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
Claims 3-5, 8-11 amended
Claim 12 canceled
Claims 1-5 withdrawn
Claim 6-11 pending and elected
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of claims 6-11, formula (1-1) in the reply filed on 06/17/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the finding of lack of unity of invention is premature in the present application as a full search of the prior art has yet to have been conducted.
This is not found persuasive because to perform a full search (as suggested) would be an over undue burden to prove that there is no undue burden on the examination.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
Claim(s) 6-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tu (PG Pub 2010/0130687 A1).
Consider Claims 6, 8-10, Tu teaches to process of coating/applying on a substrate with silane coupling agent using vaper phase deposition system (by gasifying of the compound) [0060], where the silane coupling agent include silicon structure having the chemical formula seen in [0052] as below:
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214
196
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Tu teaches that the silane couple agents form covalent bond with the surfaces by chemical bonding/reacting [0059].
Although Tu does not explicitly teach the forming of film on the substrate, however, it would be obvious for ordinary skilled person in the art that the supplying of coating in a vaper form onto the substrate would form a thin film, with reasonable and predictable expectation of success.
Consider Claim 7, Tu teaches the process of coating using vapor deposition system [0060]. Where it would be obvious for ordinary skilled person in the art that the substrate is placed within the chamber of the vapor deposition system for the deposition step, and then the retrieving/removal of the substrate out of the chamber of the vapor depositing system after the coating process, with reasonable and predictable expectation of success.
Claim(s) 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakajima (PG Pub 2014/0170855 A1).
Consider Claims 6, 8-11, Nakajima teaches the coating of resist film using organosilane (abstract) for semiconductor substrate [0007], and teaches coating of the substrate with the resist film using CVD (vapor deposition system) includes gasifying the compound [0156], and where the organosilane include formula (4) [0070], having R2 as alkoxy group [0071] and where the alkoxide include ethoxy group (C2H5O-) [0055], and where an example of chemical structure of formula (4) is as below (in page 18);
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448
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Nakajima does not explicitly teach the exact structure as claimed.
However, it would be obvious for ordinary skilled person in the art to use routine experimentation and known principle engineering, to test each and every choice of methoxy and/or ethoxy and then use the ethoxy in the above structure achieving the claimed structure, with reasonable and predictable expectation of success.
Consider Claim 7, Nakajima teaches the process of coating using vapor deposition system [0156]. Where it would be obvious for ordinary skilled person in the art that the substrate is placed within the chamber of the chemical vapor deposition system for the deposition step, and then the retrieving/removal of the substrate out of the chamber of the chemical vapor depositing system after the coating process, with reasonable and predictable expectation of success.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mohammad Mayy whose telephone number is (571)272-9983. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 11:00AM-7:00PM EST.
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/Mohammad Mayy/
Art Unit 1718
/KELLY M GAMBETTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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