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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicants’ election without traverse of Group II (claims 20-30) in the reply filed on 7/23/26 is acknowledged. Applicants have cancelled non-elected claims 1-19, and has added new claims 31-39, which also correspond to Group II. Therefore, clams 20-39 are being examined for patentability.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claims 20-39 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 20, “,” should be deleted from lines 7, 10, and 15.
In claim 31, there is lack of relationship between the step of collecting electromagnetic radiation from a top surface of a substrate support, as recited in lines 3-4, with the remining steps of the claim; and “,” should be deleted from lines 6 and 11.
In claim 32, “a” should be changed to --the-- throughout line 2.
Claims 21-30 and 33-39 are objected to for being dependent on an objected base claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 26 and 33 are 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.
In claims 26 and 33, it is not clear which collected electromagnetic radiation (the electromagnetic radiation from the top surface of the substrate support recited in lines 3-4 of base claim 20, or the electromagnetic radiation from the substrate recited in line 13 of base claim 20) is being referred to in the claims.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 32-35, 38, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 32 does not further limit the limitations of base claim 31 (see lines 3-4 of base claim 31). Applicants may cancel the claim, amend the claim to place the claim in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim in independent form, or present sufficient showing that the dependent claim complies with the statutory requirements.
Claims 33-35, 38, and 39 are rejected for being dependent on a rejected base claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-39 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, and under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, and the objections set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not disclose or suggest the following in combination with the remaining limitations of the claims:
A method of determining a temperature of a substrate in a processing chamber, comprising determining a transmissivity of the light pipe based on a comparison of the estimated temperature of the top surface of the substrate support and the sensed temperature of the top surface of the substrate support; and determining the temperature of the substrate based on the electromagnetic radiation collected by the light pipe from the substrate and the transmissivity (claim 20).
A method of determining a temperature of a substrate in a processing chamber, comprising determining a transmissivity of the light pipe based on a comparison of an estimated temperature of the top surface of the substrate support and the sensed temperature of the top surface of the substrate support; and determining the temperature of the substrate based on the electromagnetic radiation collected by the light pipe from the substrate and the transmissivity (claim 31).
Conclusion
The references made of record and not relied upon by the examiner (U.S. Patent 7,234,862 to Johnson et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0096780 to Champetier, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0218314 to Davis et al, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0189757 to Denton et al) are considered pertinent to the Applicants’ disclosure by each disclosing determining a temperature of a substrate in a semiconductor processing apparatus, but do not disclose the allowable subject matter stated above.
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/MIRELLYS JAGAN/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
9/17/26
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