Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/352,556

MATERIALS AND METHODS FOR FORMING RESIST BOTTOM LAYER

Final Rejection §102§103
Filed
Jul 14, 2023
Examiner
ANGEBRANNDT, MARTIN J
Art Unit
1737
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
OA Round
5 (Final)
55%
Grant Probability
Moderate
6-7
OA Rounds
3y 3m
To Grant
90%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 55% of resolved cases
55%
Career Allow Rate
745 granted / 1351 resolved
-9.9% vs TC avg
Strong +34% interview lift
Without
With
+34.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
86 currently pending
Career history
1437
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
59.6%
+19.6% vs TC avg
§102
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
§112
2.1%
-37.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1351 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . The response of the applicant has been read and given careful consideration. Rejections of the previous office action not repeated below are withdrawn based upon the amendments and arguments of the applicant. Responses to the arguments are presented after the first rejection they are directed. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being fully anticipated by Kimura et al. 20100036012 Kimura et al. 20100036012 forms a polymer by the hydrolysis of The coating-forming solution [E-5] was prepared in the same way as in Example 4 except for the use of a solution, [F-2], obtained by mixing vinyltrimethoxysilane, [B-1], (KBM-1003, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) and 3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, [B-3], (KBM-5103, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) as the organosilicon compounds at a 7:3 molar ratio (vinyltrimethoxysilane/3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) [0151]. Example 5 coats solution E-5 , heats this at 60 degrees C and then cured using a UV lamp. emitting at 254, 313, 365 [0162]. The propyl group is –(CH2)3-, the acryloxy group is H2C=CH-(C=O)-O- Claims 1,3-6,9-15,18-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. WO 2017169487. Suzuki et al. WO 2017169487 (machine translation attached, US 20190025699 is an English language equivalent) exemplifies silicon monomers, M-3 and M-10 having the structures PNG media_image1.png 76 107 media_image1.png Greyscale and PNG media_image2.png 66 171 media_image2.png Greyscale (see page 40 [0185]). PNG media_image3.png 494 360 media_image3.png Greyscale Underlayer compositions A-17 to A-23 include both of these monomers in forming the polymer underlayer with the polymers having MW of ~2150 to 2200 (see table 1 on page 43). In examples 17-26, the polymers are combined with additive C-1 PNG media_image4.png 95 98 media_image4.png Greyscale , crosslinker D-1 and solvent ([0200-0202], including table 3). These are applied to a silicon wafer substrate and heated to 200 degrees C for 60 seconds to form a 30 nm film which is a resist underlayer [0203]. The film-shaped material can be suitably used as a resist underlayer film forming material or a resist intermediate film forming material in a resist process, particularly a multilayer resist process. Further, among the multilayer resist processes, it is particularly preferably used in pattern formation using a multilayer resist process in a region finer than 90 nm (ArF, ArF in immersion exposure, F .sub.2 , EUV, nanoimprint, etc [0146,0151,0165]. The method for forming the resist underlayer film is not particularly limited. For example, a coating film formed by applying a material for forming a resist underlayer film on a substrate by a known method such as a spin coat method is exposed and /or It can be cured and formed by heating. Examples of the radiation used for this exposure include visible light, ultraviolet light, far ultraviolet light, X-rays, electron beams, γ-rays, molecular beams, and ion beams [0157-0158]. Examples of the silane monomer that gives the structural unit U .sub.h include (meth) acryloyloxyalkyltrialkylsilane such as (meth) acryloyloxymethyltrimethoxysilane and (meth) acryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, and vinyltrimethoxysilane. Vinyltriethoxysilane, 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane, and the like [0054]. Examples of the monovalent organic group having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond include a vinyl group, vinylmethyl group, vinylethyl group, 4-vinylphenyl group, 3-vinylphenyl group, (4-vinylphenyl) methyl group, 2 -(4-vinylphenyl) ethyl group, (3-vinylphenyl) methyl group, 2- (3-vinylphenyl) ethyl group, 4-isopropenylphenyl group, 3-isopropenylphenyl group, (4-isopropenylphenyl) ) Hydrocarbon groups having a vinyl group such as methyl group, 2- (4-isopropenylphenyl) ethyl group, (3-isopropenylphenyl) methyl group, 2- (3-isopropenylphenyl) ethyl group, methacryloyloxymethyl Group, methacryloyloxyethyl group, methacryloyloxypropyl group, methacryloyloxybutyl group, Leroy Le oxymethyl group, acryloyloxyethyl group, acryloyloxypropyl group, acrylate such as (meth) acryloyloxy alkyl group such as acryloyloxy-butyl group [0048]. The silicon containing polymers have the formula PNG media_image5.png 110 322 media_image5.png Greyscale , where R .sup.1 is a monovalent organic group containing only .sup.one of a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom, or a monovalent organic group containing a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom. R .sup.2 represents a monovalent organic group containing only one of a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom, a monovalent organic group containing a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom, a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, or a substituted or unsubstituted carbon atom of 1 to 20 hydrocarbon groups. k is 0 or 1. R .sup.3 is a monovalent organic group having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond.R .sup.4 is a monovalent organic group having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond, a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, or a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. l is 0 or 1. R .sup.5 is a non-crosslinkable monovalent organic group having a light-absorbing group containing no sulfur atom and nitrogen atom. R .sup.6 is a non-crosslinkable monovalent organic group having a light-absorbing group containing no sulfur atom or nitrogen atom, a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, or a substituted or unsubstituted non-crosslinkable group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. It is a monovalent hydrocarbon group. m is 0 or 1. R .sup.7 is a non-crosslinkable and non-light-absorbing monovalent substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group containing no sulfur and nitrogen atoms, or non-cross-linkable and non-light-absorbing containing no sulfur and nitrogen atoms A monovalent substituted or unsubstituted alicyclic hydrocarbon group. n is an integer of 0-2. g represents the molar ratio of structural units U .sub.g for all structural units constituting the siloxane polymer component.h represents the molar ratio of the structural unit U .sub.h to all the structural units constituting the siloxane polymer component.i represents the molar ratio of the structural unit U .sub.i to the total structural units constituting the siloxane polymer component.j represents the molar ratio of the structural unit U .sub.j to all the structural units constituting the siloxane polymer component. g is 0 <g <1, h is 0 ≦ h <1, i is 0 ≦ i <1, j is 0 ≦ j <1, and g + h + i + j ≦ 1 [0017-0018]. R .sup.5 is a non-crosslinkable monovalent organic group having a light absorbing group. Non-crosslinkable monovalent organic groups having a light-absorbing group include aryl groups such as phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, and anthracenyl groups, and aralkyl groups such as benzyl, phenethyl, and naphthylmethyl groups. Etc. These groups may have a substituent such as an alkoxy group [0056-0057]. Suzuki et al. WO 2017169487 does no exemplify the UV and thermal curing of the composition in examples 17-26, compositions where the compositions of examples 17-26 which include a hybrid crosslinker and a thermally activatable crosslinker also includes a UV curable (first) crosslinker bounded by H2C=CH-R1-(polymer backbone), or exemplify the processes of their use where a resist is coated on the underlayers. With respect to claim 13, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to cure the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 using UV and heating based upon the disclosure to do so at [0157-0158] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. With respect to claim 13 and 21, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to cure the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 using UV and heating based upon the disclosure to do so at [0157-0158], to coat a photoresist over the underlayer, exposed and develop the resist as in conventional based upon the disclosure at [0146,0151,0165] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist pattern. With respect to claims 13-15, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by adding vinyltrimethoxysilane. vinyltriethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054] and cure the resulting underlayer composition using UV and heating based upon the disclosure to do so at [0157-0158] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. With respect to claims 1,4,5 and 9-12, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by adding 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. The hybrid crosslinker is present is at 77 mol% and adding any amount of the UV curable first crosslinker does not change the predominance of the repeating units having UV curability. With respect to claims 1,4-6 and 9-12, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by adding 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054] and increasing the content of monomer M-3 to within 20-40 mol% based upon the range of Ui taught at [0017-0018[, which describes R5 as including phenyl at [0056-0057].with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. The hybrid crosslinker is present is at 77 mol% and adding any amount of the UV curable first crosslinker does not change the predominance of the repeating units having UV curability With respect to claims 1,3-5 and 9-12, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by adding more than 8 mole% of 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054] based upon the range of Uh taught at [0017-0018] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. The hybrid crosslinker is present is at 77 mol% and adding any amount of the UV curable first crosslinker does not change the predominance of the repeating units having UV curability With respect to claims 1,4,5,9-15,18-21 and 23-24, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by adding 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054], increasing the content of monomer M-3 to within 20-40 mol% based upon the range of Ui taught at [0017-0018[, which describes R5 as including phenyl at [0056-0057].with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer and curing the resulting underlayer composition using UV and heating based upon the disclosure to do so at [0157-0158] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. The hybrid crosslinker is present is at 77 mol% and adding any amount of the UV curable first crosslinker does not change the predominance of the repeating units having UV curability With respect to claims 1 3-6,9-15 and 18-24, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the underlayer compositions of examples 17-26 by increasing the content of monomer M-3 to within 20-40 mol% based upon the range of Ui taught at [0017-0018[, which describes R5 as including phenyl at [0056-0057] and replacing 21-412 mol% of monomer M-10 with 3-vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane based upon the disclosure of these repeating unit at [0054], with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer and curing the resulting underlayer composition using UV and heating based upon the disclosure to do so at [0157-0158] with a reasonable expectation of forming a useful resist underlayer. Repeating unit derived from M10 is a hybrid, UV and thermally curable including a –(C=O)-O- group and a vinyl group and repeating unit derived from M-3 include a thermally activatable phenyl moiety. The hybrid crosslinker is present is at 77 mol% and adding any amount of the UV curable first crosslinker does not change the predominance of the repeating units having UV curability This is a new rejection, so there are no arguments directed at it. Claims 18,20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitagawa et al. 20160009946. Kitagawa et al. 20160009946 exemplifies polymers copolymers A-1 to A-9, such as PNG media_image6.png 177 201 media_image6.png Greyscale , where the acrylate and epoxy moieties in the side chains are each thermally polymerizable/crosslinkable and UV polymerizable/crosslinkabke. The terpolymers A-10 includes pendant acrylate (UV/thermal), epoxy (UV thermal) and hydroxyethyl (thermal) moieties. A-11 includes pendant acrylate (UV/thermal), oxetane (UV thermal) and hydroxyethyl (thermal) moieties (see pages 19 and 20. PNG media_image7.png 174 325 media_image7.png Greyscale PNG media_image8.png 227 344 media_image8.png Greyscale In the example, the acrylic polymer has hydroxy moieties, which are solely thermally crosslinkable by the condensation hydrolysis reaction R-OH + HO-R => R-O-R + H2O. The acrylate groups and the epoxy groups are inherently both thermally and UV activatable as demonstrated in the examples. The acrylate groups H2C=C-C(=O)-O- is bounded by the formula recited for the first crosslinker in claim 7 and the formula recited in claim 8 for the hybrid crosslinker in claim 8 and the hydroxy group is among those recited as thermally curable/crosslinkable in claim 7. These are combined with thermal acid generators in compositions V-1 to V-12 in table 3 and cured with heating at 150 or 180 degrees C. [0169-0170]. The composition for forming underlying layer of this invention preferably contains an acid or acid generator (for example, thermal acid generator or photo-acid generator) (C). The acid usable for the composition for forming underlying layer of this invention is exemplified by p-toluenesulfonic acid, 10-camphorsulfonic acid, and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid. The thermal acid generator usable for the composition for forming underlying layer of this invention is exemplified by isopropyl-p-toluenesulfonate, cyclohexyl-p-toluenesulfonate, and aromatic sulfonium salt compound named “San-Aid SI Series” from Sanshin Chemical Industry, Co., Ltd. The photo-acid generator usable for the composition for forming underlying layer of this invention is preferably sulfonium salt compound, iodonium salt compound or oxime sulfonate compound, and is exemplified by PI2074 from Rhodia Inc., Irgacure 250 from BASF, and Irgacure PAG 103, 108, 121, 203 from BASF. When the acid or acid generator (for example, thermal acid generator or photo-acid generator) (C) is added to the composition for forming underlying layer of this invention, the amount of addition is preferably 0.0005 to 0.1% by mass, relative to the composition for forming the underlying layer [0068-0072]. The composition can include at least one of I-III and at least one of IV-VI. PNG media_image9.png 149 220 media_image9.png Greyscale PNG media_image10.png 183 225 media_image10.png Greyscale , phenolic epoxy containing repeating units are disclosed including PNG media_image11.png 155 153 media_image11.png Greyscale which include phenyl, alkyl substituted phenyl, ether (in linear alkyl chain/linkage as well as the cyclic ether of the epoxy ring)(page 9). The under layer film-forming composition of the present invention is applied onto a substrate to form the under layer film. Methods of application onto the substrate include dip coating, air knife coating, curtain coating, wire bar coating, gravure coating, extrusion coating, spin coating, slit scan coating, and ink jet coating, by which a coated film or droplets may be formed on the substrate. Coating is preferable from the viewpoint of uniformity of film thickness, and spin coating is more preferable. The solvent is dried off thereafter. The drying temperature is preferably 70° C. to 130° C. The drying is preferably followed by curing through activation energy (preferably heat and/or light). Curing under heating at 150° C. to 250° C. is preferable. The process of drying off the solvent and the process of curing may be proceeded at the same time. As described above, in the present invention, it is preferable to apply the under layer film-forming composition, followed by curing of a part of the under layer film-forming composition through heat or photo-irradiation, and further followed by application of the composition for imprints. By employing the technique, also the under layer film-forming composition is thoroughly cured in the process of photo-curing of the curable composition for imprints, and thereby the adhesiveness will be more likely to improve [0121]. In the evaluation of adhesiveness, the composition for forming underlying layer was also spin-coated in the same way over a quartz wafer, and the solvent was dried off by heating on the hot plate at 100° C. for one minute. The coating was further heated on the hot plate at 180° C. for 5 minutes so as to cure the composition for forming underlying layer, to thereby form an underlying layer over the quartz wafer. The underlying layer after cured was found to be 3 nm thick. Over the surface of the underlying layer with an SOG film, the photo-curable composition for imprints conditioned at 25° C. was coated using an ink jet printer “DMP-2831” from FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc., at a droplet volume per nozzle of 1 pl, so as to form a square dot matrix with a 100 μm pitch. The quartz wafer was then pressed against the silicon wafer, so as to bring the underlying layer in contact with the layer of the photo-curable composition for imprints, and the laminate was irradiated with light from the quartz wafer side using a high pressure mercury lamp at an irradiation dose of 300 mJ/cm.sup.2. After the exposure, the quartz wafer was separated, and the releasing force was measured according to the method described in Comparative Example in paragraphs [0102] to [0107] of JP-A-2011-206977. More specifically, the measurement followed separation steps 1 to 6 and 16 to 18 in FIG. 5 of the publication [0177-0178]. In the present invention, “light” includes not only those in the wavelength regions of UV, near-UV, deep-UV, visible light and infrared, and other electromagnetic waves, but also radiation ray. The radiation ray includes microwave, electron beam, EUV and X-ray. Also laser light such as 248 nm excimer laser, 193 nm excimer laser, and 172 nm excimer laser are usable. These sorts of light may be monochromatic light obtained after being passed through an optical filter, or may be composite light composed of a plurality of light components with different wavelengths [0095]. The UV sources include, for example, UV fluorescent lamp, low-pressure mercury lamp, high-pressure mercury lamp, ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, carbon arc lamp, solar lamp, etc. The radiations include microwaves, EUV, etc. In addition, laser rays for use in microprocessing of semiconductors, such as LED, semiconductor laser ray, 248 nm KrF excimer laser ray, 193 nm ArF excimer laser ray and others, are also favorably used in the invention. These lights may be monochromatic lights, or may also be lights of different wavelengths (mixed lights) [0144]. The copolymer A-10 (has the ratio of 60:20:20, pages 20) PNG media_image12.png 238 444 media_image12.png Greyscale The leftmost repeating unit is UV and thermally curable (hybrid), the epoxy is considered to be (preferably) UV curable (first crosslinker) and the hydroxyalkyl group is thermally crosslinkable (second crosslinker). The ratio of yields 20/(20+60) which yields 25%. This composition is coated on a SOG coated silicon wafer, dried at 100 degrees C, cured at 150 degrees C to form the underlayer with a thickness of 3 nm, a photocurable composition was then coated, patterned with an quartz embossing master and exposed using a high pressure mercury lamp which emits in the UV (multiple lines including 365, 405, 435 nm) [0177-0178]. The process using A-10 does not describe the UV exposure of the underlayer for curing at a wavelength longer than that used for the curing of the resist. With respect to claims 18 and 20, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the exemplified process of using copolymer A-10 by adding a photocuring step based upon the disclosure of the use of heat and irradiation at [0127] where the UV source used in this curing step is UV fluorescent lamp, low-pressure mercury lamp, high-pressure mercury lamp, ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, carbon arc lamp, solar lamp disclosed at [0144] emitting at one wavelength which is shorter than one of the wavelengths emitted by the high pressure mercury lamp, noting that a wavelength falling within a range of high-energy ionizing radiation, near-ultraviolet, far-ultraviolet, visible, infrared, etc may be used and that the use of heat and light curing is disclosed at [0147]. With respect to claims 18,20 and 22, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the exemplified process of using a polymer similar to copolymer A-10 , but the amount of the epoxy monomer (y) is increased to be 21-75 mol% and the hydrid crosslinker (x) is used in amounts of 79-5 mol% based upon the disclosed at [0062] and adding a photocuring step based upon the disclosure of the use of heat and irradiation at [0127] where the UV source used in this curing step is UV fluorescent lamp, low-pressure mercury lamp, high-pressure mercury lamp, ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, carbon arc lamp, solar lamp disclosed at [0144] emitting at one wavelength which is shorter than one of the wavelengths emitted by the high pressure mercury lamp, noting that a wavelength falling within a range of high-energy ionizing radiation, near-ultraviolet, far-ultraviolet, visible, infrared, etc may be used and that the use of heat and light curing is disclosed at [0147]. In the response of 2/14/2026, the applicant argues that the ratio is not taught. The examiner disagrees, noting that 20/(20+60) yields 20/80, which multiplied by 100 yields 25% Claim 2 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kumazawa et al. 20130078333 in example 1 teaches titanium solution A-1 and organosilicon solution, which is a combination of vinyltrimethoxysilane and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, a UV curable solution (E-1) including urethane acrylate and irgacure 127 (photoinitiator). These solutions were combined and coated onto a slide glass and polycarbonate substrates and heated at 100 degrees C for 10 minutes. A mold was then pressed into the composition at a temperature of 180 degrees C, the mold was peeled and then UV cured [0218-0237]. The organosilcon compounds include compounds embraced by formulae I and II. [0057-0061]. Specific examples of the compound represented by the formula (I) include vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltributoxysilane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane, allyltrimethoxysilane, 3-butenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-cyclopropenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-cyclopentenyltrimethoxysilane, 2-cyclohexenyltrimethoxysilane, divinyldiaminosilane, divinyldichlorosilane, divinyldiacetoxysilane, divinyldimethoxysilane, diallyldimethoxysilane, di-3-butenyldimethoxysilane, vinylmethyldimethoxysilane, vinylethyldiethoxysilane, allylmethyltrimethoxysilane, and allylethyltriethoxysilane. Examples of the compound represented by the formula (II) include methyltrichlorosilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, methyltributoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, ethyltriisopropoxysilane, ethyltributoxysilane, butyltrimethoxysilane, pentafluorophenyl trimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, nonafluorobutylethyltrimethoxysilane, trifluoromethyltrimethoxysilane, dimethyldiaminosilane, dimethyldichlorosilane, dimethyldiacetoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, dibutyldimethoxysilane, trimethylchlorosilane, 3-(meth)acryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, .gamma.-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(3-methyl-3-oxetanemethoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, oxacyclohexyltrimethoxysilane, methyltri(meth)acryloxysilane, methyl[2-(meth)acryloxyethoxy]silane, methyl-triglycydiloxysilane, and methyltris(3-methyl-3-oxetanemethoxy)silane. These can foe used alone or two or more kinds of them can be used in combination [0091-0093] Hatakeyama et al. WO 2016104491 (machine translation attached) teaches in synthesis example a siloxane polymer (B-9) formed by the reaction of maleic anhydride, methyltrimethoxysilane 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and phenyltrimethoxylane (PTMS) [0173] (page 52) PNG media_image13.png 554 233 media_image13.png Greyscale This is used in example 8 (page 56) PNG media_image14.png 548 168 media_image14.png Greyscale NK-5060 (produced by Hayashibara Co., Ltd., maximum absorption wavelength 865 nm (film)) as a component (A) is 2.53 parts by mass, and a siloxane polymer (B-2) solution (solid content) as component (B) 100.00 parts by mass (concentration: 35% by mass), and (C) 1.63 parts by mass of 1- (4,7-dibutoxy-1-naphthalenyl) tetrahydrothiophenium trifluoromethanesulfonate as an acid generator as a photosensitizer. Part, 0.07 parts by mass of fluorine surfactant FTX-218 (manufactured by Neos Co., Ltd.) as an additive, 0.16 parts by mass of Nt-butoxycarbonyldicyclohexylamine, and (F) an organic solvent As an infrared shielding composition having a solid content concentration of 10% by mass (S-1 It was obtained. <Formation and evaluation of cured film> On the glass substrate, using the automatic coating and developing apparatus (clean track manufactured by Tokyo Electron Ltd., trade name “MARK-Vz”), the base film forming composition was applied by spin coating, and then 250 ° C. Was baked for 2 minutes to form a base film having a thickness of 0.6 μm. An infrared shielding composition (S-1) was applied onto the undercoat film by spin coating, and then prebaked for 2 minutes on a hot plate at 100 ° C. to form a coating film having a thickness of 0.5 μm. Then, the glass substrate which has a cured film was produced by performing post-baking for 5 minutes with a 200 degree C hotplate. When the obtained substrate is observed with an optical microscope, “◎” indicates that there are no cracks, “◯” indicates that there are 1 to 3 cracks, and “Δ” indicates that there are 4 to 10 cracks. The case of more than one was evaluated as “x”. The results are shown in Table 2. Next, the haze of the obtained substrate was measured according to JIS K7136 using a haze meter manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd., and “◎”, 0.3% or more and 0 when the haze was less than 0.3%. The case of less than 5% was evaluated as “◯”, the case of 0.5% or more and less than 1.0% was evaluated as “Δ”, and the case of 1.0% or more was evaluated as “x”. The results are shown in Table 2. In addition, the measurement of haze was performed by contrast with the glass substrate which has not formed the cured film. Examples 2-8 Infrared shielding compositions (S-2) to (S-8) were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the siloxane polymers were changed to (B-3) to (B-9) in Example 1. The cured film was formed and evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2 [0180-0181]. The composition of example 16 also uses polymer B-9 (page 58) In example 46, After applying the undercoat film forming composition on two glass substrates by spin coating using an automatic coating and developing apparatus (clean track manufactured by Tokyo Electron Ltd., trade name “MARK-Vz”). The substrate was baked at 250 ° C. for 2 minutes to form a base film having a thickness of 0.6 μm. On the first substrate, the infrared shielding composition (S-13) obtained in Example 12 was applied by spin coating on the base film, and then pre-baked for 2 minutes on a hot plate at 100 ° C. Was performed to form a coating film having a thickness of 0.5 μm. Subsequently, the coating film was exposed at an exposure amount of 1,000 J / m .sup.2 without using a photomask, using an exposure machine (Canon “MPA-600FA” (ghi line mixing)). Next, post-baking was performed on a hot plate at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes to produce a substrate having a cured film. [When the obtained substrate was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, the crack resistance was “耐” and the haze was “◎”. The infrared ray shielding composition (S-13) obtained in Example 12 was applied to the second substrate by spin coating on the base film, and then pre-baked for 2 minutes on a hot plate at 100 ° C. Was performed to form a coating film having a thickness of 0.5 μm. Subsequently, using an exposure machine (Canon's “MPA-600FA” (ghi line mixing)), a film having a pattern of 60 μm line and space (10 to 1) is applied to the coating film 1 The exposure was performed at an exposure amount of 000 J / m .sup.2 . Subsequently, it developed by the piling method for 80 seconds at 23 degree C using the 2.38 mass% tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution. The substrate was washed with running ultrapure water for 1 minute, spin-dried, and post-baked on a hot plate at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes. As a result, a substrate having line and space could be produced [0193]. Specific examples of the silane compound in which m is 1 include, for example, phenyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, tolyltrimethoxysilane, tolyltriethoxysilane, xylyltrimethoxysilane, xylyltriethoxysilane, and mesityltrimethoxysilane. , Mesityltriethoxysilane, ethylphenyltrimethoxysilane, ethylphenyltriethoxysilane, vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane, vinylphenyltriethoxysilane, hydroxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, hydroxyphenyltriethoxysilane, methoxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, methoxy Phenyltriethoxysilane, ethoxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, ethoxyphenyltriethoxysilane, dimethoxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, Methoxyphenyltriethoxysilane, trimethoxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, (2-methoxy) ethoxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, aminophenyltrimethoxysilane, aminophenyltriethoxysilane, diaminophenyltrimethoxysilane, dimethylaminophenyltrimethoxysilane, acetyl Aminophenyltrimethoxysilane, carboxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, methoxycarbonylphenyltrimethoxysilane, amidophenyltrimethoxysilane, mercaptophenyltrimethoxysilane, methylthiophenyltrimethoxysilane, glycidylphenyltrimethoxysilane, glycidyloxyphenyltrimethoxysilane, Glycidyloxyphenyl triethoxysilane, (2-epoxy) ethoxyphene Rutrimethoxysilane, (2-epoxy) ethoxyphenyltriethoxysilane, cyanophenyltrimethoxysilane, naphthyltrimethoxysilane, naphthyltriethoxysilane, methylnaphthyltrimethoxysilane, methoxynaphthyltrimethoxysilane, naphthyltri-n-propoxysilane, Anthryltrimethoxysilane, anthryltriethoxysilane, phenanthryltrimethoxysilane, phenanthryltriethoxysilane, fluorenyltrimethoxysilane, fluorenyltriethoxysilane, pyrenyltrimethoxysilane, pyrenyltriethoxy Silane, indenyltrimethoxysilane, indenyltriethoxysilane, naphthaacenaphthenyltrimethoxysilane, naphthaacenaphthenyltriethoxysilane, etc. be able to. Specific examples of the silane compound in which n is 1 include, for example, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, methyltri-i-propoxysilane, methyltributoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, ethyltri-i -Propoxysilane, ethyltributoxysilane, butyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltri-n-propoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3 -Acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-acryloxypropyltriethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, β- (3 - and epoxy cyclohexyl) ethyltrimethoxysilane and the like. These silane compounds can be used alone or in combination of two or more. These silane compounds can be used alone or in combination of two or more [0044-0045]. Specific examples of the silane compound in which n is 1 include, for example, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, methyltri-i-propoxysilane, methyltributoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, ethyltri-i -Propoxysilane, ethyltributoxysilane, butyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltri-n-propoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3 -Acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-acryloxypropyltriethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, β- (3 - and epoxy cyclohexyl) ethyltrimethoxysilane and the like. These silane compounds can be used alone or in combination of two or more [0064]. Takeya WO 2015170458 (machine translation attached) As an organosilicon compound, vinyl trimethoxysilane (Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., KBM-1003) and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., KBM-503) are 7/3 (= Vinyl Tri). A liquid [B-1] mixed at a molar ratio of (methoxysilane / 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) was used. This was combined with a urethane acrylate and titanium compound in preparation example 1, where it is coated in a PEN film, dried at 80 degrees C and exposed to UV (example 1) Takei et al. JP 2008256966 (machine translation attached) in example 1 forms a polymer by the hydrolysis of 3- (acryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane, adds a surfactant and solvent to this and coats this on a semiconductor substrate and dries it a 130 degrees C for 1 minute to form a resist underlayer, a resist is coated on this and dried, exposed and post baked and developed [0076-0080]. The curing of the underlayer using electron beams is disclosed. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Martin J Angebranndt whose telephone number is (571)272-1378. The examiner can normally be reached 7-3:30 pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. 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 571-273-8300. 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. MARTIN J. ANGEBRANNDT Primary Examiner Art Unit 1737 /MARTIN J ANGEBRANNDT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 April 3, 2026
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Prosecution Timeline

Jul 14, 2023
Application Filed
Jun 15, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103
Oct 03, 2024
Response Filed
Apr 07, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103
Jul 23, 2025
Response Filed
Jul 28, 2025
Final Rejection — §102, §103
Oct 06, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 24, 2025
Examiner Interview Summary
Oct 24, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Dec 09, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Dec 11, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Dec 19, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103
Feb 12, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Feb 12, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 14, 2026
Response Filed
Apr 03, 2026
Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

6-7
Expected OA Rounds
55%
Grant Probability
90%
With Interview (+34.5%)
3y 3m
Median Time to Grant
High
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