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 .
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 5-8 is 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 5 recites the limitation, the objects. However, only a single object was introduced in claim 1, and it is unclear where the other objects came from or what they are specifically referring to. Claim 6 recites, the island-shaped first inorganic film. However, claim 1 only recites a first inorganic film. It is unclear if there is another or modified first inorganic film, and it is unclear how this particular island shaped first inorganic film came into being and what its relationship is with the first inorganic film. This is the same situation as the aluminum lever example in MPEP 2173.05(e). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 7, 8 are also rejected by dependency to rejected claim 6.
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Porthouse (US 20100087028).
Regarding claim 1. Porthouse teaches in the drawings a manufacturing equipment (substrate processing system 100 [33]) for a light-emitting device (the substrate/workpiece does not structurally limit the apparatus and is an intended use that can be exchanged according to user requirements, MPEP 2114, 2115), comprising: a load chamber (load lock chamber 102 [30] fig. 1, 5 or one of 102ab fig. 6 [59 60]), a first etching apparatus (the particular process performed in the process chamber/apparatus, eg a first one of 103-108, is an intended use; rather, each chamber is capable of the claimed process, eg plasma/vapor etch [34]), a plasma treatment apparatus (as discussed, a second one of the six process chambers 103-108, each of which can do plasma nitridation and etch [34]), a standby chamber (technically, all the chambers can perform or require some form of standby, waiting or simply busy/in use, eg while internal pressures reach desired levels before opening/transferring/processing/etc, such as a second/another one of loadlocks [49 60 68] 102ab, or a third one of process chambers 103-108 [86], or simply while the said chamber(s) is in use/busy or when the system 100 is turned off, all the chambers are dormant/sleep mode), a first deposition apparatus (as discussed, a fourth one of the 103-108, each is capable of deposition [34]),
a second deposition apparatus (as discussed, a fifth one of the 103-108, each is capable of deposition [34]), a second etching apparatus (as discussed, a sixth of the 103-108, each is capable of etch [34]), an unload chamber (all the process chambers 103-108 and load locks 102ab perform unloading in order to transfer out the wafer after processing or after the pressure equilibrating in the load lock; if the other one of 102ab is used for the standby chamber, the third one of 103-108 is considered this chamber or vice versa), a transfer chamber (transfer chamber 110 [35]), and a carrying device (transfer robot 111 and/or end effector 112 [35] which carry the substrate, eg fig. 1-6 [35]), wherein the carrying device is provided in the transfer chamber (fig. 1-6, 111/112 in 110), wherein the load chamber, the first etching apparatus, the plasma treatment apparatus, the standby chamber, the first deposition apparatus, the second deposition apparatus, the second etching apparatus, and the unload chamber are each connected to the transfer chamber through a gate valve (all the process chambers/apparatuses 103-108 and LL 102/102ab have a respective slit valve coupling each to the trfr chamber [31 79 82] Fig. 1-6, 11, 12; the slit valve is a pivoting valve member/gate closing/opening the slit/passage, fig. 11, 12),
wherein the carrying device is capable of transferring an object to be processed from any one of the load chamber, the first etching apparatus, the plasma treatment apparatus, the standby chamber, the first deposition apparatus, the second deposition apparatus, the second etching apparatus, and the unload chamber to any one of the others (as discussed, 111/112 is centrally located in 110 and has access to all the eight chambers 103-108, 102ab, fig. 6 to freely transfer the substrate to/from all eight chambers from the central location in 110 from/to any of the other said chambers [30 68], and exactly same as applicant Fig. 2a), wherein an object to be processed in which an organic compound film, a first inorganic film, and a resist mask are stacked sequentially over a glass substrate (the details of the substrate/workpiece and the workpiece itself are intended uses, and do not structurally limit the apparatus and may be exchanged according to user requirements, MPEP 2115, 2114) is carried into the load chamber (this is an intended operation of the apparatus, also an intended use; further, the LL is used to load/transfer substrates, as disc [30 49 60 68]),
wherein the object to be processed is carried to the first etching apparatus, the plasma treatment apparatus, the standby chamber, the first deposition apparatus, the second deposition apparatus, and the second etching apparatus in sequence (all of the previous carrying operations are intended uses of the apparatus and do not structurally limit it; as disc prev, the 111/112 can freely carry the substrate to all the said chambers from the central 110), and wherein the organic compound film is processed into an island-shaped organic compound layer, a protective layer is formed on a side surface of the organic compound layer (the previous process steps are clear intended uses/method steps of processing the substrate, MPEP 2114 and do not add any structural limitations to the apparatus), and the object to be processed is carried out to the unload chamber (as disc, the carrying operation is an intended use of the apparatus and does not structurally limit it; as disc prev, the 111/112 can freely carry the substrate to/from all the said chambers, which includes the unload chamber as discussed, from the central 110).
Regarding claim 2. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 1, wherein the first etching apparatus is a dry etching apparatus (as discussed, all the operations/processes in the chambers are vapor/gas phase, including plasma/ionized gas etching as discussed regarding the first chamber/apparatus of 103-108) in which the first inorganic film is formed to have an island shape using the resist mask as a mask and the organic compound film is processed into the island-shaped organic compound layer using the island-shaped first inorganic film as a mask (this is completely a method/process step, MPEP 2114 and does not patentably differentiate from apparatus claims from prior art; various processes/methods may be applied using the apparatus according to user needs).
Regarding claim 3. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 2 wherein the first etching apparatus is configured to perform ashing to remove the resist mask (again, this is a method/process step, MPEP 2114 and does not patentably differentiate from apparatus claims from prior art; various processes/methods may be applied using the apparatus according to user needs, including ionized/plasma processes which includes ashing).
Regarding claim 4. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 1 wherein in the plasma treatment apparatus, a side surface of the island-shaped organic compound layer is irradiated with plasma generated from an inert gas to perform cleaning on the side surface of the island-shaped organic compound layer (again, this is a method/process step, MPEP 2114 and does not patentably differentiate from apparatus claims from prior art; various processes/methods may be applied using the apparatus according to user needs, including ionized/plasma processes which includes plasma cleaning).
Regarding claim 5. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 1 wherein the standby chamber is capable of storing a plurality of the objects to be processed (eg fig. 11 12 showing the 102 or one of 102a/b having multiple S/substrates; additionally the processing chambers, one of which may also be the standby chamber, can hold many S Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 6. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 1 wherein one of the first deposition apparatus and the second deposition apparatus is an ALD apparatus (as discussed, this relates to the process which can be performed in the chamber, apparatus and does not structurally limit it; each of the processing chambers/apparatuses is capable of ALD [34]), the other of the first deposition apparatus and the second deposition apparatus is a sputtering apparatus or a CVD apparatus (as discussed, this relates to the process which can be performed in the chamber, apparatus and does not structurally limit it; each of the processing chambers/apparatuses is capable of CVD, PVD/sputtering [34]), and a second inorganic film with a two-layer structure that covers the island-shaped first inorganic film and the island-shaped organic compound layer is deposited (again, this is a method/process step, MPEP 2114 and does not patentably differentiate from apparatus claims from prior art; various processes/methods may be applied using the apparatus according to user needs).
Regarding claim 7. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 6 wherein the ALD apparatus is of a batch processing type (as disc prev, the chambers process multiple substrates/batch, Fig. 13; how the substrates are used and how many to use are also intended uses).
Regarding claim 8. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 6, wherein the second etching apparatus is a dry etching apparatus (as discussed, it is capable of vapor phase/plasma etch) in which the protective layer is formed on the side surface of the island-shaped organic compound layer by performing anisotropic etching on the second inorganic film (this is a method/process step, MPEP 2114 and does not patentably differentiate from apparatus claims from prior art; various processes/methods may be applied using the apparatus according to user needs).
Regarding claim 9. Porthouse teaches a manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, wherein the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device according to claim 1 is a third cluster (eg. Fig. 6 100 considered as a whole as a cluster), wherein a plurality of apparatuses in which a photolithography process with the resist mask is performed is a second cluster (considered as a subcomponent or subcluster of the main/third cluster, eg two of the said etch chambers/apparatuses in which plasma processing can be performed, since it is known that plasmas have been used as part of UV photolithography), and wherein a plurality of apparatuses in which a deposition process of the organic compound film and the first inorganic film is performed is a first cluster (considered as another subcomponent or subcluster of the main/third cluster, eg two of the said deposition chambers/apparatuses in which deposition can be performed such as CVD).
Regarding claim 10. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9 wherein the first cluster, the second cluster, and the third cluster are connected in sequence (eg fig. 6 going clockwise from 103, 103/104 as the deposition chambers, 105 106 plasma chambers, and 108 107 as part of the larger third cluster or going in pairs from down up fig. 6, 103 108 1st cluster, 104 107 2nd cluster, 105 106 3rd cluster or fig. 7, 1st cluster 103a 108a 104a 107a, 2nd cluster 105a 106a and the third cluster considered the next big cluster above with the number+b labels).
Regarding claim 11. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9, wherein an object to be processed stored in a container whose atmosphere is controlled to an inert gas atmosphere (the container is not part of the apparatus; further, [44] substrates in boxes, which may be pumped w/ inert gas) is transferred between the first cluster and the second cluster and between the second cluster and the third cluster (this is an intended use; as discussed, the substrates can be freely transferred in fig. 6 7 using the 111/112 among all the chambers/clusters).
Regarding claim 12. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9, wherein three combinations of the first cluster, the second cluster, and the third cluster are included (i.e. the clusters can have at least numerical/arithmetic combinations of clusters 1, 2, 3 and 2, 1, 3 and 3, 2, 1).
Regarding claim 13. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9, wherein the first cluster comprises a surface treatment apparatus (such as the CVD apparatuses), and wherein the surface treatment apparatus uses plasma generated from a halogen- containing gas (as disc, the CVD includes PECVD/plasma [34] and various gases may be used as part of an intended use process).
Regarding claim 14. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9, wherein the first cluster comprises one or more deposition apparatuses selected from an evaporation apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, a CVD apparatus, and an ALD apparatus (as disc in claim 9, CVD).
Regarding claim 15. Porthouse teaches the manufacturing equipment for a light-emitting device, according to claim 9, wherein the second cluster comprises an application apparatus, a light exposure apparatus, a development apparatus, and a baking apparatus (if the 2nd cluster is considered as a section of four chambers/apparatus such as 104a-107a, it includes the plasma chamber/apparatus which exposes the substrate to plasma light and another plasma chamber is also a form of application apparatus, applying plasma to the substrate, a third chamber also capable of plasma and has heating elements capable of baking the substrate [85], a fourth chamber/apparatus capable of plasma and plasma is capable of developing/curing via its UV light as discussed).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUECHUAN YU whose telephone number is (571)272-7190. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/YUECHUAN YU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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