Claims 1-12 are pending in this application.
DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1 The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2 This action is responsive to the applicant’s election with traverse received by the office on June 23, 2026. Election of claims 1-7 is acknowledged. Claims 8-12 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention. Therefore, claims 1-7 are pending in this application.
The applicant traversed that the independent claim 8 of group II recites a patten formation method comprising inter, “ removing the photoresist patten using the resist stripper composition according to claim 1.
The examiner respectfully disagrees with the above arguments because the claimed patten formation method of claims 8-12 recite a photoresist pattern include a first photoresist pattern and a second photoresist pattern sequentially formed from the substrate and wherein the first photoresist pattern is removed in advance using the resist stripper composition and wherein method further comprising forming a conductive layer on the substrate before forming the photoresist pattern and wherein a plurality of the photoresist pattern are formed and wherein the conductive pattern comprises filling a space between the adjacent photoresist pattern with a conductive material as claimed in claims 8-12. Therefore, the examiner clearly mentioned that the different inventions have different designs and modes of operation. Accordingly, the restriction is proper and maintained.
rejoinder of composition claims with method claims commensurate in scope with the allowed composition claims will occur following a finding that the composition claims are allowable. Until, such time, a restriction between composition claims and method claims is deemed proper.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
4 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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)1 as being anticipated by Itami et al. (KR 20100051533 A). English translation of the Patent No. KR 20100051533 A is used in this Office action.
Itami et al. (KR’ 533 A) teaches a resist stripper solution comprising tetraalkylammonium hydroxide (ammonium hydroxide-based compound), ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide and organic amine (an amine-based compound) as claimed in claims in claims 1-3 (see claims 1 and 6). Itami et al. (KR’ 533 A) teaches all the limitations of the instant claims. Hence, Itami et al. (KR’ 533 A) anticipates the claims.
5 Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)1 as being anticipated by Du et al., (US 20160186106 A1).
Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) teaches a photoresist stripping composition comprising at last one quaternary ammonium hydroxide, at least one polar aprotic organic solvent includes dimethyl sulfoxide, at least one alcohol solvent includes ethanol as claimed in claims 1-2 (see abstract, page paragraph, 0045 and claim 8), wherein the photoresist stripping composition also comprises aliphatic alkanol ether amines include (N-hydroxyethyl)ethoxypropylamine (alkoxy alkyl amine) as claimed in claims 3 and 4 (see page 5, paragraph, 0081). Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) teaches all the limitations of the instant claims. Hence, Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) anticipates the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6 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.
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Du et al., (US 20160186106 A1).
Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) teaches a photoresist stripping composition comprising at last one quaternary ammonium hydroxide, at least one polar aprotic organic solvent includes dimethyl sulfoxide, at least one alcohol solvent includes ethanol (see abstract, page paragraph, 0045 and claim 8), wherein the photoresist stripping composition also comprises aliphatic alkanol ether amines include (N-hydroxyethyl)ethoxypropylamine (alkoxy alkyl amine) (see page 5, paragraph, 0081).
The instant claims differ from the teaching of Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) by reciting specific ranges of the percentage amounts of the claimed ingredients in the resist stripper composition as claimed in claims 5-7.
However, Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) teaches a photoresist stripping composition comprising ammonium hydroxide-based compound in the amount of about 0.1% to about 10% which is covered the claimed range as claimed in claim 5 (see claim 4), from about 30% to about 90% of at least one water soluble polar aprotic organic solvent (Dimethyl sulfoxide), which is covered the claimed range as claimed in claim 5 (see claim 9), and from about 5% to about 90 of the at least one alcohol solvent (ethanol) which is overlapped with the claimed range as claimed in claim 5 (see claim 11) and wherein the stripper composition also comprises water in the amount of about 2.5 to about 25% which is overlapped with the claimed range as claimed in claim 6 (see claim 12).
Therefore, in view of the teaching of Du et al., (US’ 106 A1), it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to optimize the amounts of the ingredients in the stripper composition so as to get the maximum effective amounts of these ingredients in the stripper composition. The person of ordinary skill in the art would expect such a composition to have the similar properties to those claimed, absent unexpected results.
Regarding claim 7, Du et al., (US’ 106 A1) as described above, teaches water and ammonium hydroxide-based compound in the amounts that overlapped with the claimed percentage amounts (see claims 4 and 12), and based on the teaching of Du et al., (US’ 106 A1), it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to optimize the difference between the amounts of the ammonium hydroxide-based compound and water in order to get the maximum effective amounts of these ingredients in the stripper composition and, thus, the person of the ordinary skill in the art would expect such a composition to have similar results to those claimed, absent unexpected results.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EISA B ELHILO whose telephone number is (571)272-1315. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
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/EISA B ELHILO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1761
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