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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/6/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-4 and 6-14 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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(s) 1, 2, and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Statham et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0252226 in view of Kobayashi et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0114596.
Regarding claim 1, Statham discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector (“The pulse-processing electronics include an amplifier, a discriminator and a counter” [0061]) comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector (“a detector that converts the energy of each received particle into an electronic signal” [0015]) within a period (“pattern acquisition times” [0068]); and a compensator (“discriminator” [0062]) configured to perform processing using the first signal based on a predetermined characteristic (energy level) of a charged particle arrival event on the detector (“The particle counters generate output signals only for those events of interest, in other words particles that lie within a chosen energy range set by the discriminator” [0066]), wherein the compensator comprises: a comparator configured to compare the first signal to an adjustable threshold indicative of the charged particle arrival event (“The discriminator typically has adjustable lower and upper thresholds although it may contain only one threshold level or more than two threshold levels. A lower threshold acts as a high pass filter, i.e. only events with an energy greater than the threshold value will be counted; conversely an upper threshold acts as a low pass filter, i.e. only events with an energy less than the threshold value will be counted” [0062]). Statham discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the compensator is configured to compensate an error related to an overlap between signals from multiple charged particles impacting the sensing element.
Kobayashi discloses a circuit (“the radiation measuring apparatus 1 is composed of a radiation detector 2, a pulse amplifier 3, a waveform analysis relevant section, an up-down counter relevant section, a calculation section 11, and a display section 12” [0030]) for a charged particle detector (paragraph [0086] identifies that the signal may be formed by electrons), comprising: a compensator configured to compensate an error related to an overlap between signals from multiple charged particles impacting the sensing element (“if noise intrudes at a level of greatly influencing the count rate, a pseudo signal pulse is generated by multiple noise pulses (A>2) that enter abruptly and overlap in a complicated manner… However, the input of the pseudo signal pulse is excluded by the determination of S3 and processing of S6 described later” [0085]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Statham with the overlap error compensation of Kobayashi in order to further reduce a signal-to-noise ratio of a detected signal so as to more accurately report a measurement of a sample made with a charged particle beam inspection.
Regarding claim 2, Statham discloses an input stage preamplifier configured to convert a signal generated in response to the charged particle impacting the sensing element to another form (“The charge received at the particle counter 112b from its corresponding pixel 112a is first amplified by the amplifier and is then passed through the discriminator” [0062]).
Regarding claim 3, Statham discloses an input stage preamplifier configured to convert a signal generated in response to the charged particle impacting the sensing element to another form (“The charge received at the particle counter 112b from its corresponding pixel 112a is first amplified by the amplifier and is then passed through the discriminator” [0062]).
Claim(s) 4 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Statham et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0252226 in view of Kobayashi et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0114596 in further view of Teng et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2013/0256540.
Regarding claim 4, Statham discloses the claimed invention except that while Statham discloses and amplifier for converting a current or charge signal to a voltage signal (“The charge received at the particle counter 112b from its corresponding pixel 112a is first amplified by the amplifier and is then passed through the discriminator” [0062]), there is no explicit disclosure of a preamplifier that includes a transimpedance amplifier configured to convert a current or charge signal to a voltage signal.
Teng discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period (“The particle detector 101 converts part of the particle energy into a current signal. The detector front-end circuit 102 amplifies and processes the current signal converted by the particle detector 101” [0004]); and a preamplifier that includes a transimpedance amplifier configured to convert a current or charge signal to a voltage signal (“a transimpedance amplifier receiving a charge signal from a particle detector and converting the charge signal into an analog voltage signal; and a data acquisition system comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to covert the analog voltage signal into digital data” [0009]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Statham with the amplifier circuit of Teng in order to reduce the size of a detector circuit “so that building a beam monitoring system having thousands of channels on a circuit board of a reasonable size can be easily achieved” [Teng: 0007].
Regarding claim 13, Statham discloses a compensator (discriminator) configured to perform processing using the first signal based on a predetermined characteristic of a charged particle arrival event on the detector (“The discriminator typically has adjustable lower and upper thresholds although it may contain only one threshold level or more than two threshold levels. A lower threshold acts as a high pass filter, i.e. only events with an energy greater than the threshold value will be counted; conversely an upper threshold acts as a low pass filter, i.e. only events with an energy less than the threshold value will be counted” [0062]), there is no explicit disclosure that the compensator includes a digitizer.
Teng discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period (“The particle detector 101 converts part of the particle energy into a current signal. The detector front-end circuit 102 amplifies and processes the current signal converted by the particle detector 101” [0004]); and a compensator configured to perform processing using the first signal wherein the compensator includes a digitizer (“a transimpedance amplifier receiving a charge signal from a particle detector and converting the charge signal into an analog voltage signal; and a data acquisition system comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to covert the analog voltage signal into digital data” [0009]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Statham with the amplifier circuit of Teng (including a digitizer) in order to reduce the size of a detector circuit “so that building a beam monitoring system having thousands of channels on a circuit board of a reasonable size can be easily achieved” [Teng: 0007].
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Statham et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0252226 in view of Kobayashi et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0114596 in further view Onoguchi et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,420,686.
Regarding claim 6, Statham discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the compensator includes an adder configured to add an amount to the first signal.
Onoguchi discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period (“As the electron beams scans the specimen e, secondary electrons or the like are given off from the specimen e and detected by a detector f. Then, a resulting detection signal is amplified by an amplifier g and subsequently fed to a Braun tube (Cathode-ray tube) h, where an image of the specimen is displayed” [col. 1; lines 26-31]); and a compensator including an adder configured to add an amount to the first signal (“signals from the detectors are first added at an adder and then, either through the amplifier 15 or directly, input to the demodulation selector means D for processing” [col. 7; lines 28-34]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Statham with the adder of Onoguchi in order to combine signals from plural detectors, thereby improving understanding of defect analysis of a sample surface by combining multiple images of the sample, each with different information about the sample.
Regarding claim 7, Statham discloses that the input stage includes a gain unit configured to amplify the first signal to generate an amplified signal (“The charge received at the particle counter 112b from its corresponding pixel 112a is first amplified by the amplifier and is then passed through the discriminator” [0062]).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Statham et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0252226 in view of Kobayashi et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0114596 in further view Yamada et al. U.S. Patent No. 5,449,915.
Regarding claim 14, Statham discloses the claimed invention except that there is no explicit disclosure that the compensator is configured to output a count signal based on processing performed by the compensator.
Yamada discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period; and a compensator configured to output a count signal based on processing performed by the compensator (“a detector can detect the actual electron beam reaching the substrate in accordance with the turning on and turning off of the electron at the round aperture plate 117 with a sufficient response speed. In this case, too, the output of the detector 311 is amplified by the amplifier 302 and is detected in terms of the threshold value by the threshold value detecting circuit 303. The output pulse signals of the detector 303 are counted by the counter 304, and the count result NA is compared by the comparator 306 with the total number NS of the clock pulses counted by the counter 305. In the same way as in the first embodiment, the comparator 306 outputs the alarm signal when a difference is detected between the count result NA and the count result NS” [col. 10; lines 13-27]).
It would have been obvious to one possessing ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Statham with the counting compensator of Yamada in order to provide an accurate determination of a number of defective portions of a sample inspected by a charged particle beam device, wherein a detector is used to convert secondary particles to a signal which can be used in evaluating the sample.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 8; Statham et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2014/0252226 discloses that “the particle detector provides two adjustable thresholds so that it can be operated as a band pass electronic filter” [0040], and that “the apparatus further comprises a control device operable, in use, to adjust the at least one adjustable energy threshold between a first setting and a second setting. For example, at the first setting each of the particle counters may be adapted to provide electronic energy filtering acting as a band-pass filter and at the second setting each of the array of sensors may be adapted to provide electronic energy filtering acting as a high-pass filter” [0031], there is no explicit disclosure that the compensator is configured to change the adjustable threshold to a second threshold when the first signal crosses a first adjustable threshold.
Trease et al. U.S. Patent No. 9,805,910 discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period (“a detector configured to produce a signal in response to detection of secondary charged particles generated as a result of an interaction between the primary beam of energetic particles and the location of interest” [col. 2; lines 32-40]); and a compensator (characterizing module) configured to perform processing using the first signal based on a predetermined characteristic of a charged particle arrival event on the detector (“a signal processor coupled to the detector configured to measure the transient behavior of generation of the secondary charged particles from the signal produced by the detector, and a characterizing module configured to characterize the location of interest by comparing the measured transient behavior to a predetermined reference transient behavior” [col. 2; lines 40-46]); however, Trease does not disclose changing an adjustable threshold to a second threshold.
Hatano et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0328846 discloses a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period (“a detector that detects a signal obtained from the sample through the irradiation of the light or electron beam” [Abstract]); and a compensator configured to perform processing using the first signal based on a predetermined characteristic of a charged particle arrival event on the detector (“a defect detection unit that detects a defect candidate on the sample through the comparison of a signal output by the detector and a prescribed threshold” [Abstract]); wherein the compensator is configured to compare the first signal to an adjustable threshold and to change the adjustable threshold to a second threshold (“if the proportion of defect candidates that appropriate judgement thereof has been made is less than 80%, the above criterion is not met. In this case, the resetting of the threshold (step 913) or the adjustment of the threshold (step 922) needs to be performed” [0087]). However, Hatano does not disclose that changing the adjustable threshold to a second threshold is conditional upon the signal crossing the first threshold.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a circuit for a charged particle detector comprising: a component configured to generate a first signal that is based on a charged particle impacting a sensing element of the charged particle detector within a period; and a compensator configured to compare the first signal to an adjustable threshold and, when the adjustable threshold is a first threshold and the first signal crosses the threshold, change the adjustable threshold to a second threshold.
Regarding claims 9, 10, 11, and 12; these claims would be allowable at least for their dependence upon claim 8.
Conclusion
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/JASON L MCCORMACK/Examiner, Art Unit 2881