DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on (01/26/2023), is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims (21-40) were examined in a Non-Final on 8/22/2025. A Final office action in response to Applicants submission of 10/27/2025 was mailed on 2/11/2026. Claims 21-40 were examined.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 5/29/2026 has been entered. Claims 21, 34 and 36 were amended.
Response to Amendment and arguments
Applicant’s amendments are addressed in the office action. As noted below,
“a voltage across the cable less than 10V (rms) when an output of the radio frequency filter includes an alternating current having a frequency of 13.56 MHz and a current of 0.5 A (rms)” points to the effectiveness of the filtering and not to any structural part of the apparatus which would distinguish it from prior art.
Therefore, the rejection is repeated with some modification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 21-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuji et al (US 20180158709) in view of Chen et al (US 6063234) and Chen et al (US 20140302256).
Tsuji et al disclose an apparatus for substrate processing (Fig 1),
a conductive rod configured to couple to an electrode (connecting conductor between electrode 30 filter 70 in Fig 5); and
a radio frequency filter (70),
the radio frequency filter comprises:
a first capacitor (32a) disposed between the conductive rod and ground, and
an LC resonant circuit (Parallel resonant circuit) disposed between the conductive rod and a second capacitor (32c), the second capacitor disposed between the LC resonant circuit and ground,
the LC resonant circuit comprising:
a third capacitor (32e) and an inductor (32f) disposed in parallel (Fig 5).
Tsuji et al do not disclose a conductive housing coupled to ground when the filter and capacitor are contained in it and grounded through it.
Grounded enclosures containing electrical components were however well known.
Chen et al disclose a grounded filter box (Fig 3) which includes inductor and capacitor components inside a grounded box (302). The enclosed inductor and capacitors provide filtering of electrical signals and disclose connectivity to ground through the box. Chen et al disclose a cable extend outside the grounded box.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art regarding claims stated above to contain filter components in the box to prevent unwanted capacitive and inductive fields from interfering the operation of the filter and components as taught by Chen.
Regarding the limitation “a voltage across the cable is less than 10V (rms) when an output of the radio frequency filter includes an alternating current having a frequency of 13.56 MHz and a current of0.5 A (rms)”, it is noted as below.
This limitation points to the effectiveness of the filtering and not to any structural part of the apparatus which would distinguish it from prior art. Further, since the prior art components disclosed in Tsuji et al are same and connected in identical way as to the claim, they would be as effective in filtering the RF as contemplated in the claim. Regarding 13.56 MHz, it is noted that RF applied for plasma is disclosed to be 13.56 MHz (Para 19) and therefore filter would have to filter this out as being obvious.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have used conductive rod through conductive housing before the effective filing date of this application.
Regarding the limitation of conductive rod, it is noted that using conductive rod to connect power to an electrode was well known. As an example, Chen et al (US 20140302256) more explicitly disclose connecting rods in Fig 2 (122 and 155).
Regarding claims 22 and 23 the cable is the wiring connection between the LC resonant circuit and the power supply 34.
Regarding claim 24 and 28, DC power supply 34 is coupled to the electrode 30 through the LC resonant circuit.
Regarding claims 25 and 26, grounded enclosure is disclosed by Chen.
Regarding claim 27 LC resonant circuit and second capacitor are downstream of first capacitor.
Regarding claim 29 cable being the conductor is between the LC resonant circuit and power supply.
Regarding claims 30-32 grounded enclosure including the components is disclosed by Chen.
Regarding claim 33 substrate support (14) includes the electrode (30).
Claims 34 and 36 are rejected with claim 21 as now being of similar scope.
Claims 35 and 37-39 are rejected with claims 21, 34 and 36 as the limitations are disclosed as above.
Regarding claim 40 DC power supply is disclosed by Tsuji et al (34).
Claims 21-40 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsutomu Higashiura (US 20050236111) in view of Lee et al (US 20090237178) and further in view of Chen et al (US 6063234) and Chen et al (US 20140302256).
Higashiura discloses an apparatus for substrate processing (Fig 2),
a conductive rod configured to couple to an electrode (100); and
a radio frequency filter (108), and DC power supply 28.
Higashiura does not disclose details of the radio frequency filter except that it is connected between a DC power supply and the electrode. Therefore, it would be a low pass filter
Lee et al disclose a RF filter which could be connected so that first end (IN) is connected to the electrode through conductor 100 and the other end (OUT) to the power supply so that the filter would comprise:
a first capacitor (C2) disposed between the conductive rod and ground, and
an LC resonant circuit (Parallel resonant circuit) disposed between the conductive rod and a second capacitor (C3), the second capacitor disposed between the LC resonant circuit and ground,
the LC resonant circuit comprising:
a third capacitor (C1) and an inductor (L1) disposed in parallel (Fig 1).
Lee et al teach that resonant structure (capacitor and inductor in parallel) was well known as a filter component (Par 8).
Therefore, having the resonant structure disclosed by Lee as a low pass filter in the filter of Higashiura would have been obvious.
Tsutomu Higashiura in view of Lee et al do not disclose an enclosure coupled to ground when the filter and capacitor are contained in it and grounded through it.
Grounded enclosures containing electrical components were however well known.
Chen et al disclose a grounded filter box (Fig 3) which includes inductor and capacitor components inside a grounded box (302). The enclosed inductor and capacitors provide filtering of electrical signals and disclose connectivity to ground through the box.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art regarding claims stated above to contain filter components in the box to prevent unwanted capacitive and inductive fields from interfering the operation of the filter and components as taught by Chen.
The limitations added in the latest amendment are being rejected in the same way as discussed above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Koji Motoyama (US 20030083034) discloses low pass filters of the claimed type arranged in an array (Fig 2).
Uriu et al (US 20030092397) discloses low pass filters of the claimed type (Fig 11, 87 and 88) and teaches that such circuits were well known (Para 255).
Yamada (US 6721427) discloses low pass filters of the claimed type arranged in an array (Fig 1A).
Mi et al (US 20100237965) discloses low pass filters of the claimed type (Fig 10 B).
Taniguchi (US 20140203890) discloses low pass filters of the claimed type (Fig 7, LPF2A).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAM N KACKAR whose telephone number is (571)272-1436. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM-05:00 PM.
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RAM N. KACKAR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1716
/RAM N KACKAR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
