DETAILED ACTION
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 § 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.
Claims 17-28 and 31-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Publication 2020/0048764 to Kuwada et al. in view of US 2021/0189557 to Itatani et al.
Regarding Claims 17 and 19, Kuwada et al. teaches a method of processing a substrate (W), comprising: supplying a process gas to a process chamber (11) (W)while the substrate (W) is on a substrate mounting surface of a substrate mounting table arranged in the process chamber (Figure 9); and supplying a cleaning gas to a side surface of the substrate mounting table while the substrate is not on the substrate mounting surface (Figure 10).
Kuwada et al. does not expressly teach a cleaning assistant gas. However, Itatani et al. teaches (Paragraphs 68, 125, 146, 157, 161, 168) supplying a cleaning gas and a cleaning assistant (auxiliary) gas. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a cleaning assistant (auxiliary) gas in order to activate a cleaning gas with predictable results.
Regarding Claim 18, Kuwada et al. teaches a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (Paragraph 13)
Regarding Claim 20, Kuwada et al. teaches (Paragraph 49) a controller (10) is used non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform the method.
Regarding Claim 21, Kuwada et al. teaches the cleaning gas or the cleaning assistant gas is supplied from a first cleaning gas supply system (51, 52), and a gas different from the gas supplied from the first cleaning gas supply system is supplied from a second cleaning gas supply system (41, 42).
Regarding Claim 22, Kuwada et al. teaches a transfer chamber configured to be capable of transferring the substrate (Paragraph 31) is installed below the process chamber, and the second cleaning gas supply system (41, 42) is configured to supply the cleaning assistant gas via the transfer chamber.
Regarding Claim 23, Kuwada et al. teaches cleaning a side of the substrate mounting table (Paragraph 70). Itatani et al. teaches (Paragraph 128) a cleaning gas energy may be deactivated by the time it reaches a deposition location and providing a cleaning assistant gas mixed with the cleaning gas at the deposition location (Fig 1 and 4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide mixing of a cleaning gas and cleaning assistant gas mixed at a side surface of the substrate mounting table in order to remove a deposit with predictable results.
Regarding Claim 24, Kuwada et al. teaches cleaning a side of the substrate mounting table (Fig 8) and Itatani et al. teaches cleaning assistant gas is capable of reacting with the cleaning gas. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide mixing of a cleaning gas and cleaning assistant gas mixed at a side surface of the substrate mounting table in order to remove a deposit with predictable results.
Regarding Claim 25, Kuwada et al. teaches (Figure 1) the substrate mounting table is capable of being raised or lowered by an elevator (24), and the elevator is controlled to form a cleaning gas flow path at a side of the substrate mounting table (Fig 9 and 10).
Regarding Claim 26, Kuwada et al. teaches Regarding Claim 21, Kuwada et al. teaches the cleaning gas or the cleaning assistant gas is supplied from a first cleaning gas supply system (51, 52), and a gas different from the gas supplied from the first cleaning gas supply system is supplied from a second cleaning gas supply system (41, 42) to the cleaning gas flow path (Fig 10).
Regarding Claim 27, Kuwada et al. teaches the temperature is low in the narrow exhaust region compared to the wider process chamber (Paragraph 111) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a temperature of the cleaning gas flow path lower than a temperature of the process chamber when supplying the cleaning assistant gas with predictable results.
Regarding Claim 28, Kuwada et al. teaches (Fig 10) an end surface is formed on a surface of the substrate mounting table provided with the substrate mounting surface, and the cleaning gas is supplied to the end surface. Itatani et al. teaches cleaning assistant gas is capable of reacting with the cleaning gas. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide mixing of a cleaning gas and cleaning assistant gas that react with each other at a side (end) surface of the substrate mounting table in order to remove a deposit with predictable results.
Regarding Claims 31-33, Itatani et al. teaches the cleaning gas may be deactivated by the time it reaches a deposition portion (Paragraph 128) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide cleaning assistant gas when a predetermined time elapses after the supply of the cleaning gas is started, the supply of the cleaning assistant gas is started while the supply of the cleaning gas is maintained or the supply of the cleaning gas is started without supplying the cleaning assistant gas to the process chamber in order to remove a deposited material with predictable results.
Regarding Claim 34, Itatani et al. teaches the supply of the cleaning gas and the supply of the cleaning assistant gas are performed at least one or more times.
Regarding Claim 35, Kuwada et al. teaches (Fig 10) a shower head is installed at an upstream side of the process chamber, and an inert gas (carrier gas) is supplied to the shower head while the cleaning assistant gas is supplied.
Claims 29 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Publication 2020/0048764 to Kuwada et al. in view of US 2021/0189557 to Itatani et al. and US Publication 2015/0275357 to Kamakura et al.
Regarding Claims 29 and 30, Kuwada et al. in view of Itatani et al. teaches the method of the invention substantially as claimed including a showerhead buffer space, but does not expressly teach a showerhead exhaust system. However, Kamakura et al. teaches a showerhead exhaust system (236) for removing reaction products from a shower head buffer space (232). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a showerhead exhaust system in the method of Kuwada et al. in view of Itatani et al. having less than or greater exhaust amount than a process chamber in order to remove reaction products from the showerhead buffer space with predictable results.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Publication 2017/0260626 to Nagato et al. teaches a method of cleaning a processing chamber after a formation of a film on a substrate, the method including: (a) supplying a gas containing hydrogen and fluorine into the processing chamber heated to a first temperature; (b) elevating an inner temperature of the processing chamber to a second temperature higher than the first temperature; and (c) supplying a gas containing fluorine into the processing chamber heated to the second temperature, wherein the first temperature is a temperature whereat the gas containing fluorine is not activated, and the second temperature is a temperature whereat the gas containing fluorine is activated.
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/ROBERTS P CULBERT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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