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 .
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) 1-20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0155155 (hereinafter referred to as Hatakeyama).
Hatakeyama, in [0049], discloses the onium salt wherein the salt is sulfonium or iodonium salt of carboxylic acid i.e., the claimed carboxylate salt, and in [0021], discloses the claimed salt structure, see below,
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and Hatakeyama, in [0022], discloses the claimed COO- ion as the anion of the salt, X being the single bond, and the claimed A11 is the an aromatic ring (see above, aryl structure), and the R1 group of Hatakeyama includes a C1-C4 alkyl sulfonyl oxy group and includes a heteroatom such as an amino group, as disclosed in paragraph [0059] of Hatakeyama, the R1 group (or groups) (substituted from the phenyl/aryl group) include an intervening amino group (the R12 is a hydrogen) and is the same as the claimed structure recited, and sulfonium cation is the same as the claimed M+. Hatakeyama, in [0059], discloses anion moiety of the sulfonium salt wherein the carboxylate group is directly bonded to the aromatic ring (i.e., claims a11 is zero) and discloses structures wherein the COO- group is connected to the aromatic through single bond or linking group (claims 1-8). Hatakeyama, in [0056]-[0058], discloses the sulfonium cation structures and discloses that each of the three R groups bonded to the sulfonium ion can be straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group, or an aryl group, wherein the hydrogen (one or all the hydrogens) of the alkyl or aryl group may be substituted with a halogen atom (includes iodine) and is the same as the structures recited in claims 9-10. Hatakeyama, in [0054], discloses the claimed structure of the carboxylate salt, see below,
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, and Hatakeyama, in [0055], discloses that the R1 includes an alkyl sulfonyloxy group and that the alkyl groups includes substitutions with amino groups, and on pages 20-26, discloses carboxylate anion structures with the carboxylate ion bonded directly to the aromatic ring or with an intervening linking group and is the same as the claimed carboxylate salt (onium salt of carboxylic acid, see [0049]) as recited in claims 11-13. Hatakeyama, in the abstract, [0021]-[0023], discloses that the resist composition comprises the sulfonium salt (claimed carboxylate salt), a base polymer and an organic solvent and an acid generator (photoacid generator), and Hatakeyama, in [0009], discloses that the sulfonium salt is a photodegradable quencher i.e., claimed quenching base for neutralizing an acid before light exposure, and Hatakeyama, in [0046], discloses that the sulfonium salt can functions as a quencher and is an acid generator that is capable generating an acid upon light exposure (claims 14-16). Hatakeyama, in [0129], discloses that the composition includes another quencher (other than the sulfonium salt, the claimed carboxylate salt) (claim 17). Hatakeyama, in [0061], discloses the content of the sulfonium salt (carboxylate salt) in the resist composition i.e., the claimed onium salt of the carboxylic acid is used in an amount of less than 50 parts by weight of the base polymer (base resin) (claim 18). Hatakeyama, in [0153]-[0155], discloses that the resist composition (photoresist) is coated onto a silicon substrate, and the coating is subjected to exposure to radiation, and then developed, wherein the exposing can be an imagewise exposure to an electron beam or exposure to EUV through a patterned mask (claims 19-20).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daborah Chacko-Davis whose telephone number is (571) 272-1380. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:30AM-6:00PM EST Mon-Fri. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark F. Huff can be reached on (571) 272-1385. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DABORAH CHACKO-DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 January 8, 2026.