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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-17, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0299428 (hereinafter referred to as Masunaga).
Masunaga, in the abstract, in [0023], and [0025], disclose a resist composition that comprises a base resin, and an onium salt that has the same claimed structure ,
and is disclosed as formula (1) and formula (II), and discloses a carboxylate anion structure, see below,
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wherein the partial Y structure includes a nitrogen containing heterocycle (claimed W) that include substituents in the heterocycle (including nitrogen) wherein the substituent can include -CO2L, and is the same carbamate group attached to the claimed W, and also discloses that the substituents in the aryl group that can be linked to the Y group by a linking group (includes -CH2-, see right column on page 2, 3rd paragraph), and the aryl group can include any substituents in addition to a -CO2- group i.e., the substituents can include OH groups as disclosed by Masunaga, in paragraph no. [0061]. Masunaga, in [0076], discloses that the carboxylic acid onium salt functions as an acid diffusion regulator, and in [0077], Masunaga teaches that the acid diffusion regulator i.e., the carboxylic onium salt functions as a quencher (claims 1-7). Masunaga, in [0181], discloses that the resist composition includes an organic solvent, and in [0055], and [0140], discloses that the resist composition includes a photoacid generator (claims 8, 13). Masunaga, in [0149]-[0150], discloses that the resist composition includes a basic compound (claimed a quencher other than the quencher) for controlling acid diffusion (different from the onium salt) (claim 14). Masunaga, in [0151], discloses that the resist composition includes a surfactant (claim 15). Masunaga, in [0037], discloses that the resist composition can include polymer with the following recurring units , see below
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and is the same as the claimed formula (a1),
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and is the same as the claimed (a2) (claims 9-10). Masunaga, in [0030], discloses that the resin includes recurring unit, see below,
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and is the same as the claimed formula (b2) (claim 11). Masunaga, in [0035], discloses that the resin in the composition also includes the following recurring units, see below,
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wherein R13 includes the same structure recited for Z1 and Z2 (see [0111]-[0112]) (claim 12). Masunaga, in [0040]-[0042], discloses that the resist composition is applied to a substrate to forma resist film and exposed to high-energy radiation such as EUV or EB, and the exposed resist is developed in a developer to form a resist pattern (claims 16-17).
Claim(s) 1-5, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2022/037680 and using its English Translation Equivalent U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0294554 (hereinafter referred to as Qin).
Qin, in [0056]-[0057], discloses a composition comprising a salt, wherein the salt comprises the same claimed carboxylate anion, and illustrates the salt structure on page 15, right column, last structure, see below,
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, and on page 49, Qin discloses the carboxylic acid anion of the salt, as seen below,
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in a salt solution (see [0069]) that includes hydronium cations (H3O+) in it, and is the same claimed structure recited as the onium salt (claims 1-5).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daborah Chacko-Davis whose telephone number is (571) 272-1380. The examiner can normally be reached on 9:30AM-6:00PM EST Mon-Fri. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sally A. Merkling can be reached on (571) 272-6297. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-272-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DABORAH CHACKO-DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737 September 28, 2026.
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