DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to Applicant’s reply filed 6/9/2026.
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 .
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim Status
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined herein on the merits.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 5 should read: “and including a transport hand”
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 20 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.
Regarding claim 20, the last portion of the claim beginning at “wherein the focus ring is coupled to a component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing and transported by the transport robot” and extending to the end of the claim is regarded as indefinite in light of the disclosure as a whole.
Particularly, the claim creates two conflicting scenarios: 1) wherein the focus ring is coupled to both the substrate support and the component carrier at the same time, and 2) where the focus ring is capable of being transported by the component carrier structure when said structure is transported by the transport robot.
In the interest of compact and expedited prosecution, the Examiner regards the claim as reading:
“wherein the transport robot comprises a component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing,
wherein the component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing is configured such that a lower surface thereof is in contact with the transport hand, and on an upper surface thereof, a ring support pad generating frictional force with the focus ring is installed to come into contact with the focus ring, and comprises:
a first vacuum hole formed through the upper surface;
a second vacuum hole formed through the lower surface; and
an air passage provided between the first vacuum hole and the second vacuum hole,
wherein the focus ring can be coupled to the component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing and transported by the transport robot.”
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 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Miwa (US Pub. 2015/0021944).
Regarding claims 1, 9, 11, and 13, Miwa teaches a component transport system for semiconductor manufacturing (Figs. 1-11, pars. [0044]-[0120], carrier device #10), the system comprising: a component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing configured to transport a component while in contact with the component (Fig. 4, layers #296+295; [0068] describes the object carrying capability); a transport hand configured to contact a lower surface of the component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing (Fig. 4, layers #294+293+292+291 contacting #295-296); and a transport arm configured to drive the transport hand (Fig. 1, arm mechanism #710), wherein the component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing comprises: a first vacuum hole formed through an upper surface thereof (Fig. 4, hole in #296); a second vacuum hole formed through the lower surface thereof (Fig. 4, hole in #295); and an air passage provided between the first vacuum hole and the second vacuum hole (Fig. 4, open volume therebetween).
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Regarding claims 2, 6, and 14, Miwa teaches a component support pad (Fig. 4, layer #297) configured to include a through hole installed on the upper surface to generate frictional force with component part and communicate with the first vacuum hole (Fig. 4, opening in fluid contact with volume below; par. [0068] describes the object carrying capability), wherein the first vacuum hole is formed in a portion where the component support pad is installed (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claims 3, 4, 7, 8, and 15, Miwa teaches wherein the first vacuum hole is provided in plural (see Figs. 2,4) and wherein one second vacuum hole is provided (see Figs. 2, 4, several holes could be interpreted as the “one second vacuum hole”).
Regarding claims 5 and 16, Miwa teaches wherein the second vacuum hole is provided at a position capable of communicating with a vacuum hole formed in the transport hand (see Figs. 2, 4: holes are all in fluid communication).
Regarding claims 10 and 12, wherein the air passage comprises: a first air passage configured to connect the second vacuum hole to any one of the first vacuum holes; and a second air passage configured to connect all of the first vacuum holes with each other (see Figs. 2 and 4, various different connecting areas could be construed as a first passage and a second passage in the overall assembly, as gas flowing therethrough would naturally have more than one path).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miwa (US Pub. 2015/0021944), as applied to claims 1-16 above, and further in view of Sarode Vishwanath (US Pub. 2021/0351063 – “Vishwanath”).
The limitations of claims 1-16 are set forth above.
Regarding claim 17, Miwa does not teach wherein a friction pad including a through hole having a larger cross-sectional area than the vacuum hole is provided on an upper part of the vacuum hole formed in the transport hand, and the second vacuum hole communicates with the through hole of the friction pad.
However, Vishwanath teaches a friction pad including a through hole as claimed (Vishwanath – [0037]-[0038] and Fig. 4D, receptables #225; would be capable of fluid communication as combined with Miwa).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to modify the Miwa apparatus to include the friction pad of Vishwanath in order to engage a supporting structure and prevent relative movement therebetween (Vishwanath – [0037]).
Regarding claim 18, Miwa teaches wherein the first vacuum hole is provided in plural (see Figs. 2,4) and wherein one second vacuum hole is provided (see Figs. 2, 4, several holes could be interpreted as the “one second vacuum hole”).
Regarding claim 19, Miwa teaches wherein the air passage connects the second vacuum hole and the first vacuum hole with each other (Fig. 4, open volume connects hole in #296 with hole in #295).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US Pub. 2019/0355611) in view of Miwa (US Pub. 2015/0021944).
Regarding claim 20, Kim teaches a plasma processing facility (Fig. 1, entirety), comprising: a process chamber in which plasma treatment is performed on a substrate (Fig. 1, process chambers #260; [0017] for plasma); and a transport robot configured to transport the substrate to the process chamber (Fig. 1, transfer robot #250), and including a transport hand for supporting the substrate from a bottom (Fig. 1, hands #252) and a transport arm for driving the transport hand (Fig. 1, robot arms not labeled), wherein the process chamber comprises: a housing having a processing space therein (Fig. 2, housing #1100 with internal space); a support unit supporting the substrate in the processing space (Fig. 2, substrate support unit #1200); a gas supply unit supplying a process gas to the processing space (Fig. 2, gas supply unit #1300); and a plasma source generating plasma from the process gas (Fig. 2, plasma source #1400), wherein the support unit comprises: an electrostatic chuck on which the substrate is placed ([0058]: describes #1200 as an electrostatic chuck); and a focus ring provided to surround the substrate placed on the electrostatic chuck ([0061] and Fig. 2, edge ring #1250 concentrates the plasma), and detachably provided from the electrostatic chuck (Fig. 2, shown as two distinct and separate components, thus are regarded as “detachably provided”).
Kim does not teach wherein the focus ring is coupled to a component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing and transported by the transport robot, wherein the component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing is configured such that a lower surface thereof is in contact with the transport hand, and on an upper surface thereof, a ring support pad generating frictional force with the focus ring is installed to come into contact with the focus ring, and comprises: a first vacuum hole formed through the upper surface; a second vacuum hole formed through the lower surface; and an air passage provided between the first vacuum hole and the second vacuum hole.
However, Miwa teaches wherein a component carrier for semiconductor manufacturing (Fig. 4, layers #296+295; [0068] describes the object carrying capability) is configured such that a lower surface thereof is in contact with a transport hand (Fig. 4, layers #294+293+292+291 contacting #295-296), and on an upper surface thereof, a ring support pad (Fig. 4, layer #297) generating frictional force with the focus ring is installed to come into contact with the focus ring (Fig. 4, opening in fluid contact with volume below; par. [0068] describes the object carrying capability), and comprises: a first vacuum hole formed through the upper surface (Fig. 4, hole in #296); a second vacuum hole formed through the lower surface (Fig. 4, hole in #295); and an air passage provided between the first vacuum hole and the second vacuum hole (Fig. 4, open volume therebetween).
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It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to modify the Kim apparatus to comprise the carrying structure of Miwa in order to securely carry an object via negative pressure/suction (Miwa – [0012]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Volfovski (US 2020/0373194) teaches a ring adaptor with similar features to Vishwanath (Figs. 4A-7B).
Kong (US 2020/0105571) teaches an end effector with vacuum pads (Fig. 6), as does Bogner (US 2018/0215049, Fig. 1), Kim (US 2017/0372933, Fig. 5), and Matsuhira (US 9,829,802).
Wu (US 10,319,614) teaches a wafer leveling device with features similar to the claimed holding structure (Fig. 1).
Matsuhira (US 10,319,623) teaches a multi-layered vacuum holding structure for an end effector (Fig. 3).
Genetti (US 2017/0117172) is an English related application to KR10-2017-0054248, provided by Applicant on the attached IDS.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kurt Sweely whose telephone number is (571)272-8482. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gordon Baldwin can be reached at (571)-272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Kurt Sweely/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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