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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 12-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boyd jr. et al. 2019/0111541 A1.
Boyd jr. et al discloses the claimed invention as recited in the claims as shown below; However, the limitation the first contact pattern is larger than an area of the first region of the contact band.
It would have been obvious at the time of invention to have selected the surface area under the pattern wanted to support to pattern making area larger or smaller since the structure is intergral and would be a matter of simple sizing which would yield the predicable result of support. KSR
1. A substrate supporter including an upper surface on which a substrate is loaded, comprising: a base 125; an outer dam 203 extending along an edge of the base; a contact band 213 & 215 connected with the outer dam, the contact band extending along a circumferential direction of the base, wherein the substrate is loaded onto the contact band; and a first contact pattern 217 disposed adjacent to the contact band and extending into an inside of the contact band, the first contact pattern extending along the circumferential direction of the base, wherein an area of the first contact pattern is larger than an area where the contact band overlaps with the substrate.
2. The substrate supporter of claim 1, wherein: the contact band includes an overlapping region 201 that overlaps the substrate, the overlapping region and the first contact pattern both have a ring shape, and a width of the first contact pattern along a radial direction of the base is greater than a width of the overlapping region along the radial direction of the base.
3. The substrate supporter of claim 1, wherein: the first contact pattern includes a plurality of first sub-contact patterns that are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the base. See Fig.2B
4. The substrate supporter of claim 3, wherein: each first sub-contact pattern of the plurality of first sub-contact patterns has a circular shape on a plane. See Fig.2A shows circular shape looking down from the top view
5. The substrate supporter of claim 1, wherein: a height at which the contact band protrudes from an upper surface of the base is a same as a height at which the first contact pattern protrudes from the upper surface of the base. See Fig.2B shows all structure at the same height
6. The substrate supporter of claim 1, wherein: the base includes an inner region and an outer region surrounding the inner region, the contact band and the first contact pattern are disposed in the outer region, and a radius of the inner region is 4/5 to 14/15 of a radius of the base. This is a small region which is shown.
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7. The substrate supporter of claim 1, comprising: a second contact pattern 223 disposed adjacent to the first contact pattern and extending into an inside of the first contact pattern, the second contact pattern extending along the circumferential direction of the base, and an area of the second contact pattern is more than 30% and less than 100% of the area where the contact band overlaps with the substrate.
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8. The substrate supporter of claim 7, wherein: at least one contact pattern of the first contact pattern or the second contact pattern has a ring shape. See 2A and 2B
9. The substrate supporter of claim 7, wherein: the second contact pattern includes a plurality of second sub-contact patterns that are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the base. 223 is spaced apart
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12. The substrate supporter of claim 1, wherein: the contact band and the first contact pattern include aluminum nitride. See par.0012 which discloses the use of Aluminum nitride AIN
13. A substrate supporter including an upper surface on which a substrate is loaded, comprising: a base 125 including an inner region and an outer region surrounding the inner region; an outer dam 203 extending along an edge of the base; a plurality of inner contact patterns 217 equally spaced apart in the inner region; a contact band 213 connected with the outer dam and extending along a circumferential direction of the base, the contact band disposed in the outer region, and the substrate being loaded onto the contact band; and a first contact pattern disposed adjacent to the contact band and extending into an inside of the contact band, the first contact pattern extending along the circumferential direction of the base, the first contact pattern disposed in the outer region, and an area of the first contact pattern is larger than an area where the contact band overlaps with the substrate.
14. The substrate supporter of claim 13, comprising: a second contact pattern disposed on an inner side of the first contact pattern, the second contact pattern disposed in the outer region and extending along the circumferential direction of the base. See Fig.2A
15. The substrate supporter of claim 14, wherein: an area of the second contact pattern is more than 30% and less than 100% of the area where the contact band overlaps with the substrate.
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16. The substrate supporter of claim 14, wherein: at least one contact pattern of the first contact pattern or the second contact pattern has a ring shape on a plane. See Fig.2A
17. The substrate supporter of claim 13, wherein: the substrate supporter includes a constant voltage electrode, the constant voltage electrode embedded in the base and configured to generate an electrostatic force between the substrate supporter and the substrate. See par.0003
18. A substrate supporter including an upper surface on which a substrate is loaded, comprising: a base 125; an outer dam 203 extending along an edge of the base; a contact band 213 connected with the outer dam , the contact band extending along a circumferential direction of the base, wherein the substrate is loaded onto the contact band; a first contact pattern disposed adjacent to an inside of the contact band and extending along the circumferential direction of the base; and a second contact pattern 221 disposed adjacent to an inside of the first contact pattern and extending along the circumferential direction of the base, wherein the first contact pattern is disposed between the outer dam and the second contact pattern, and a ratio of an area where the first contact pattern is in contact with the substrate to an entire area of the substrate is greater than a ratio of an area where the contact band is in contact with the substrate to the entire area of the substrate.
19. The substrate supporter of claim 18, wherein: an area where the second contact pattern is in contact with the substrate is more than 30% and less than 100% of an area where the contact band overlaps with the substrate.
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20. The substrate supporter of claim 19, wherein: at least one contact pattern of the first contact pattern or the second contact pattern has a ring shape on a plane. See Fig 2.A
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-11 are 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 Fig.7 shows a second pattern being rectangular 242 , larger circle 241P and smaller circles 220 all on the inner section.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEE D WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4499. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 6;30-4;30.
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LEE D. WILSON
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
Ldw
/LEE D WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723 June 10, 2026
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