DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This Office action is in response to the election received May 22, 2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-17 in the reply filed on May 22, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 6-10 and 18-21 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on May 22, 2026.
After search and consideration , claims 1-5 are seen as allowable over the prior art of record. None of the prior art references of record disclose the claimed compound as recited in claims 1-5.
Claims 6-21 are rejoined in view of In re Ochiai, 71 F.3d 1565, 37 USPQ2d 1127 (Fed. Cir. 1995) which sets precedent that the method of use of allowable products is also seen as an allowable method. As a results restricted methods of use and methods of making are rejoined.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FUKUHARA (20130288184 A1)
The claimed invention recites the following:
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FUKUHARA report a method of forming a pattern for a semiconductor disclosed on page 146, para. [0688] to [0692].
The method recites coating an anti-reflective layer (AR) on a silicon wafer followed by coating an actinic resist solution was onto said AR, followed by exposure and development, see below:
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The resist compound is disclosed on pages 88-90,97,98,107-110,112,114,123 wherein a polymer having an aromatic ring contains a trifluoromethyl functional group. These polymer meet the recite compound for having at least six benzene rings and a fluoroalkyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, see an example of C-18 and C-26 below from page 88.
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Each of these polymers have more than six repeat units meeting the recited more than six benzene rings.
The working example lacks the use of the disclose copolymers as recited above, however would be obvious to the skilled artisan to use any of the listed copolymers having the fluorinated repeat units and expect same or similar results.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of photosensitive composition and methods of forming patterns for semiconductors to use any of the listed copolymers such as C-18, C-26, C-29, C-71, C-78, C-120, C-123,C-125 to -C-128, C—131, C-132, C-135, C-136, C-142, C-152 and C-205 in the method of FUKUHARA and reasonably expect same or similar results for low scumming and low watermark defects.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Each of YAMAGUCHI et al (2009/0246695 A1), ENOMOTO et al (2012/0282548 A1), IWATO et al (2013/0040096 A1), KATAOKA et al (2013/0017377), and TSUBAKI et al (2018/0180996 A1) disclose photoresists and methods wherein a hydrophobic resin contains a benzene ring with a fluorinated alkyl group substituted on the ring as a functional group. precursors with end-capped groups, photoacid and a solvent.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN S CHU whose telephone number is (571)272-1329. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, IFP-Flex.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Hendricks, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-1401. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
/John S. Chu/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1737
J. Chu
August 6, 2026
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