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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-2, 8-11, and 13-19 in the reply filed on November 12, 2025 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “insertion parts” must be shown or the feature canceled from the claim. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 17 is 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.
Claim 17 recites the limitation “the plurality of gas injection holes”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1, 8-11, and 13-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimada; Hironori et al. (US 20190360098 A1). Shimada teaches a substrate processing apparatus comprising:a reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) having a processing space (S; Figure 2; [0025]), in which a plurality of substrates (200; Figure 2; [0027]) are accommodated to perform substrate processing; a nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) protruding outward from a portion (20; Figure 3) of a side surface (12a; Figure 3) of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) to provide a portion (20; Figure 3) of an outer surface of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3); and a plurality of gas injection nozzles (340a-340e; Figure 3; [0035]-Applicant’s 300; Figure 3,4) disposed along a circumference of each of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) to inject a process gas into the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3), wherein the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) comprises a plurality of insertion parts (18c,18d; Figure 3,4; [0058]-Assumed to be “insertion grooves” Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4) corresponding to the gas injection nozzles (340a-340e; Figure 3; [0035]-Applicant’s 300; Figure 3,4) so that each of the gas injection nozzles (340a-340e; Figure 3; [0035]-Applicant’s 300; Figure 3,4) is inserted and installed, as claimed by claim 1
Shimada further teaches:
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas injection nozzles (340a-340e; Figure 3; [0035]-Applicant’s 300; Figure 3,4) are inserted and installed to be spaced apart from an inner wall of each of the insertion parts (18c,18d; Figure 3,4; [0058]-Assumed to be “insertion grooves” Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4) corresponding thereto, as claimed by claim 8
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) has an inner surface that extends at the same curvature as an inner surface of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3), as claimed by claim 9
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first distance (D1; Figure 4-Applicant’s D1; Figure 3) that is the shortest horizontal distance between an inner surface of the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) and a center of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) is the same as a second distance (D2; Figure 4-Applicant’s D2; Figure 3) that is the shortest distance from a position of the inner surface of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) excluding the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) to the center, as claimed by claim 10
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) comprises:a pair of protrusion surfaces (protrusion surfaces for 222a, 222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 230; Figure 4) provided to protrude outward (radially) from a side surface (12a; Figure 3) of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3); and an outer surface portion (20; Figure 3-Applicant’s 240; Figure 4) defined between the protrusion surfaces (protrusion surfaces for 222a, 222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 230; Figure 4), as claimed by claim 11
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4), the pair of protrusion surfaces (protrusion surfaces for 222a, 222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 230; Figure 4) and the outer surface portion (20; Figure 3-Applicant’s 240; Figure 4) are disposed on an outer surface of the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4), and the plurality of insertion parts (18c,18d; Figure 3,4; [0058]-Assumed to be “insertion grooves” Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4) are integrated with each other on the inner surface toward the processing space (S; Figure 2; [0025]), as claimed by claim 13
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the outer surface portion (20; Figure 3-Applicant’s 240; Figure 4) has the same curvature as an outer surface of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3), as claimed by claim 14
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) comprises an exhaust port (236; Figure 5) provided at a position facing the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4), as claimed by claim 15
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) is disposed to be line symmetric (Figure 4) with respect to a virtual horizontal line connecting a center of the exhaust port (236; Figure 5) to a center of the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4) on a plane, as claimed by claim 16
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas injection nozzles (340a-340e; Figure 3; [0035]-Applicant’s 300; Figure 3,4) are disposed to inject the process gas so that the plurality of gas injection holes (234a; Figure 5) defined in the vertical direction are parallel to each other, as claimed by claim 17
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an outer tube (14; Figure 2,3) into which the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) is accommodated to define an exhaust space between the outer tube (14; Figure 2,3) and the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3), as claimed by claim 18
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein a side surface (14a; Figure 3) of the outer tube (14; Figure 2,3), an inner surface of the nozzle installation part (222a-222c; Figure 3-Applicant’s 200; Figure 3,4), and a side surface (12a; Figure 3) of the reaction tube (12; Figure 2,3,5; [0025]-Applicant’s 100; Figure 3) have the same curvature as each other, as claimed by claim 19
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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimada; Hironori et al. (US 20190360098 A1) in view of Hirano; Atsushi (US 20210292892 A1). Shimada is discussed above. Shimada does not teach the substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insertion parts (18c,18d; Figure 3,4; [0058]-Assumed to be “insertion grooves” Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4) comprise a plurality of insertion grooves (Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4), each of which has a shape corresponding to an outer surface of the gas injection nozzle in an inner wall toward the processing space (S; Figure 2; [0025]) so that the gas injection nozzle is inserted and installed.
Hirano also teaches insertion parts (12b; Figure 2-Assumed to be “insertion grooves” Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4) comprise a plurality of insertion grooves (12b; Figure 2-Applicant’s 210; Figure 3,4), each of which has a shape corresponding to an outer surface of the gas injection nozzle (340d,e; Figure 2) in an inner wall toward the processing space (12; Figure 2) so that the gas injection nozzle (340d,e; Figure 2) is inserted and installed.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Shimada to optimize Shimada’s insertion groove dimensions as taught by Hirano.
Motivation for Shimada to optimize Shimada’s insertion groove dimensions as taught by Hirano is to “..uniformize an injection amount of the gas..” ([0065], [0073]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Reactors with vertically stacked substrates using nozzle plenums with similar geometry include US 20200098555 A1; US 20190112710 A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Rudy Zervigon whose telephone number is (571) 272- 1442. The examiner can normally be reached on a Monday through Thursday schedule from 8am through 6pm EST. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Any Inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Chemical and Materials Engineering art unit receptionist at (571) 272-1700. If the examiner cannot be reached please contact the examiner's supervisor, Parviz Hassanzadeh, at (571) 272- 1435.
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/Rudy Zervigon/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716