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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3, 7-10, 13, 16, 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (US 2023/0207294) in view of KR 000’ (KR 102749000).
Regarding claim 1, Jin teaches a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a chamber defining an inner space (20, fig. 1);
a support (32) configured to support a substrate (W) in the inner space;
a ring (36, 110, fig. 1) disposed on an edge area of the support unit when viewed from above;
a power supply configured to generate RF power for forming an electric field in the inner space (62, fig. 1, [0036]);
and a harmonic control circuitry (130) connected to the ring unit (36, 110) to and configured control harmonics generated by the RF power [0055].
the harmonic control unit includes:
a first filtering circuity (133, [0061]) configured to block a frequency component of the RF power [0061] from flowing toward a ground (Fig. 3);
and a second filtering circuitry provided between the first filtering circuitry (133) and the ground to remove the harmonics:
wherein the second filtering circuitry includes:
a first blocking filter (134, band pass filter [0084]) configured to block frequency components (band pass filters [0084]);
and a first harmonic control circuit (138) provided between the first blocking filter (134) and the ground (Fig. 3)
a second blocking filter (band pass filter 132, [0084]) configured to block frequency components (band pass filters [0084], fig. 7);
and a second harmonic control circuit (136, band pass filter [0084]) provided between the second blocking filter and the ground (Fig. 7).
Jin does teach its blocking filters to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic (the harmonic frequency) among the harmonics and other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics;
KR 000’ is directed to controlling plasma uniformity using high and low band pass filters. It teaches a ring 538 is used with plasma control circuit 700 to control impedance in an edge area of the plasma (pg. 12 of translation). Kr 000’ acknowledges the effect on plasma within the chamber of 2nd to 5th harmonics of ultra short waves(bottom pg. 7, fig. 7) and teaches control over these harmonics allows for adjusting plasma uniformity for wafer processing (pg. 8). Plasma control circuit 700 using a high pass filter to pass only harmonic components of ultrashort waves (pg. 13). Therefore the examiner takes the position that KR 000’ teaches a blocking filter (high pass filter) configured to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic (the harmonic frequency) among the harmonics and other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics (pg. 13).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify first blocking filter of Jin to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic among the harmonics
and modify the second blocking filter of Jin to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics, as taught by Kr 000’, because it would control plasma distribution in a plasma chamber (top of pg. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Jin teaches the ring includes: an edge ring (36) disposed to overlap an edge area of the substrate (W) supported by the support unit (32) when viewed from above ([0030-0032], Fig. 1) ;
and a coupling ring (110) disposed below the edge ring (36), and wherein the harmonic control circuitry is connected to the coupling ring [0032].
Regarding claim 3, Jin teaches the coupling ring includes:
a ring electrode (110);
and a ring body (34) formed of an insulating material [0031] and surrounding at least a portion of the ring electrode (110, fig. 1), wherein the harmonic circuitry 130 is electrically connected 112 to the ring electrode.
Regarding claim 7, Jin teaches the first harmonic control circuit (134) includes a first inductor and a first capacitor (Fig. 3),
and the second harmonic control circuit (138) includes a second inductor and a second capacitor (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 8, Jin teaches a controller (140) configured to control the harmonic control circuitry (134) , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are variable capacitors (Fig. 3 [0059-0060]), and wherein the controller is configured to adjust capacitances of the first capacitor and the second capacitor to allow the first harmonic control circuit to constitute a resonance circuit at a frequency of the p-th harmonic and allow the second harmonic control circuit to constitute a resonance circuit at a frequency of the q-th harmonic ([0059-0060]).
Regarding claim 9, Jin teaches a detector unit configured to detect a voltage or current flowing toward or to the harmonic control circuitry [0098].
Regarding claim 10, Jin teaches the controller (140) is configured to adjust at least one of the capacitances of the first capacitor and the second capacitor based on the voltage or current measured by the detector ([0098-0100]).
Regarding claim 13, Jin teaches a harmonic control circuitry that controls harmonics generated in a substrate processing apparatus and is connected to a conductive component (36, 110),
wherein the substrate (W) processing apparatus includes an electrode (40) configured to form an electric field and the conductive component (36, 110) that is installed at a location different from a location of the electrode (40; Fig. 1),
the harmonic control unit comprising:
a first filtering circuitry (133) configured to block a frequency component of RF power from flowing to a ground, the frequency component of the RF power forming the electric field among frequency components flowing into the harmonic control;
and a second filtering circuitry provided between the first filtering circuitry (133) and the ground to remove the harmonics (Fig. 3 and 7, [0059-0060]).
wherein the second filtering circuitry includes:
a first harmonic removal unit (134, 138);
and a second harmonic removal unit (132, 136) configured to remove a frequency component different from a frequency component of the first harmonics removal unit ([0059-0060], [0084]);
wherein the first harmonic remover includes:
a first blocking filter (134, series of band pass filter) configured to block frequency components [0084];
and a first harmonic control circuit (138, series of BPF) provided between the first blocking filter (134) and the ground (Fig. 7),
wherein the second harmonic removal unit (132, 136) includes:
a second blocking filter (series of BPF, 132) configured to block frequency components ([0059-0060], [0084]);
and a second harmonic control circuit (136, series of BPF) provided between the second blocking filter (132) and the ground (138, Fig. 7).
Jin does not explicitly teach a first blocking filter configured to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic among the harmonics, p being a first natural number. Nor does Jin teach a second blocking filter configured to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics.
KR 000’ is directed to controlling plasma uniformity using high and low band pass filters. It teaches a ring 538 is used with plasma control circuit 700 to control impedance in an edge area of the plasma (pg. 12 of translation). Kr 000’ acknowledges the effect on plasma within the chamber of 2nd to 5th harmonics of ultra short waves(bottom pg. 7, fig. 7) and provides teachings that control over these harmonics allows for adjusting plasma uniformity for wafer processing (pg. 8). Plasma control circuit 700 using a high pass filter to pass only harmonic components of ultrashort waves (pg. 13). Therefore the examiner takes the position that KR 000’ teaches a blocking filter (high pass filter) configured to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic (the harmonic frequency) among the harmonics and other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics (pg. 13).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify first blocking filter of Jin to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a p-th harmonic among the harmonics
and modify the second blocking filter of Jin to block frequency components other than a frequency component of a q-th harmonic different from the p-th harmonic, among the harmonics, as taught by Kr 000’, because it would control plasma distribution in a plasma chamber (top of pg. 2).
Regarding claim 16, Jin teaches the first harmonic control circuit (134) and the second harmonic control circuit (138) include a first capacitor and a second capacitor, respectively, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are variable capacitors, and wherein capacitances of the first capacitor and the second capacitor are adjusted to allow the first harmonic control circuit to constitute a resonance circuit at a frequency of the p-th harmonic and allow the second harmonic control circuit to constitute a resonance circuit at a frequency of the q-th harmonic [0059-0060].
Regarding claim 21, Jin teaches the first blocking filter (134 band pass filter) and the first harmonic control circuit (138 band pass filter [0084]) are connected in series (Fig. 3),
wherein the second blocking filter (band pass filter 132) and the second harmonic control circuit (136, fig. 3) are connected in series,
and wherein the first filtering circuitry (133) and the second filtering circuitry (132, 136, fig. 3) are connected in parallel (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 22, Jin teaches the first blocking filter (134) and the first harmonic control circuit (138, Fig. 3) are connected in series,
wherein the second blocking filter (132) and the second harmonic control circuit (136) are connected in series, and
wherein the first harmonic remover (134, 138) and the second harmonic remover (132, 136) are connected in parallel (Fig. 3).
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin and KR 000’ as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Na (KR 20200135114 see translation for citations).
Regarding claim 11, Jin does not teach first, second and third power supplies.
Na teaches the power supply includes:
a first power source (110) configured to apply a first voltage having a first frequency to an electrode forming the electric field;
a second power source (120) configured to apply a second voltage having a second frequency lower than the first frequency to the electrode;
and a third power source (130) configured to apply a third voltage having a third frequency lower than the first frequency and the second frequency to the electrode (pg. 2).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the power supply of Jin by providing a first power source configured to apply a first voltage having a first frequency to an electrode forming the electric field; a second power source configured to apply a second voltage having a second frequency lower than the first frequency to the electrode; and a third power source configured to apply a third voltage having a third frequency lower than the first frequency and the second frequency to the electrode, as taught by Na, because it would allow more than one frequency to be applied to the electrode (pg. 2).
Regarding claim 12, Jin does not teach the first filtering circuitry includes: a first blocking filter configured to block a first frequency component of the first voltage; a second blocking filter configured to block a second frequency component of the second voltage; and a third blocking filter configured to block a third frequency component of the third voltage.
Na teaches the blocking unit includes: a first blocking filter (300-1) configured to block a first frequency component of the first voltage; a second blocking filter (300-2) configured to block a second frequency component of the second voltage; and a third blocking filter (300-3) configured to block a third frequency component of the third voltage (high pass and low pass filters; pg. 3 and 10, FIG. 9, 10).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the power supply of Jin by providing a first blocking filter configured to block a first frequency component of the first voltage; a second blocking filter configured to block a second frequency component of the second voltage; and a third blocking filter configured to block a third frequency component of the third voltage, as taught by Na, because it would allow frequencies to be filtered from the first second and third voltages (pg. 3 and 10).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot because of the new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN J BRAYTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3084. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached at 571 272 8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOHN J BRAYTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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