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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species IA in the reply filed on 05/05/2026 is acknowledged.
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 1-3 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (US 20170178978 A1, herein after Choi).
Examiner’s note for the effective filing date: Instant application has CIP priority dates from multiple parent applications. However, the claim 1 appears the first in the parent application 16036359 which has a filing date of 07/16/2018.
As a result, the examiner would take 07/16/2018 as the effective filing date for the claim 1.
As to claim 1, Choi teaches an apparatus for a processing chamber, comprising:
a chuck (abstract and [0026]) and at least one of a showerhead (25a in FIG.2); and
at least one of the chuck, the showerhead having at least one optical fiber in contact therewith (FIG.2), the at least one optical fiber having Fiber Bragg Grating sensors (40 in FIG. 2 and 40, 41 in FIG.3 and [0042]);
wherein at least one of the Fiber Bragg Grating sensors is configured to provide strain-related information ([0046]).
As to claim 2, Choi teaches the apparatus according to claim 1.
Choi further teaches at least another one of the Fiber Bragg Grating sensors is configured to provide temperature-related information ([0045-47]).
As to claim 3, Choi teaches the apparatus according to claim 2.
Choi further teaches the Fiber Bragg Grating sensors are each configured for a different center frequency for modulation thereof ([0045]).
As to claim 5, Choi teaches the apparatus according to claim 3.
Choi further teaches the at least one optical fiber is disposed in a spiral or spiral-like pattern (FIG. 4).
As to claim 6, Choi teaches the apparatus according to claim 1.
Choi further teaches the at least one of the Fiber Bragg Grating sensors configured to provide strain-related information ([0046]) is directly bonded to the showerhead (FIG. 2 and 3).
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 of this title, 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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi in view of Parkhe (US 20170303338 A1 hereinafter Parkhe).
As to claim 4, tChoi teaches the apparatus according to claim 3.
However, Choi does not explicitly disclose a base and a puck of the chuck respectively include a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber of the at least one optical fiber.
Parkhe teaches a base (232) and a puck (235) of the chuck (106B in FIG. 2) respectively include a first optical fiber (236) and a second optical fiber of the at least one optical fiber (244 fiber guide passes multiple optical fibers).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the apparatus of Boyd by having a base and a puck of the chuck respectively include a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber of the at least one optical fiber for the benefit including an optimal construction of FBG sensing channels through out the sample holder.
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Boyd (US 20170350688 A1) teaches an apparatus for a processing chamber, comprising:
a chuck ([0057]) and at least one of a showerhead ([0011]) or a lid (face plate 118, [0027]); and
at least one of the chuck, the showerhead, or the lid having at least one optical fiber in contact therewith ([0048] 170 includes fiber optic based sensor),;
wherein at least one of the Fiber sensors is configured to provide strain-related information ([0048] measuring deflections).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNGHEE Y GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-3211. The examiner can normally be reached on M, W and R, 8:00 am-4:00 pm and F 8 :00 to 2:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kara Geisel can be reached on (571) 272-2416. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-270-4211.
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/SUNGHEE Y GRAY/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2886
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