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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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, 6, and 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamashita (JP2010061087). Translation attached.
Yamashita teaches dissolve the components shown in Table 3 below in a mixed solvent (A1:B1=6:4 (mass ratio)), This was filtered through a pore size polytetrafluoroethylene filter to prepare a positive-type resist composition with total solid concentration shown in Table 3 [0243], specifically in Example II-15, polymer RB-19, acid generator z73 (claim 11), and compound T-72 [0254] wherein RB-19 is the following:
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[0250] wherein the repeating unit second from the left is equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (6) of instant claim 1 when R22-R24 are hydrogen atoms, L4 is a single bond, Ar1 is an aromatic group, R25 is a hydrogen atom, R26 is an alkyl group, and R27 is a cycloalkyl group, the repeating unit on the right is also equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (6) of instant claim 1 when R22-R24 are hydrogen atoms, L4 is a divalent linking group, Ar1 is an aromatic group, R25 is a hydrogen atom, R26 is an alkyl group, and R27 is a cycloalkyl group, the repeating unit on the left is equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (A2) of instant claim 10 when R101-R103 are hydrogen atoms, LA is a single bond, ArA is an aromatic group, and k is 1, and the repeating unit second from the right is also equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (A2) of instant claim 10 when R101-R103 are hydrogen atoms, LA is a single bond, ArA is an aromatic group, and k is 1; compound T-72 is the following:
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[0197] which is equivalent to an acidic compound (F) having an aromatic group substituted with an iodine atom which is nonionic of instant claims 1 and 2, specifically represented by general formula (FA1) of instant claim 3, more specifically general formula (FA2) of instant claim 4, even more specifically general formula (FA4) of instant claim 6 when j is 0, m4 is 3, m5 is 1, and m7 is 0. Compound T-72 has a pKa of 4.592 and a molecular weight of 263.03 (claims 8 and 9). Yamashita also teaches the prepared positive-type resist composition was uniformly coated onto a hexamethyldisilazane-treated silicon substrate using a spin coater, then heat-dried on a hot plate at 120°C for 60 seconds to form a resist film thickness of 60 nm. This resist film is irradiated with a Nikon electron beam projection lithography device (acceleration voltage 50 keV), with an exposure rate ranging from 0 to 40 μC/cm 21μC/cm within the range. Each was changed one by one, while showing the exposure. This resist membrane was baked at 120°C for 90 seconds. Then, the image was developed for 30 seconds using 2.38 mass% tetramethylammonium hydrooxide (TMAH) aqueous solution [0244] (claims 12 and 13). Yamashita further teaches the present invention relates to positive-type resist compositions suitable for ultra-microlithography processes such as the manufacture of ultra-LSIs and high-capacity microchips, as well as other photopublication processes [0111] (claim 14).
Claims 1-5 and 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawabata et al. (JP2015161823). Translation attached.
Kawabata et al. teaches an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition in Example 1-20 comprising polymer P-13, acid generator PAG-3 (claim 11), basic compound TPI, low molecular weight compound M-2, and solvents S1/S2 [0451] wherein polymer P-13 is the following:
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[0439] which is equivalent to resin (A) of instant claims 1 and 10 when the left repeating unit is equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (6) of instant claim 1 when R22-R24 are hydrogen atoms, L4 is a single bond, Ar1 is an aromatic group, R25 is a hydrogen atom, R26 is an alkyl group, and R27 is a cycloalkyl group, and the repeating unit on the right is equivalent to a repeating unit represented by general formula (A2) of instant claim 10 when R101-R103 are hydrogen atoms, LA is a single bond, ArA is an aromatic group, and k is 1; and low molecular weight compound M-2 is the following:
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[0441] which is equivalent to an acidic compound (F) having an aromatic group substituted with an iodine atom which is nonionic of instant claims 1 and 2, specifically represented by general formula (FA1) of instant claim 3, more specifically general formula (FA2) of instant claim 4, even more specifically general formula (FA3) of instant claim 5 when j is 0, m4 is 3, m5 is 1, and m6 is 0. Compound M-2 has a pKa of 6.47 based on pages 112-113 of the instant specification and a molecular weight of 471.80 (claims 8 and 9). Kawabata et al. also teaches the coating liquid composition was microfiltered with a membrane filter having a diameter of 0.05 μm to obtain an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition (resist composition) solution (solid content concentration: 1.5% by mass). The actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition solution was applied on a 6-inch Si wafer subjected to hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) treatment in advance by using a spin coater Mark 8 made of Tokyo Electron, and dried on a hot plate at 100°C for 60 seconds to obtain a resist film having a film thickness of 50 nm. An EUV exposure apparatus (Micro Exposure Tool manufactured by Exitech, NA 0.3, Quadratic, outer sigma 0.68, inner sigma 0.36) is used as the wafer to which the resist film obtained in (1) is applied, and an exposure mask (line) is used／ Space = 1／ Pattern exposure was performed using 1). After irradiation, it was heated at 110°C for 60 seconds on a hot plate, immersed for 60 seconds using a 2.38 mass % tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) aqueous solution, rinsed with water for 30 seconds, dried, and a 1:1 line and space pattern resist pattern having a line width of 50 nm was obtained [0446-0447] (claims 12 and 13). Kawabata et al. further teaches the pattern forming method of the present invention is suitably used for creating a semiconductor fine circuit such as the manufacture of a super LSI or a high-capacity microchip [0433] (claim 14).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawabata et al. (JP2015161823).
With regard to claim 6, Kawabata et al. teaches in the above Example 1-20, low molecular weight compound M-2 (acidic compound having an iodine atom) having a hydroxyl group.
Kawabata et al. does not teach an acidic compound having an iodine atom having a carboxyl group represented by general formula (FA4).
However, Kawabata et al. teaches other specific examples of the low molecular weight compound (AD2) includes the following [0272]:
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[0273] which is equivalent to an acidic compound having an iodine atom represented by general formula (FA4) of instant claim 6 when j is 0, m4 is 3, m5 is 1, and m7 is 0. Kawabata et al. also teaches the present invention will be more specifically described by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples [0434] and it is possible to provide a pattern forming method capable of achieving high sensitivity and high resolution [0006].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the specific teachings of Kawabata et al. to include additional compositions comprising other low molecular weight compounds such as that shown above and arrive at the instant claims through routine experimentation of substituting equally suitable compounds for the sought invention in order to achieve optimum sensitivity and resolution.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record does not teach or provide motivation to make/use an actinic ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition comprising a resin (A) and an acidic compound represented by general formula (FA5). Closest prior art Yamashita and Kawabata teach aromatic rings having an iodine atom and a carboxyl and/or hydroxyl group but do not teach the aromatic ring can be that of formula (FA5). Closest prior art Urano et al. (U.S. 5,976,759) teaches resist compositions comprising a resin (A) and an acidic compound such as saccharine may be added [col 31 lines 19-27] which is a compound structurally similar to formula (FA5) when j is 0, E1 is a divalent linking group (C=O), m8 is 0, and m4 is 0 instead of 1 to 4 as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. U.S. 2019/0324368, U.S. 2021/0286260, JP2021110922, and JP2013083957.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNA E MALLOY whose telephone number is (571)270-5849. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-3:00 EST M-F.
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/Anna Malloy/Examiner, Art Unit 1737
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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