DETAILED ACTION
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.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-20 are allowed.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4, 7-8, and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable by
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0105509 (Drewery).
Claim 1:
The cited prior art describes a method for providing vacuum to a factory interface within a processing system operable for transporting semiconductor substrates, comprising: (Drewery: “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “Additionally, the processing apparatus 100 may be coupled to a transfer chamber that allows robotics to transfer substrates into and out of the plasma chamber 132 using automation.” Paragraph 0044; “substrate transfers into and out of a tool” paragraph 0052)
receiving, from one or more sensors, data regarding vacuum provided to the factory interface; and (Drewery: “Such determinations may be made using one or more sensors in the vacuum pump system. For example, purge times can be measured for purging deposition precursors, etch gases, and deposition byproducts from the vacuum pump system using residual gas analysis (RGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis, or other suitable gas analysis. In some embodiments, the etch gases include hydrogen bromide and the deposition precursors include an amino-silane precursor.” Paragraph 0076)
causing, based on the data, a vacuum ejector to provide vacuum to the factory interface. (Drewery: see the venturi pump 910 as illustrated in figure 9 and as described in paragraph 0110; “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: heat surfaces of a pump of the vacuum pump system 130 to an elevated temperature. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: purge the one or more etch gases or the one or more deposition precursors from the vacuum pump system 130 according to a purge time determined by residual gas analysis (RGA) or Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: perform a clean operation using reactive gases that flow through the vacuum pump system 130 before or after the etch operation.” Paragraph 0048; “In some implementations, the gas ejector is a venturi pump connected to the outlet of the roughing pump, where the venturi pump is configured to flow injection gas a body of the venturi pump and mixes with the exhausted deposition precursors and etch gases in the body of the venturi pump.” Paragraph 0013; “In the alternative, a plurality of venturi pumps operate as the primary pump or backing pump of a vacuum pump system. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected in series and/or in parallel to provide a multi-stage venturi backing pump. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected to an exhaust of a processing chamber, where the processing chamber is configured to perform deposition and etch operations. The plurality of venturi pumps may serve to exhaust deposition precursors and etch gases from the processing chamber. In some implementations, the plurality of venturi pumps may be configured to bring the processing chamber to a “partial” vacuum or “rough” vacuum, where the processing chamber may be brought to a pressure between about 1 Torr and atmosphere. Instead of using a roughing pump, the plurality of venturi pumps can serve the same or similar function as the roughing pump except without any moving parts. In some implementations, a number of the plurality of venturi pumps may be between about 2 and about 6. Using a plurality of venturi pumps as a primary pump in a vacuum pump system can avoid unwanted byproduct formation from deposition precursors and etch gases. An example of a vacuum pump system using a plurality of venturi pumps as a backing pump or primary pump for a processing chamber is shown in FIG. 9.” Paragraph 0102)
Claim 2:
The cited prior art describes the method of claim 1, wherein causing the vacuum ejector to provide the vacuum comprises causing clean dry air (CDA) to flow to the vacuum ejector. (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
Claim 4:
The cited prior art describes the method of claim 1, wherein causing the vacuum ejector to provide the vacuum comprises causing clean dry air (CDA) at a pressure between approximately 200 kilopascals (kPa) and 250 kPa to flow to the vacuum ejector. (Drewery: “In some implementations, the injection gas is flowed at a pressure between about 40 psig and about 80 psig.” Paragraph 0106)
Claim 7:
The cited prior art describes a system operable for transporting semiconductor substrates, comprising: (Drewery: “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “Additionally, the processing apparatus 100 may be coupled to a transfer chamber that allows robotics to transfer substrates into and out of the plasma chamber 132 using automation.” Paragraph 0044; “substrate transfers into and out of a tool” paragraph 0052)
a factory interface; (Drewery: “FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an example processing apparatus for performing etch and deposition operations according to some implementations. The processing apparatus 100 may be an inductively coupled plasma processing apparatus. The processing apparatus 100 includes a plasma chamber 132 such as a plasma etch chamber.” Paragraph 0032)
one or more robots disposed within the factory interface; and (Drewery: “Additionally, the processing apparatus 100 may be coupled to a transfer chamber that allows robotics to transfer substrates into and out of the plasma chamber 132 using automation.” Paragraph 0044)
a vacuum ejector operable to provide vacuum to the factory interface. (Drewery: see the venturi pump 910 as illustrated in figure 9 and as described in paragraph 0110; “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: heat surfaces of a pump of the vacuum pump system 130 to an elevated temperature. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: purge the one or more etch gases or the one or more deposition precursors from the vacuum pump system 130 according to a purge time determined by residual gas analysis (RGA) or Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: perform a clean operation using reactive gases that flow through the vacuum pump system 130 before or after the etch operation.” Paragraph 0048; “In some implementations, the gas ejector is a venturi pump connected to the outlet of the roughing pump, where the venturi pump is configured to flow injection gas a body of the venturi pump and mixes with the exhausted deposition precursors and etch gases in the body of the venturi pump.” Paragraph 0013; “In the alternative, a plurality of venturi pumps operate as the primary pump or backing pump of a vacuum pump system. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected in series and/or in parallel to provide a multi-stage venturi backing pump. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected to an exhaust of a processing chamber, where the processing chamber is configured to perform deposition and etch operations. The plurality of venturi pumps may serve to exhaust deposition precursors and etch gases from the processing chamber. In some implementations, the plurality of venturi pumps may be configured to bring the processing chamber to a “partial” vacuum or “rough” vacuum, where the processing chamber may be brought to a pressure between about 1 Torr and atmosphere. Instead of using a roughing pump, the plurality of venturi pumps can serve the same or similar function as the roughing pump except without any moving parts. In some implementations, a number of the plurality of venturi pumps may be between about 2 and about 6. Using a plurality of venturi pumps as a primary pump in a vacuum pump system can avoid unwanted byproduct formation from deposition precursors and etch gases. An example of a vacuum pump system using a plurality of venturi pumps as a backing pump or primary pump for a processing chamber is shown in FIG. 9.” Paragraph 0102)
Claim 8:
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 7, further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the vacuum ejector. (Drewery: “The processing apparatus 100 may further include a system controller 108. The system controller 108 (which may include one or more physical or logical controllers) controls some or all of the operations of the processing apparatus 100. The system controller 108 may include one or more memory devices and one or more processors. The processor may include a central processing unit (CPU) or computer, analog and/or digital input/output connections, stepper motor controller boards, and other like components. Instructions for implementing appropriate control operations are executed on the processor. These instructions may be stored on the memory devices associated with the system controller 108 they may be provided over a network. In certain implementations, the system controller 108 executes system control software.” Paragraph 0045; “The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: heat surfaces of a pump of the vacuum pump system 130 to an elevated temperature. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: purge the one or more etch gases or the one or more deposition precursors from the vacuum pump system 130 according to a purge time determined by residual gas analysis (RGA) or Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: perform a clean operation using reactive gases that flow through the vacuum pump system 130 before or after the etch operation.” Paragraph 0048)
Claim 10:
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 7, wherein the vacuum ejector is operable to provide the vacuum to the factory interface in response to a flow of clean dry air (CDA) to the vacuum ejector. (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
Claim 11:
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 10, wherein the flow of CDA is at a pressure between approximately 200 kilopascals (kPa) and 250 kPa. (Drewery: “In some implementations, the injection gas is flowed at a pressure between about 40 psig and about 80 psig.” Paragraph 0106)
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 3 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0105509 (Drewery) in view of
Chinese Patent Publication CN 1277366A (Schlager) (citations to English translation).
Claim 3:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a regulator as described below. However, Schlager teaches the regulator as described below.
The cited prior art describes the method of claim 1, wherein causing the vacuum ejector to provide the vacuum comprises causing a regulator to change a flow rate of clean dry air (CDA) to the vacuum ejector. (Schlager: “A vacuum source controlled by a bidirectional valve 80, the valve regulating compressed air source 85 to the feed of the vacuum ejector pump 86. Another selection, it can use another vacuum source of regenerative blower (regenerative osing). compressed gas C is controlled by a bidirectional valve 81 of the compressed air source 87. shade is controlled by a bidirectional valve 82 vacuum of 28. a programmed logic controller (PLC) for controlling each valve and with the correct timing sequence control the assembly.”) (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Drewery, namely, a vacuum pump system for a processing chamber, with the known techniques of Schlager, namely, a vacuum system for processing of articles, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. Accordingly, applying the teachings of Drewery to provide a vacuum system for processing wafers with the teachings of Schlager to provide a vacuum system for processing articles would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as resulting in an improved vacuum system system (i.e., using various components to control a vacuum system of Drewery based on the teachings of using various components to control a vacuum system in Schlager).
Claim 9:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a regulator as described below. However, Schlager teaches the regulator as described below.
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 7, further comprising a clean dry air (CDA) regulator operable to control a flow rate of CDA to the vacuum ejector. (Schlager: “A vacuum source controlled by a bidirectional valve 80, the valve regulating compressed air source 85 to the feed of the vacuum ejector pump 86. Another selection, it can use another vacuum source of regenerative blower (regenerative osing). compressed gas C is controlled by a bidirectional valve 81 of the compressed air source 87. shade is controlled by a bidirectional valve 82 vacuum of 28. a programmed logic controller (PLC) for controlling each valve and with the correct timing sequence control the assembly.”) (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
Drewery and Schlager are combinable for the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 3.
Claims 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0105509 (Drewery) in view of
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0134827 (Wagner).
Claim 5:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a flow rate as described below. However, Wagner teaches the flow rate as described below.
The cited prior art describes the method of claim 4, wherein causing CDA to flow to the vacuum ejector comprises causing the CDA to flow at a flow rate between approximately 35 liters/minute (L/min) and 60 L/min. (Wagner: see the ejector operating at various liters / minute including between 0-100 l/min as illustrated in figure 1) (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Drewery, namely, a vacuum pump system for a processing chamber, with the known techniques of Wagner, namely, a vacuum system, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. Accordingly, applying the teachings of Drewery to provide a vacuum system for processing wafers with the teachings of Wagner to provide a vacuum system for an end effector would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as resulting in an improved vacuum system (i.e., using various operating mechanisms to control a vacuum system of Drewery based on the teachings of using various operating mechanisms to control a vacuum system in Wagner).
Claim 12:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a flow rate as described below. However, Wagner teaches the flow rate as described below.
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 10, wherein the flow of CDA is at a flow rate between approximately 35 liters/minute (L/min) and 60 L/min. (Wagner: see the ejector operating at various liters / minute including between 0-100 l/min as illustrated in figure 1) (Drewery: “The injection gas is provided through a body of the venturi pump 700. The injection gas mixes with the exhaust gases of the roughing pump received from the first connector 710. In some implementations, the injection gas includes an inert gas such as helium (He), N.sub.2, or clean dry air.” Paragraph 0103)
Drewery and Wagner are combinable for the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 5.
Claims 6 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0105509 (Drewery) in view of
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0090966 (Newman).
Claim 6:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a FOUP and associated components as described below. However, Wagner teaches the FOUP and associated components as described below.
The cited prior art describes the method of claim 1, further comprising:
causing a carrier with a substrate disposed thereon to move from a front opening unified pod (FOUP) to an interior of the factory interface prior to causing the vacuum ejector to provide the vacuum to the factory interface; and (Newman: “The processing system includes a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) load lock and a vacuum system.” Paragraph 0005; “The interior space 202 of the FOUP load lock 104 is fluidly connected to the vacuum system (e.g., vacuum pump 150 via throttle valve 152 (not illustrated in FIG. 2)). After transferring the FOUP 204 into the FOUP load lock 104 and closing the load lock isolation door 232 over the load lock door opening 230, the vacuum system can pump down the interior space 202 to a low pressure and/or a vacuum. The FOUP 204 can be vented during the pump down to create a vacuum in the FOUP 204 that is in equilibrium with the interior space 202. In some examples, the FOUP 204 can be fluidly coupled to the vacuum system to pump an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen (N.sub.2)) to the FOUP 204 and purge the inert gas from the FOUP 204. The pressure of gas in the FOUP 204 can be greater than the pressure in the interior space 202. By purging an inert gas in the FOUP 204, substrates in the FOUP 204 can remain clean.” Paragraph 0029) (Drewery: see the venturi pump 910 as illustrated in figure 9 and as described in paragraph 0110; “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: heat surfaces of a pump of the vacuum pump system 130 to an elevated temperature. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: purge the one or more etch gases or the one or more deposition precursors from the vacuum pump system 130 according to a purge time determined by residual gas analysis (RGA) or Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: perform a clean operation using reactive gases that flow through the vacuum pump system 130 before or after the etch operation.” Paragraph 0048; “In some implementations, the gas ejector is a venturi pump connected to the outlet of the roughing pump, where the venturi pump is configured to flow injection gas a body of the venturi pump and mixes with the exhausted deposition precursors and etch gases in the body of the venturi pump.” Paragraph 0013; “In the alternative, a plurality of venturi pumps operate as the primary pump or backing pump of a vacuum pump system. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected in series and/or in parallel to provide a multi-stage venturi backing pump. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected to an exhaust of a processing chamber, where the processing chamber is configured to perform deposition and etch operations. The plurality of venturi pumps may serve to exhaust deposition precursors and etch gases from the processing chamber. In some implementations, the plurality of venturi pumps may be configured to bring the processing chamber to a “partial” vacuum or “rough” vacuum, where the processing chamber may be brought to a pressure between about 1 Torr and atmosphere. Instead of using a roughing pump, the plurality of venturi pumps can serve the same or similar function as the roughing pump except without any moving parts. In some implementations, a number of the plurality of venturi pumps may be between about 2 and about 6. Using a plurality of venturi pumps as a primary pump in a vacuum pump system can avoid unwanted byproduct formation from deposition precursors and etch gases. An example of a vacuum pump system using a plurality of venturi pumps as a backing pump or primary pump for a processing chamber is shown in FIG. 9.” Paragraph 0102)
causing the carrier with the substrate to move from the interior of the factory interface into a load lock subsequent to causing the vacuum ejector to provide the vacuum to the factory interface. (Newman: “The processing system includes a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) load lock and a vacuum system.” Paragraph 0005; “The interior space 202 of the FOUP load lock 104 is fluidly connected to the vacuum system (e.g., vacuum pump 150 via throttle valve 152 (not illustrated in FIG. 2)). After transferring the FOUP 204 into the FOUP load lock 104 and closing the load lock isolation door 232 over the load lock door opening 230, the vacuum system can pump down the interior space 202 to a low pressure and/or a vacuum. The FOUP 204 can be vented during the pump down to create a vacuum in the FOUP 204 that is in equilibrium with the interior space 202. In some examples, the FOUP 204 can be fluidly coupled to the vacuum system to pump an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen (N.sub.2)) to the FOUP 204 and purge the inert gas from the FOUP 204. The pressure of gas in the FOUP 204 can be greater than the pressure in the interior space 202. By purging an inert gas in the FOUP 204, substrates in the FOUP 204 can remain clean.” Paragraph 0029) (Drewery: see the venturi pump 910 as illustrated in figure 9 and as described in paragraph 0110; “A vacuum pump system 130 is connected to the plasma chamber 132 and may be used to draw out process gases from the plasma chamber 132 and to maintain a certain pressure within the plasma chamber 132.” Paragraph 0043; “The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: heat surfaces of a pump of the vacuum pump system 130 to an elevated temperature. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: purge the one or more etch gases or the one or more deposition precursors from the vacuum pump system 130 according to a purge time determined by residual gas analysis (RGA) or Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) gas analysis. The system controller 108 may be further configured with instructions for performing the following operation: perform a clean operation using reactive gases that flow through the vacuum pump system 130 before or after the etch operation.” Paragraph 0048; “In some implementations, the gas ejector is a venturi pump connected to the outlet of the roughing pump, where the venturi pump is configured to flow injection gas a body of the venturi pump and mixes with the exhausted deposition precursors and etch gases in the body of the venturi pump.” Paragraph 0013; “In the alternative, a plurality of venturi pumps operate as the primary pump or backing pump of a vacuum pump system. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected in series and/or in parallel to provide a multi-stage venturi backing pump. The plurality of venturi pumps may be connected to an exhaust of a processing chamber, where the processing chamber is configured to perform deposition and etch operations. The plurality of venturi pumps may serve to exhaust deposition precursors and etch gases from the processing chamber. In some implementations, the plurality of venturi pumps may be configured to bring the processing chamber to a “partial” vacuum or “rough” vacuum, where the processing chamber may be brought to a pressure between about 1 Torr and atmosphere. Instead of using a roughing pump, the plurality of venturi pumps can serve the same or similar function as the roughing pump except without any moving parts. In some implementations, a number of the plurality of venturi pumps may be between about 2 and about 6. Using a plurality of venturi pumps as a primary pump in a vacuum pump system can avoid unwanted byproduct formation from deposition precursors and etch gases. An example of a vacuum pump system using a plurality of venturi pumps as a backing pump or primary pump for a processing chamber is shown in FIG. 9.” Paragraph 0102)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Drewery, namely, a vacuum pump system for a processing chamber, with the known techniques of Newman, namely, a processing system with a FOUP load lock, would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved system. Accordingly, applying the teachings of Drewery to provide a vacuum system for processing wafers with the teachings of Newman to utilize various components to move FOUPs would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art as resulting in an improved vacuum system (i.e., using various components with a vacuum system of Drewery based on the teachings of using various components for a processing system in Newman).
Claim 13:
Drewery does not explicitly describe a load lock and associated components as described below. However, Wagner teaches the load lock and associated components as described below.
The cited prior art describes the system of claim 7, further comprising:
a load lock; (Newman: see the load lock 104 as illustrated in figures 2, 3, 4)
a door operable to open and close, wherein an interior of the load lock and the interior of the factory interface are in fluidic communication while the door is open, and wherein the interior of the load lock is fluidically isolated from the interior of the factory interface while the door is closed; and (Newman: see the door closed as illustrated in figure 4 and the door open as illustrated in figure 5; “The shuttle is operable to position the FOUP 204 such that a FOUP door 250 of the FOUP 204 is abutting a FOUP door opener 252 of the FOUP load lock 104. The FOUP door opener 252 is proximate an interface between the interior space 202 of the FOUP load lock 104 and the transfer chamber 106. For example, the FOUP door opener 252 is at a lateral sidewall of the FOUP load lock 104 (and within the interior space 202) opposite from the lateral sidewall of the FOUP load lock 104 that has the load lock door opening 230. The FOUP door opener 252 is operable to attach to the FOUP door 250 and to then open the FOUP door 250.” Paragraph 0030)
a vacuum pump operable to remove gas from the interior of the load lock, wherein the factory interface is fluidically isolated from the vacuum pump while the door is closed. (Newman: “With the load lock isolation door 232 closing the load lock door opening 230, the vacuum system pumps down the interior space 202 to a lower pressure or a vacuum.” Paragraph 0046; see the doors closed as illustrated in figure 10)
Drewery and Newman are combinable for the same rationale as set forth above with respect to claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0017025 describes a vacuum generator.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0262036 describes a process load lock apparatus.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0130738 describes a vacuum processing apparatus.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER E EVERETT whose telephone number is (571)272-2851. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Eastern).
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/Christopher E. Everett/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116