DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-4, 11, 13, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rief et al. (US PGPub 2008/0043349, hereinafter Rief).
Regarding claim 1, Rief discloses a mounting system for mounting components of a lithography apparatus (holding devices for optical elements in the context of microlithography, see abstract), comprising:
a first component, a second component and an adhesive which fastens the first and second components to each other (lens 207 held by holding device 210, see Fig. 4 and paragraph [0079]; holding device has an adhesive connection for durable connection, see paragraph [0025]); wherein:
the first component comprises at least two mutually inclines surfaces and a first adhesive surface connecting the two mutually inclined surfaces (lens 207 has inclined surfaces, see Fig. 4; held in place by holding device 210 by adhesive connection, see paragraph [0025]),
the second component comprises at least one spherical section which is configured to be received between the at least two mutually inclined surfaces and to comprise a spherical surface section and a second adhesive surface, the second adhesive surface being arranged, as seen in a cross section, between two subsections of the spherical surface section (holding device 510 includes a spherical fixation element 510.3, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0109]; holding devices provided with adhesive connections for durable connections, see paragraph [0025]), and
the adhesive is arranged between the first and second adhesive surfaces (holding devices provided with adhesive connections for durable connections, see paragraph [0025]).
Regarding claim 2, Rief discloses the first component comprises at least one groove which is configured as a V groove, and which comprises, as seen in cross section, the two mutually inclined surfaces (lens 507 has a circumferential generally V-shaped groove within the lens 507, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0102]).
Regarding claim 3, Rief discloses the first and second components lie directly against each other only at point contacts or surface contacts which are formed respectively by the two mutually inclined surface and the spherical section, and, in addition are adhesively bonded to each other on the first and second adhesive surfaces with the adhesive (lens 207 is held by holding device 210 at surface contacts, see Fig. 4; holding device has an adhesive connection for durable connection, see paragraph [0025]).
Regarding claim 4, Rief discloses the first and second adhesive surfaces each comprise a plurality of discrete adhesive surfaces (holding device 210 has a top and bottom holding surface contacting the respective top and bottom lens surface, see Fig. 2; holding device has an adhesive connection for durable connection, see paragraph [0025]).
Regarding claim 11, Rief discloses one of the first and second components is a carrier of an optical element of the lithography apparatus, and the other of the first and second components is an annular cover of the optical element of the lithography apparatus (lens 207 (e.g. optical element) held by holding device 210 (cover of the optical element), see Fig. 4 and paragraph [0079]).
Regarding claim 13, Rief discloses the at least one spherical section is a spherical wedge (holding device 510 includes a spherical fixation element 510.3 wedged in the V shaped groove, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0109]).
Regarding claim 14, Rief discloses an illumination system and a projection system, wherein the lithography apparatus comprises a mounting system (microlithography device 101 includes an illumination system 102 and an optical projection system 104, see paragraph [0037]; the lens of the microlithography device mounted as described in claim 1 above).
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rief.
Regarding claim 10, Rief does not explicitly disclose the second component comprises at least one screw, which at a first end section thereof is configured to screw into a threaded bore of the second component and at a second end section thereof has a spherical head that forms the at least one spherical section.
Rief suggests contact elements may be individual components connected to the base element by a suitable mechanism, for example, a screw connection in combination with other connections (e.g. adhesives), see paragraph [0069]).
It would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to modify the embodiment of Rief by providing a screw (with appropriate threaded bores) in combination with the existing adhesive connections (see paragraph [0025]) for the purpose of more securely connecting components by multiple contact connection points.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rief in view of Steegmuller et al. (US PGPub 2005/0276542, hereinafter Steegmuller).
Regarding claim 15, Rief discloses a method for producing a mounting system for a lithography apparatus holding devices for optical elements in the context of microlithography, see abstract), comprising:
providing a first component comprising at least two mutually inclined surfaces and a first adhesive surface connecting the two surfaces (lens 207 has inclined surfaces, see Fig. 4; held in place by holding device 210 by adhesive connection, see paragraph [0025]);
providing a second component comprising at least one spherical section having a spherical surface and a second adhesive surface, wherein the spherical surface section comprises two subsections and the second adhesive surface is arranged, as seen in cross section, between the two subsections of the spherical surface section (holding device 510 includes a spherical fixation element 510.3, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0109]; holding devices provided with adhesive connections for durable connections, see paragraph [0025]),
arranging the second component on the first component such that the at least one spherical section is received between the at least two mutually inclined surfaces and the first adhesive surface is arranged adjacent to the second adhesive surface (holding device 510 includes a spherical fixation element 510.3, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0109]; holding devices provided with adhesive connections for durable connections, see paragraph [0025]), and
applying adhesive to the first and/or to the second adhesive surface (holding devices provided with adhesive connections for durable connections, see paragraph [0025]).
Rief fails to disclose curing the adhesive.
Steegmuller discloses a fixing agent to hold two surfaces is a curable adhesive (see paragraph [0026]). Steegmuller teaches an adhesive can used advantageously for a final adjustment before curing (e.g. heating or UV curing, see paragraph [0026]).
Steegmuller modifies Rief by suggesting using an adhesive that requires curing before being set in place.
Since both inventions are drawn to holding surfaces with adhesives, it would have been obvious to the ordinary artisan before the effective filing date to modify Rief by using an adhesive that requires curing for the purpose of allowing for a final adjustment for more precise alignment as taught by Steegmuller.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-9 and 12 are 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.
Regarding claim 5, Rief discloses the first component comprises at least one V groove and at least one recess which communicates with the at least one V groove, which comprises the first adhesive surface and which the adhesive is arranged (lens 507 has a circumferential generally V-shaped groove within the lens 507, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0102]; holding device has an adhesive connection for durable connection, see paragraph [0025]),
the second component comprise the at least one spherical section (holding device 510 includes a spherical fixation element 510.3, see Fig. 7 and paragraph [0109]).
Rief fails to disclose, either singularly or in combination, the limitations including at least one protrusion protrudes between the two subsections of the spherical surface section and comprises the second adhesive surface and the protrusion is configured to insert into the recess of the first component and to be adhesively bonded there with the adhesive.
Claims 6-8 are allowable due to being dependent from dependent claim 5.
Regarding claim 9, Rief fails to disclose, either singularly or in combination, the second component comprises at least one recess which is formed in the at least one spherical section and which has the second adhesive surface.
Regarding claim 12, Reif fails to disclose, either singularly or in combination, the limitations including the first component comprises three V grooves, which are arranged angularly offset from one another by angels different from zero, the second component comprises three spherical sections which are arranged offset from one another by the angles different from zero, the first component comprises three recesses which communicate respectively with the three V grooves and are arranged offset from one another by the angles different from zero, and the second component comprises three protrusions which are arranged offset from one another by the angles different from zero.
Conclusion
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/HC/ Examiner, Art Unit 2878
/GEORGIA Y EPPS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2878