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, 3, and 5-19, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0107560 (hereinafter referred to as Fukushima).
Fukushima, in the abstract, in [0024]-[0032], and [0036], discloses a resist composition comprising a sulfonium salt as a photoacid generator, the sulfonium salt has the claimed structure, see below,
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, wherein the hydrocarbyl group that is bound to the sulfonium ion that comprises the aryl group (disclosed above) includes an acid labile group substitution (claimed [O-RALU]) and includes a fluorinated group as further substitution, see below,
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,
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, and the R2 is a hydrocarbyl group (claimed R11), and the X- group disclosed above is an anion that includes a polymerizable group (claim 1). Fukushima, in [0029]-[0033], discloses that the anion (claimed counterion) having the polymerizable group, has the following structure, see below,
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,
wherein X1, X2, and L4, are each either a single bond or methylene or phenylene or carbonyl or ester group and Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, are each fluorine or fluorinated alkyl groups and is the same as the claimed structure recited in claim 3. Fukushima, in [0036]-[0037[, discloses that the resist composition comprises a base polymer (base resin) with repeat units wherein the repeat units include the repeat unit of the photoacid generator comprising the sulfonium salt (i.e., photoacid generator is a copolymer), see below,
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(claims 5-6, and 9). Fukushima, in [0035]-[0036], discloses that the resist composition comprising the base polymer includes the following repeat units, see below,
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, wherein Y1, and Y2, are the same as the claimed ZA, and ZB, and includes single bond or phenylene or a
-C(=O)-O-Y11, wherein the Y11 includes C1-C10 alkanediyl or phenylene or naphthalene group, and is the same claimed repeat units recited (claims 7, and 10). Fukushima, in [0035], and [0038], discloses a resist composition that comprises the base polymer includes further repeats, see below,
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, wherein Ap is a polar group and is the same as the claimed YA, and is the same as the repeat units recited (claims 8, and 11). Fukushima, in [0120], discloses that the resist composition further comprises another photoacid generator (other than the sulfonium salt pendant repeat unit of the base polymer), a quencher, and a surfactant (that is insoluble or substantially insoluble in water or alkaline developer), and an organic solvent (see [0118]) (claims 12-15). Fukushima, in [0042], discloses that the resist composition is coated on a substrate to form a resist film, exposing a selective region to EB or EUV (high energy rays), developing the exposed resist film (claims 16-17). Fukushima, in [0043], discloses that the developing can be in an alkaline aqueous developer to form a positive pattern (dissolves exposed region away leaving behind the unexposed region to form the pattern) (claim 18). Fukushima, in [0044], discloses that the developing can be in an organic solvent to form the negative pattern (unexposed region of the resist film dissolved away leaving the exposed region to form the pattern) (claim 19).
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.
Claim(s) 2, and 4, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0107560 (hereinafter referred to as Fukushima) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0188770 (hereinafter referred to as Fujiwara).
Fukushima is discussed in paragraph no. 3, above.
Fukushima, in the abstract, in [0024]-[0032], and [0036], discloses a sulfonium salt structure,
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, wherein the hydrocarbyl group that is bound to the sulfonium ion that comprises the aryl group (disclosed above) includes an acid labile group substitution (claimed [O-RALU]) and includes a fluorinated group as further substitution. Fukushima, in [0029]-[0033], discloses that the anion (claimed counterion) having the polymerizable group, has the following structure, see below,
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,
wherein X1, X2, and L4, are each either a single bond or methylene or phenylene or carbonyl or ester group and Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, are each fluorine or fluorinated alkyl groups and is the same as the claimed structure recited in claim 4.
The difference between the claims and Fukushima is that Fukushima does not disclose that the acid labile group is the structure recited in claim 2.
Fujiwara, in [0059]-[0060], discloses that the acid labile group that substitutes the hydrogen on the aryl group (bonded to the sulfonium cation) can include -O-C(=O)-tBu group.
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Fukushima to use the acid labile group taught by Fujiwara, because Fukushima teaches that the substitution in the aryl group is with an acid-labile group and Fujiwara, discloses in [0092] that the acid labile group in combination with onium salt compound results in an improvement in contrast (after developing).
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 9, 2026.
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