to 20 micro inches.
Claim 28: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) that is less than or equal to 16 micro inches.
Claim 29: wherein a second surface of the pedestal plate and an upper surface of the stem are polished to a surface roughness (Ra) in a range from 3 to 8 micro inches.
‘722 and ‘080 are analogous arts as discussed above.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted polished surfaces at 8 Ra or lower, as taught by ‘080, as the surface roughness of the smooth surface seal of ‘722 and then combined with ‘696, for the purpose of leak-tight seal suitable for rotating, as required by ‘722 ([0037]).
Claims 33 and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claims 1 and 23 rejection above, further in view of Kaise et al. (US 20060090703, hereafter ‘703).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claims 33 and 38: further comprising: a first cylinder radially spaced from and surrounding the collar and extending upwards from a lower surface of a processing chamber housing the pedestal assembly; and
a second cylinder spaced from and surrounding the first cylinder and extending downwards from the second surface of the pedestal plate,
wherein the first and second cylinders are configured to overlap and allow a relative axial movement therebetween.
‘703 is analogous art in the field of Substrate Processing Method, System (title). ’703 teaches that Referring FIG. 3, the PM 60, which is configured as an etching process unit for performing an etching process on the semiconductor wafer W, includes a cylindrical chamber 61 made of, e.g., aluminum; a supporting body 64 capable of moving up and down ([0101]), The lower electrode elevation unit supports the lower electrode 62 via the supporting body 64, and moves up and down the lower electrode 62 as a GAP by rotating the ball screw 77 by using a motor (not shown) or the like. The lower electrode elevation unit is isolated from the atmosphere in the chamber 61 by a bellows 78 around the lower electrode elevation unit and a bellows cover 79 around the bellows 78 ([0106], 2nd sentence, Fig. 3 shows bellows cover 79 has two parts and “to overlap and allow a relative axial movement therebetween”).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added bellow and bellows cover 79 of ‘703, to the hollow shaft 40 of ‘696, for the purpose of elevation of the electrostatic chuck of ‘696 and to cover the bellow from atmosphere in the chamber, as taught by ‘703 ([0106]).
Claims 35 and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘696 and ‘197, as being applied to claims 1 and 23 rejection above, further in view of Gulabal et al. (US 20210230749, hereafter ‘749).
The combination of ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach the limitations of:
Claims 35 and 40: further comprising an annular heat shield arranged a predetermined distance below the pedestal plate and comprises a central opening to receive the collar and the stem.
‘749 is analogous art in the field of PREVENTING DEPOSITION ON PEDESTAL IN SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE PROCESSING (title). ’749 teaches that Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an example of a substrate support 200 including a heat shield structure 204 according to the present disclosure is shown. In FIG. 2A, the heat shield structure 204 is shown arranged on the substrate support 200 ([0035]). Note also the annular inert gas flow from 248 the surrounding the stem 244 ([0037]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added a heat shield 204 of ‘749, below the ceramic base 20 and surrounding the stem 40 of ‘696, for the purpose of preventing deposition on pedestal, as taught by ‘749 (title).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/29/2025 have been fully considered but they are persuasive.
In regarding to 35 USC 103 rejection of claim 23, Applicants argue that ‘696 and ‘197 does not teach “wherein the plurality of gas through holes are arranged in a first region of the pedestal plate that is defined between the second diameter and the third diameter, and wherein the plurality of gas through holes are not located in a second region outside of the first region and a third region located inside of the first region” because
A) it is not clear the rejection is modifying ‘197 by ‘696 or modifying ‘696 with features of 197, see the second paragraph of page 16.
This argument is found not persuasive.
The rejection is ‘696 in view of ‘197.
And Applicants’ statement in this paragraph is modifying ‘696 by features of ‘197.
The examiner also notes that:
Note this combination, re-arranged the four purge gas through-holes 42 of ‘696 to align with the purge gas annular space 101 of ‘197, would have the plurality of gas through holes between the collar and the stem, the newly added limitation of claim 41.
B) ‘696 discloses an electrostatic chuck whereas ‘197 discloses a vacuum chuck which is a completely different type of chuck, one would not combine features of these two, see the third paragraph of page 16.
This argument is found not persuasive.
ESC and vacuum chuck can be combined.
US 20040226652 is evidenced for “The upper electrostatic chuck 52 also has a vacuum attraction passage 54” (Fig. 3, [0033]).
C) The examiner does not explain why adding four purge gas through-holes in the hollow shaft of ‘696 will not interfere with ‘197’s vacuum clamping, see the bridging paragraph between pages 16 and 17.
This argument is found not persuasive.
The vacuum line of ‘197 is different from the annular purge paths 101 and there is no interference in ‘197, and no interference in the combination of ‘696 and ‘197.
D) The examiner does not explain why adding “a support structure supporting both the flange of the stem with O-ring and collar as shown in Fig. 5 of ‘197, to the bottom of hollow shaft 40 of ‘696” will result in the claimed structure, as the addition will not advance ‘696’s main objective, and the through holes 42 extend in a peripheral wall of the hollow shaft, see page 18.
This argument is found not persuasive.
The examiner maintains that merging the four purga gas through-holes 42 of ‘696 into an annular space would have resulted the claimed “collar” and various diameter relationship.
By arguing the “a support structure”, it is not clear Applicants are arguing claim 23 or the O-ring in limitations of claims 3, 6, and 26.
Where in MPEP requires that 103 rejection has to advance the “main objective” of the primary reference. Any other motivation to improve the apparatus is forbidden? Are Applicants’ claimed various details are not related to Applicants’ main objective?
Fig. 3 of ‘696 clearly shows what where that peripheral area is, right in the middle of the shaft wall. By making the four through-holes 42 into an annular space, it would have the collar.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20050016685 is cited for “where such electrostatic chuck should function also as a vacuum chuck” ([0031]).
US 20210035851 is cited for flange and O-ring and annular cavity (Fig. 1. [0018]).
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/KEATH T CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716