DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-17 are pending.
The foreign priority applications No. 2021-039630 filed on March 11, 2021 in Japan and No. 2021-087365 filed on May 25, 2021 in Japan have been received and are acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 102 that forms 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, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Young et al. (CN111458982A, with machine translation made of record by the applicant on July 23, 2025).
With regard to claims 1 and 10, Young et al. teach a composition comprising the polymer A-5 and the solvents B-1 and B-2 (Example 5 in Table 1, par.0201), wherein the polymer A-5 is represented by the formula:
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(par.0167-0169).
The polymer A-5 of Young et al. is a polymer comprising a repeating unit of formula (1) in claims 1 and 10, wherein Ar1 is a divalent group comprising an aromatic group having 16 carbon atoms, R0 is a group of formula (1-1), Ar2 and Ar3 are unsubstituted aromatic rings with 6 carbon atoms that form fused ring with the two adjacent carbon atoms, X1 is represented by the formula (iv), R6 is a monovalent organic group with 2 carbon atoms.
The composition in Example 5 of Young et al. anticipates the composition in claim 1, and the polymer A-5 anticipates the polymer in claim 10 of the instant application.
With regard to claims 3 and 12, the polymer A-5 meets the limitations for a polymer wherein Ar1 comprises a hydroxy group.
With regard to claim 5, Young et al. teach that the composition in Example 5 is used to form a resist underlayer film (par.0148).
With regard to claim 8, Young et al. teach that the composition is coated on a substrate to form a resist underlayer, and a photoresist layer is formed on the resist underlayer. The photoresist layer is exposed and developed to form a photoresist pattern, the resist underlayer is etched using the photoresist pattern as a mask (par.0005 and par.0148).
With regard to claim 16, Young et al. teach the reaction of N-ethyl-3-carbazole aldehyde with
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to obtain the polymer A-5 of formula:
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(par.0167-0169).
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is a “first compound comprising an aromatic ring having 16 carbon atoms” in claim 16, and N-ethyl-3-carbazole aldehyde is a “second compound of formula (4-1) wherein R0a is a group of formula (1-1), Ar2 and Ar3 are unsubstituted aromatic rings with 6 carbon atoms that form fused ring with the two adjacent carbon atoms, X1 is represented by the formula (iv), R6 is a monovalent organic group with 2 carbon atoms” in claim 16.
Therefore, the reaction of Young et al. anticipates the method in claim 16 of the instant application.
Claims 1-5, 8-13, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogihara et al. (US 2012/0108071).
With regard to claims 1 and 10, Ogihara et al. teach a polymer obtained from the condensation of a compound of formula:
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with a compound of formula:
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and paraformaldehyde (Polymer 3 in Table 1, par.0142).
The Polymer 3 is represented by the formula:
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(Table 2 in par.0142).
The condensation of
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with
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leads to a repeating unit of formula (1) in claims 1 and 10, wherein Ar1 is a divalent group comprising an aromatic group and having 10 carbon atoms, R0 is represented by the formula (1-2), Ar4 is an unsubstituted aromatic ring having 6 carbon atoms that formed a fused ring structure together with two adjacent carbon atoms, X2 is represented by the formula (i), R1 and R2 are hydrogen atoms (see par.0056 of the specification of the instant application).
Ogihara et al. further teach a composition comprising Polymer 3 and a solvent (par.0143 and SOL-3 in Table 3, par.0144).
The composition anticipates the composition in claim 1, and the Polymer 3 anticipates the polymer in claim 10 of the instant application.
With regard to claims 2 and 11, Polymer 3 meets the limitations for a polymer wherein Ar1 includes a naphthalene ring.
With regard to claims 3 and 12, the Polymer 3 meets the limitations for a polymer wherein Ar1 comprises a hydroxy group.
With regard to claims 4 and 13, the condensation of
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with paraformaldehyde leads a repeating unit of formula (3), wherein Ar5 is a divalent group comprising an aromatic group and having 10 carbon atoms and R1 is a hydrogen atom (see par.0056 of the specification of the instant application).
With regard to claim 5, Ogihara et al. teach that the composition SOL-3 is used to form a resist underlayer film UDL-3(par.0150).
With regard to claims 8 and 9, Ogihara et al. teach a process comprising the steps of:
-applying the resist underlayer film composition (UDL-3) onto a Si wafer substrate and baking for obtain a resist underlayer film;
-applying a resist intermediate film composition containing a silicon atom (SOG-1) onto the resist underlayer film and baking to form a resist intermediate film;
-applying a resist upper layer composition onto the resist intermediate film and baking to form a resist upper layer film (par.0150);
-exposing and developing the resist upper layer film to form a pattern (par.0152); and
-etching the resist underlayer film using the pattern as a mask (par.0153).
With regard to claim 16, Ogihara et al. teach that
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reacts with
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to form a polymer of formula:
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(Polymer 4 in Tables 1 and 2, par.0142).
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is a “first compound comprising an aromatic ring having 10 carbon atoms”, and
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is a “second compound of formula (4-1) wherein R0a is a group of formula (1-2), Ar4 is an unsubstituted aromatic ring with 6 carbon atoms that form fused ring with the two adjacent carbon atoms, X1 is represented by the formula (i), R1 and R2 are hydrogen atoms”.
Therefore, the reaction of Ogihara et al. anticipates the method in claim 16.
With regard to claim 17,
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comprises a naphthalene ring.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, 14, and 15 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.
Young et al. (CN111458982A) and Ogihara et al. (US 2012/0108071) fail to teach the compositions in claims 6 and 7, and polymers in claims 14 and 15.
There are no prior art teachings that would motivate one of ordinary skill to modify Young et al. or Ogihara et al. and obtain the compositions in claims 6 and 7, and polymers in claims 14 and 15 of the instant application.
Conclusion
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/ANCA EOFF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
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