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 .
This is the initial office action for US Patent Application No. 18/417298 by Seil Choi.
Claims 1-18 are currently pending and have been fully considered.
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 1-6, 8, 10 and 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Namgung et al. (US 2016/0237195 A1), herein referred to as Namgung.
Regarding claim 1, Namgung teaches [0100, 0105 and 0108] a hardmask composition comprising a compound that is dissolved in a mixed solvent. The compound taught by Namgung (Compound S3) has the following chemical structure:
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336
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With reference to Applicant’s chemical formula 1, Compound S3 taught by Namgung includes groups that satisfy the composition limitations of claim 1.
Regarding claims 2-6, 8 and 10, Namgung further teaches [0044 and 0061] compositions that include groups that further satisfy the compositional limitations of claims 2-10.
Regarding claim 13, Namgung teaches [0101] Compound S3 is formed into a polymer and configured to have a molecular weight of 2,900 g/mol.
Regarding claim 14, Namgung teaches [0029] the polymer may be included in an amount of 0.1 to 30 weight percent of the organic layer composition for a hardmask layer.
Regarding claim 15, Namgung teaches [0074] solvents such as propylene glycol, propylene glycol diacetate, methoxy propanediol and diethylene glycol may be used.
Regarding claim 16, Namgung teaches [0031] the organic layer composition formed from the polymer discussed above may be a hard mask layer.
Regarding claim 17, Namgung teaches [0032] a method of forming patterns that includes providing a material layer on a substate, applying an organic layer on the material layer, heat-treating the organic layer composition to form a hardmask layer, forming a photoresist layer on the hardmask layer, exposing and developing the photoresist layer to form a photoresist pattern, selectively removing the hardmask layer using the photoresist pattern to expose a part of the material layer, and etching an exposed part of the material layer.
Regarding claim 18, Namgung teaches [0088] the heat-treating process may be performed at about 100 to 500 degrees Celsius.
Claims 1, 7, 9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nosaka et al. (US 2019/0243247 A1), herein referred to as Nosaka. Nosaka is provided on Applicant’s IDS filed 5/12/2025.
Regarding claims 1, 7, 9, 11 and 12, Nosaka teaches a composition for a resist underlayer film (hardmask layer) wherein a compound (A-4) for the resist underlayer film has the following chemical structure:
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472
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With reference to Applicant’s chemical formula 1, compound A-4 taught by Namgung includes groups that satisfy the composition limitations of claims 1, 7, 9 and 11.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 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 of record does not teach or suggest a hardmask composition comprising a compound represented by one of Chemical Formula 5 to Chemical Formula 10.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEWART A FRASER whose telephone number is (571)270-5126. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7am-4pm, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Miriam Stagg can be reached at 571-270-5256. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEWART A FRASER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724
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