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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was filed on 11/13/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-3, 5, and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
“each of the resistance element” in Claim 2, Line 3 should read “each of the resistance elements”.
“to independently apply DC voltage” in Claim 2, Line 4 should read “to apply the DC voltage independently”.
“DC supply unit” in Claim 3, Line 1 should read “DC supply units”.
“each of the resistance element” in Claim 3, Line 2 should read “each of the resistance elements”.
“for processing voltage value” in Claim 5, Line 2 should read “for processing a voltage value”.
“ESC” in Claim 10, Line 1 should be spelled out prior to using the abbreviation.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-10 are 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 1 recites the limitation "the DC voltage control" in Line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 recites a DC voltage but not a DC voltage control prior to the recitation of “the DC voltage control”.
Claim 10 recites the limitations “a DC voltage”, “an AC input terminal”, “a transformer”, “a rectifier”, “a DC output terminal”, and “an insulation member”. However, Claim 10 already discloses each of these limitations (in particular in Claims 1 and 9). Therefore, it is unclear if each of these limitations in Claim 10 are the same as or different from the respective limitations in Claims 1 and 9.
Claims 2-9 are rejected due to their dependence upon rejected independent Claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-7, and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada (US Publication No: 2021/0389786).
Regarding Claim 1: Yamada discloses a substrate support unit comprising a susceptor (Figure 2, No. 6) supporting a substrate (“W”); a resistance element (6a, 6c) provided in the susceptor to heat the substrate (Paragraph [0040], Lines 1-2); a DC supply unit (13) directly connected to the resistance element to apply DC voltage (Paragraph [0039]); and a control unit (200) for calculating a temperature of the resistance element by measuring a voltage value and a resistance value of the resistance element and adjusting the temperature of the resistance element through the DC voltage (Paragraph [0065]).
Regarding Claim 2: Yamada discloses the unit according to Claim 1, wherein the susceptor is divided into two or more areas (Figure 2, left and right area of susceptor 6), and the resistance element is disposed in each of the two or more areas (Figure 2 – resistance element 6a, 6c is disclosed in each area), and the DC supply unit is directly connected to each of the resistance elements disposed in the two or more areas to independently apply DC voltage (Figure 2 – DC supply unit is directly connected to 6a).
Regarding Claim 6: Yamada discloses the unit according to Claim 1, wherein a resistance-temperature table in which the resistance values of the resistance element are converted into temperatures is stored in the control unit (Figure 7; Paragraphs [0063]-[0065]).
Regarding Claim 7: Yamada discloses the unit according to Claim 6, wherein the temperatures in the resistance-temperature table are determined by an equation according to resistances and temperatures of the resistance element (Paragraphs [0063]-[0065]).
Regarding Claim 11: Yamada discloses a temperature control method of a substrate supporting unit having a susceptor (6) provided with a resistance element (6a, 6c) for heating a substrate (Paragraph [0040], Lines 1-2), the method comprising the steps of measuring a resistance value of the resistance element (Paragraph [0065]); calculating a temperature of the resistance element corresponding to the measured resistance value (Paragraphs [0063]-[0065]); and generating a resistance-temperature table including the resistance value and the temperature of the resistance element by repeating the steps of measuring a resistance value of the resistance element and calculating a temperature corresponding to the measured resistance value (Figure 7; Paragraphs [0063]-[0065]).
Regarding Claim 12: Yamada discloses the method according to Claim 11, further comprising the step of adjusting the temperature of the resistance element in a process for the substrate, wherein the step of adjusting the temperature of the resistance element includes the steps of supplying DC voltage to the resistance element from a DC supply unit (13) (Paragraph [0039]); measuring a resistance value of the resistance element; extracting a temperature corresponding to the measured resistance value of the resistance from the resistance-temperature table (Paragraph [0065]); and adjusting the DC voltage supplied from the DC supply unit to the resistance element by comparing the extracted temperature value with a temperature required in a process for the substrate (Paragraph [0047]).
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) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada in view of Maccioni (US Publication No: 2021/0389786).
Regarding Claim 5: Yamada discloses the unit according to Claim 1; however, Yamada fails to disclose the control unit being provided with an analog-digital converter (ADC) channel for processing voltage value of the resistance element and an analog-digital converter channel for processing resistance values of the resistance element.
Maccioni teaches a substrate support unit (Figure 1, No. 10) comprising a controller having an analog-digital converter channel (30) for processing voltage value of the resistance element and an analog-digital converter channel (30) for processing resistance values of the resistance element (Paragraph [0059]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the unit of Yamada with an analog-to-digital converter, as taught by Maccioni, for the purpose of keeping the power consumption of the unit low and the flexibility high, since the analog readout can stay powered off for most of the time, while also making the power efficiency and temperature stability high (Paragraph [0040]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 8-10, and 13 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to disclose a substrate support unit as claimed in Claim 1 and a temperature control method as claimed in Claim 11, wherein two or more DC supply units are provided to be independently connected to each of the resistance elements, wherein the susceptor is divided into a first area disposed in a center region and a second area disposed in an edge region, and the resistance element includes a first resistance element disposed in the first area and a second resistance element disposed in the second area, wherein the temperatures in the resistance-temperature table are provided through calibration of calculating a resistance value per unit temperature or a temperature coefficient of resistance by directly measuring the temperatures of the resistance element or the substrate, or wherein the DC supply unit includes an AC input terminal for receiving AC voltage, a transformer, a rectifier for converting AC to DC, and a DC output terminal for outputting DC voltage, and an insulation member is included in the transformer. Yamada discloses a DC supply unit and first and second areas of the susceptor; however, Yamada fails to disclose two or more DC supply units provided to be independently connected to each of the resistance elements, the susceptor being divided into a first area disposed in a center region and a second area disposed in an edge region, and the resistance element includes a first resistance element disposed in the first area and a second resistance element disposed in the second area, the temperatures in the resistance-temperature table being provided through calibration, or the DC supply unit includes an AC input terminal for receiving AC voltage, a transformer, a rectifier for converting AC to DC, and a DC output terminal for outputting DC voltage, and an insulation member is included in the transformer. The prior art fails to disclose a unit as claimed in Claims 3-4 and 8-10 or a method as claimed in Claim 13; therefore, Claims 3-4, 8-10, and 13 contain allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L SEHN whose telephone number is (571)270-3564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM-6 PM, every other Friday off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L SEHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745