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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (claims 7-20) in the reply filed on August 28, 2025 is acknowledged. Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I-Figures 3-4 (claims 7-20) in the reply filed on October 6, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-6 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 18, after “shower head”, insert --,--. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 7-12 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foo et al. (U.S. 2013/0240142) in view of Kook (KR101724100B1), Jang et al. (U.S. 2005/0000430), and Watanabe (U.S. 2021/0005458).
Referring to Figure 1 below and paragraphs [0023]-[0024], Foo et al. disclose a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a housing (i.e. chamber) that defines a processing region in which a substrate is processed (par.[0002], [0023]); a shower head 103 in the housing and configured to supply the plasma to the processing region, the shower head including one or more first fastening holes 111b (Fig. 1, par.[0023]); an adapter 107 between the power supply source and the shower head, the adapter being separated from the shower head (Fig. 1, par.[0023]); a lid 101 surrounding at least a part of the adapter, the lid being connected to the shower head through one or more fastening portions 105 respectively inserted into the one or more first fastening holes (Fig. 1, par.[0023]); a plurality of pads 109, 201b between the shower head and the lid (Fig. 1, pars.[0023], [0026]), wherein each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene (par.[0024]), and at least a part of the plurality of pads 109 comes into contact with a bottom surface of the adapter 107 (Fig. 1); and wherein each of the plurality of pads has a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid and at a location above an upper surface of the shower head (Fig. 1).
Foo et al. fail to teach a power supply source on the housing, the power supply source being configured to generate plasma.
Referring to paragraphs [0056],[0091], Kook teaches a substrate processing apparatus wherein it is conventionally known in the art to include a power supply source on the housing and wherein the power supply source being configured to generate plasma. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Foo et al. to include a power supply source on the housing and wherein the power supply source being configured to generate plasma as taught by Kook since it is a conventionally known means used to generate plasma. The resulting apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook would yield a power supply source on the housing, the power supply source being configured to generate plasma.
Foo et al. is silent on wherein each of the plurality of pads has a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid and spaced apart from the sidewall of the lid.
Referring to Figures 4-5 and paragraphs [0064]-[0067], Jang et al. teach a substrate processing apparatus wherein each of the plurality of pads 144, 148 has a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid 120 and spaced apart from the sidewall of the lid. It is conventionally known in the art to provide spacing between the pad and the lid’s sidewall in order to allow spacing for thermal expansion during substrate processing and for expansion of the pad when it is compressed by bolting. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Foo et al. with each of the plurality of pads has a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid and spaced apart from the sidewall of the lid as taught by Jang et al. in order to provide spacing between the pad and the lid’s sidewall in order to allow spacing for thermal expansion during substrate processing and for expansion of the pad when it is compressed by bolting. The resulting apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Jang et al. would yield wherein each of the plurality of pads has a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid and spaced apart from the sidewall of the lid at a location above an upper surface of the shower head.
Foo et al. is silent on wherein each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
Referring to paragraph [0073], Watanabe teach a member 5,6 used between a showerhead and a chamber component and the member 5, 6 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C). Polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C) is a conventionally known material used in substrate processing chambers since it has excellent chemical resistance, anti-contamination property, and electric conductivity property. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Foo et al. such that each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C) as taught by Watanabe since it is a conventionally known material used in substrate processing having excellent chemical resistance, anti-contamination property, and electric conductivity. Additionally, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination (MPEP 2144.07). The resulting apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Watanabe would yield wherein each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
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With respect to claim 8, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein each of the plurality of pads 201b includes a second fastening hole 203b that overlaps a corresponding first fastening hole 110b into which a corresponding fastening portion is inserted, the corresponding first fastening hole is among the one or more first fastening holes, and the corresponding fastening portion is among the one or more fastening portions (Foo et al.-Fig. 1, pars.[0023], [0026]).
With respect to claim 9, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein the shower head 103 includes a trench 111, each of the plurality of pads 109 includes a first portion on the shower head and a second portion in the trench of the shower head, and a shape of the second portion is elliptical from a planar viewpoint (Foo et al.-Figs. 1-4).
With respect to claim 10, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein a corresponding first fastening hole 111b is among the one or more first fastening holes, and the corresponding first fastening hole is offset from a center of the second portion (Foo et al.-Figs. 1, 3C, 4A-4C).
With respect to claim 11, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein from a planar viewpoint, a width of a cross-section of the trench 111 is greater than a width of a cross-section of a first fastening hole among the one or more first fastening holes (Foo et al.-Figs. 1-4).
With respect to claim 12, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein at least a part of the plurality of pads 109 covers a part of a side wall of the shower head (Foo et al.-Figs. 1-4).
With respect to claim 14, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein at least a part of the plurality of pads 109 covers the one or more first fastening holes 111b (Foo et al.-Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 15, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein each of the plurality of pads 109 corresponds to one of the one or more first fastening holes 111b (Foo et al.-Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 16, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein a vertical distance from an upper surface of the shower head 103 to an upper surface of a corresponding one of the plurality of pads 109 is the same as a vertical distance from the upper surface of the shower head to a lower surface of the adapter 107 (Foo et al.-Fig. 1).
Claim(s) 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foo et al. (U.S. 2013/0240142) in view of Kook (KR101724100B1) and Watanabe (U.S. 2021/0005458).
Referring to Figure 1 above and paragraphs [0023]-[0024], Foo et al. disclose a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a housing (i.e. chamber) that defines a processing region in which a substrate is processed (pars.[0002], [0023]); a shower head 103 in the housing and configured to supply the plasma to the processing region, and the shower head including a plurality of first fastening holes 111b (Figs. 1, 2B, par.[0023]); an adapter 107 between the power supply source and the shower head, the adapter being separated from the shower head (Fig. 1, par.[0023]); a lid 101 surrounding at least a part of the adapter, the lid being connected to the shower head through a fastening portion 105 inserted into the plurality of first fastening holes, and the lid not being in contact an upper surface of the shower head (Fig. 1, par.[0023]); and a plurality of pads between the lid and the shower head, wherein the plurality of pads 109, 201b include a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the horizontal portion extends in a horizontal direction and comes into contact with an upper surface of the shower head, and the vertical portion extends in a vertical direction and comes into contact with a side surface of the shower head, and wherein at least a part of the plurality of pads 109 comes into contact with a bottom surface of the adapter 105 (Fig. 1).
Foo et al. fail to teach a power supply source on the housing, the power supply source being configured to generate plasma.
Referring to paragraphs [0056],[0091], Kook teaches a substrate processing apparatus wherein it is conventionally known in the art to include a power supply source on the housing and wherein the power supply source being configured to generate plasma. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention for the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. to include a power supply source on the housing and wherein the power supply source being configured to generate plasma as taught by Kook since it is a conventionally known means used to generate plasma. The resulting apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook would yield a power supply source on the housing, the power supply source being configured to generate plasma.
Foo et al. is silent on wherein each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
Referring to paragraph [0073], Watanabe teach a member 5,6 used between a showerhead and a chamber component and the member 5, 6 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C). Polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C) is a conventionally known material used in substrate processing chambers since it has excellent chemical resistance, anti-contamination property, and electric conductivity property. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the apparatus of Foo et al. such that each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C) as taught by Watanabe since it is a conventionally known material used in substrate processing having excellent chemical resistance, anti-contamination property, and electric conductivity. Additionally, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination (MPEP 2144.07). The resulting apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Watanabe would yield wherein each of the plurality of pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
With respect to claim 18, the substrate processing apparatus of Foo et al. in view of Kook further includes wherein the shower head 103 includes a trench 111, each of the plurality of pads 109, 201b includes a second fastening hole 203b and a second portion, the fastening portion is inserted the second fastening hole, and the second portion which protrudes from the horizontal portion in the vertical direction and is in the trench of the shower head, and the second fastening hole is offset from a center of the second portion (Foo et al.-Figs. 1-4).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot because reference Jang et al. teach plurality of pads have a side surface facing a sidewall of the lid and spaced apart from the sidewall of the lid and new reference Watanabe teaches pads includes polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kuenanz et al.’815, Hsieh et al.’653, and Son et al.’029 teach components used in substrate processing chamber made of polytetrafluoroethylene combined with carbon (C).
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.
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/Michelle CROWELL/Examiner, Art Unit 1716
/SYLVIA MACARTHUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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