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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on December 4, 2025 has been entered.
US 8597462 B2
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 3-7, 9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sankarakrishnan; Ramprakash et al. (US 20110294303 A1) in view of Son; Ryou et al. (US 20210005477 A1). Sankarakrishnan teaches a substrate processing apparatus (Figure 1,3), comprising: a reaction chamber (164; Figure 1) provided with a chamber wall (walls of 164; Figure 1) comprising a first sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) , a second sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) disposed opposite to the first sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) , a bottom wall (bottom wall of 164; Figure 1) connected to the first sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) and the second sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) ;a gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) disposed in the first sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1);a substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) provided with a top plate (110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 31; Figure 2) and a shaft (118; Figure 1), the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) being disposed within the reaction chamber (164; Figure 1) and configured to support a substrate on the top plate (110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 31; Figure 2), wherein the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) is configured to be vertically movable ([0017]-”...the shield member 116 and the substrate support 106 move into a position below the substrate transfer opening 114 allowing access to the support surface 110.”) between a process position (“During processing”; [0017]) and a transfer position (“loading or unloading”; [0017]); and a liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) disposed around a perimeter of the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) and the shaft (118; Figure 1), the liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) configured to move concurently ([0017]-”...the shield member 116 and the substrate support 106 move into a position below the substrate transfer opening 114 allowing access to the support surface 110.”) with the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2), wherein an outer wall of the liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) is configured to cover (Figure 2) the gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) when the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) is in the process position (“During processing”; [0017]), wherein the liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) comprises a first vertical section (118; Figure 1) about the shaft (118; Figure 1), a horizontal section (172; Figure 1) coupled to the first vertical section (118; Figure 1) and located beneath the top plate (110; Figure 1), and a second vertical section (174; Figure 1-Applicant’s 48; Figure 2; 9/2/25 drawings) coupled to the horizontal section (172; Figure 1) and extending from below the top plate (110; Figure 1) to substantially align (in the loading position) with a top of the top plate (110; Figure 1), wherein a height of the second vertical section (174; Figure 1-Applicant’s 48; Figure 2; 9/2/25 drawings) extends from below a bottom surface of the gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) to above a top surface of the gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) when the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) is in the process position (“During processing”; [0017]) - claim 1
Sankarakrishnan further teaches:
The apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 1, wherein the liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) comprises at least one of: a ceramic material (148; Figure 1) or a ceramic coated material, as claimed by claim 3
Sankarakrishnan’s apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 1, further comprising a substrate transfer chamber (304; Figure 3) connected to Sankarakrishnan’s reaction chamber (164; Figure 1); and a substrate transfer robot (310; Figure 3) disposed within the substrate transfer chamber (304; Figure 3) for transferring Sankarakrishnan’s substrate between Sankarakrishnan’s reaction chamber (164; Figure 1) and the substrate transfer chamber (304; Figure 3) through Sankarakrishnan’s gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) - claim 4
The apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 1, further comprising a gas supply unit (136; Figure 1) disposed in the reaction chamber (164; Figure 1), the gas supply unit (136; Figure 1) being configured to supply a gas to the substrate, as claimed by claim 5
The apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 5, wherein the gas supply unit (136; Figure 1) comprises a showerhead (136; Figure 1) provided with a plurality of holes (140; Figure 1) for supplying gas to the substrate, as claimed by claim 6
The apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 6, wherein the showerhead (136; Figure 1) is configured to face the substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2), as claimed by claim 7
The apparatus (Figure 1,3) of claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus (Figure 1,3) comprises a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (148; Figure 1) apparatus (Figure 1,3), as claimed by claim 9
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion (118) of the liner (116; Figure 1; [0017]-ceramics, etc..-Applicant’s 40; Figure 2) disposed around the perimeter of the shaft (118; Figure 1) extends through the bottom wall (bottom wall of 164; Figure 1), as claimed by claim 11
Sankarakrishnan does not teach Sankarakrishnan’s gate valve tunnel (114; Figure 1) disposed in Sankarakrishnan’s first sidewall (sidewall of 164; Figure 1) is configured to be closed by a gate valve - claim 1, 4
Son teaches a similar wafer processing system (Figure 1) including a gate valve (12g) for the gate valve tunnel (12p).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Sankarakrishnan to add Son’s gate valve.
Motivation for Sankarakrishnan to add Son’s gate valve is for process environment isolation during Sankarakrishnan’s processing.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sankarakrishnan; Ramprakash et al. (US 20110294303 A1) and Son; Ryou et al. (US 20210005477 A1) in view of Moslehi; Mehrdad M. (US 5252178 A). Sankarakrishnan and Son are discussed above. Sankarakrishnan further teaches the apparatus (Figure 1) of claim 7, further comprising an RF generator (148; Figure 1) that may be electrically coupled to the showerhead (136; Figure 1).
Sankarakrishnan and Nguyen do not teach wherein Sankarakrishnan’s substrate support (106+110; Figure 1-Applicant’s 30; Figure 2) is electrically grounded.
Moslehi also teaches a plasma processing apparatus (Figure 1,4) including switches (116,114; Figure 4) connected to Moslehi’s showerhead (76; Figure 1,4) and chuck (26; Figure 1,4) respectively for cycling between ground and power states.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Sankarakrishnan to add Moslehi’s switches.
Motivation for Sankarakrishnan to add Moslehi’s switches is for carrying out distinct fabrication processes as taught by Moslehi (column 7; lines 31-54).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-7, filed December 4, 2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 1, 3-9, 11 under Ohkase have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of Sankarakrishnan; Ramprakash et al. (US 20110294303 A1) and Son; Ryou et al. (US 20210005477 A1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shielding with liners to protect plasma facing surfaces is a common practice in the art and include additional examples:
US 20170275753 A1
US 20240021419 A1
US 20220367151 A1
US 20210391146 A1
US 6528180 B1
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/Rudy Zervigon/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716