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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-19, in the reply filed on May 13, 2026, is acknowledged. Claim 20 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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) 1-4, 6-11, 14, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0357103 (hereinafter referred to as Nagahara).
Nagahara, in the abstract, and in paragraph nos. [0006], [0029]-[0031], [0227], discloses a lithography process (forming a resist pattern) in an lithography system (immersion or dry), the process includes performing a patterned-exposure via a patterning device (exposure through a mask), with a first radiation, on a predetermined site (a part of the resist film) of a resist material film; Nagahara discloses that the resist film is formed by coating a substrate that has an underlayer film (see figure 6A) with a resist material and then subjecting the resist film to heating/pre-baking (using a heater, see [0216]). Nagahara, discloses baking the resist material film after the patterned-exposure (see [0074], and [0224]), wherein the patterned exposure is an exposure to an ionizing radiation (first radiation) viz., radiation such as X-rays, EUV etc., that is less than 100nm ([0031]), the pattern-exposed and baked resist film is then subjected to a flood exposure (maskless blanked exposure, claimed irradiating the entire region including the already exposed predetermined site and all the remaining portions/sites on the resist film-coated substrate) using an exposure device (irradiator), wherein the flood exposure is an exposure to non-ionizing radiation (second radiation, see [0030]-[0031]) such as ultraviolet rays that has wavelengths longer than 200nm, and after the flood exposure, developing the resist film to form the resist pattern with a developer ([0237]). Nagahara, in [0220], [0226], and [0312], discloses the use of an exposure device (radiation irradiation module, controlled to have a desired wavelength, claimed circuit) so as to conduct the flood-exposure (the entire surface of resist film, including the previously exposed predetermined site on the resist film) (claims 1, 4, 7, and 18-19). Nagahara, in [0033]-[0035], and [0051], discloses that the photoresist is a metal oxide-containing resist (claim 2). Nagahara, in [0032]-[0036], discloses that the resist is chemically amplification resist that includes a polymer compound that is rendered soluble or insoluble in a developer through an acid-catalyzed reaction, wherein the acid is generated by an acid generator upon being irradiated with ionizing or non-ionizing radiation ([0008]-[0010]). Nagahara, in the abstract, and in [0033]-[0035], discloses that the resist material comprises base components that includes a polymer compound, a photosensitizer generating component ([0052]) that includes an acid-photosensitizer generator, a photosensitizer precursor, and a photoacid generator. Nagahara, in [0069], and [0070], discloses that the sensitizer precursor becomes a photosensitizer (enhances absorption of second radiation) that absorbs non-ionizing radiation (second radiation greater than 200nm) by the acid catalyzed reaction (action of acid) (claim 3). Nagahara, in [0239], discloses that the resist pattern that has undergone developing is subjected to baking (post baking i.e., post-development baking process) (claims 6, and 10). Nagahara, in [0051], discloses that the metal oxide particles and an organic metal compound complex i.e., metal bonded to an organic ligand, and Nagahara discloses that the irradiation causes the gelation in the predetermined site (initially irradiated part) due to acid generated during first ionizing irradiation causing its coordination with the metal oxide and the interaction between the metal oxide particles (forming M-O-M), and however, in the unexposed areas (unexposed to first ionizing radiation) the metal oxide is not inhibited i.e., dissolved in the aqueous developer upon being irradiated with second non-ionizing radiation due acid catalyzed reaction (during flood exposure) and formation of hydroxide in the previously unirradiated region (no metal oxide- metal oxide interaction) and thereby completely dissolved in the developer and Nagahara, in [0321], discloses that the resist pattern lines was formed with excellent regularity and low line edge roughness (reduction of LER) (claim 8). Nagahara, in [0006], [0012] discloses that the resist film is irradiated with the first radiation (less than 100 nm, EUV rays) and then irradiated with the second radiation (non-ionizing radiation that is greater than 200nm) (claim 9). Nagahara, in [0311]-[0313], discloses that the resist film, that is subjected to a patterned exposure (first radiation), is formed on an underlayer on the substrate, wherein the underlayer includes a silicon containing layer that has a silicon atom and a carbon atom bonded to the silicon atom (hexamethyldisilazane layer) (claim 11). Nagahara, in [0006], [0029], discloses that the developing step for forming the resist pattern from the already exposed (both pattern-exposure and flood-exposure) resist film is by contacting the exposed resist film with a developer, and Nagahara, in [0234]-[0236], discloses that the developer is an aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) (claim 14). Nagahara, in [0001]-[0002], discloses the manufacturing of a semiconductor device; Nagahara, in [0238], discloses the formation of a trench in the resist film after the developing process (resist pattern having a trench). Nagahara, in [0302], and figure 6A, illustrates the resist pattern (reference 2) with a trench and the exposing of the film to be etched (underlayer, reference 3), and Nagahara, in figure 6B, illustrates the etching of the exposed portion of the underlayer (exposed due to the trench in the resist pattern) to form a pattern in the underlayer (reference 3, figures 6B, and 6C) (claim 17).
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.
Claim(s) 5, and 15-16, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0357103 (hereinafter referred to as Nagahara) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0299877 (hereinafter referred to as Weidman).
Nagahara is discussed in paragraph no. 4, above.
Nagahara, in [0006], discloses contact the exposed resist film with a developer. Nagahara, in [0239], discloses that the developed resist film can be subjected to a curing process.
The difference between the claims Nagahara is that Nagahara does not disclose that the developing process is a dry development process of exposing to a developer gas such as an acidic gas (claims 15-16). Nagahara does not disclose that the already developed resist film (resist pattern formed) is irradiated with ultraviolet rays (claim 5).
Weidman, in [0201], discloses that the exposed resist is developed with a dry development process wherein the resist film is exposed to acidic gas (vapors) of HCl or HBr. Weidman, in [0084], discloses that the developed resist film (patterned film, resist pattern) is exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV rays).
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Nagahara by employing the dry develop process taught by Weidman because Nagahara does not prohibit a dry development process, and Weidman, in [0212], discloses using the dry development process so as to improve line edge and line width roughness (LER and LWR) and improving the resist profile of the resist pattern. It would be obvious to modify Nagahara by employing the post-development exposure of the resist pattern to UV taught by Weidman because Nagahara teaches performing post-development cure process on the resist pattern, and Weidman, in [0084], discloses that post-development processing such as exposure of the resist pattern to ultraviolet radiation causes further crosslinking of the resist pattern portions (remaining after the development) resulting in the formation of a hardened resist mask.
Claim(s) 12-13, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0357103 (hereinafter referred to as Nagahara) in view of U. S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0059992 (hereinafter referred to as Nakagawa).
Nagahara is discussed in paragraph no. 4, above.
Nagahara, in [0215], discloses that the substrate can be a processing target and can be a substrate on which an insulating film is formed (that is the underlayer film is a film to be processed after the formation of a resist pattern). Nagahara, in [0208] teaches the formation of an underlayer film.
The difference between the claims and Nagahara is that Nagahara does not disclose that the underlayer film or underlying film to be processed is a polymer such as polycarbosilane or polysiloxane as recited in claims 12-13.
Nakagawa, in [0031], [0034], discloses forming resist film on an organic underlayer and includes forming carbon-containing film directly bonded to polycrystalline silicon on the surface of silicon substrate via CVD (includes the formation of a polycarbosilane). Nakagawa, in [0035], discloses that a polysiloxane film can be formed as the resist underlayer.
Therefore, it would be obvious to a skilled artisan to modify Nagahara by employing the resist underlayer film materials taught by Nakagawa because Nagahara teaches the formation of an underlayer film on the substrate prior to the deposition of the resist film and that the underlayer can be any film including insulating films that are desired to be patterned and does not prohibit the claimed underlayer materials, and Nakagawa in [0005], teaches the exposure process for forming finer pattern via microfabrication for semiconductor devices, and Nagahara, in [0215], and [0300]-[0302], teaches that the processing target (underlayer to be etched) constitutes the semiconductor device to be manufactured.
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 June 26, 2026.
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