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 I claims 1-17 drawn to a substrate processing apparatus in the reply filed on 07/01/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 18-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 07/01/2026.
Claim Interpretation
The term “fluidly coupled” merely requires that fluid may flow between the two structures. The term does not require intentional or otherwise controlled active flow between the two structures.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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(s) 1, 3-7, and 9-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication 2018/0308669 of Bokka et al., hereinafter Bokka.
Regarding claim 1 and 10, Bokka teaches a substrate processing chamber (Fig 1), comprising: a chamber body (102 and 123-125 Fig 1 [0018], [0025]); a faceplate (104 and 118 Fig 1 [0024]) seated atop the chamber body [0024-0025] (Fig 1); and a substrate support assembly (105 Fig 1 [0018]) disposed within the chamber body [0018] (Fig 1), wherein the chamber body, the faceplate, and the substrate support assembly defining at least a portion of a processing region (process volume 106 Fig 1 [0018]), and wherein the substrate support assembly (105 Fig 1, 2A) comprises: a support plate (108 Fig 1) that comprises a substrate support surface (surface on which substrate 110 is supported Fig 1, 2A [0022]); a support stem (114 Fig 1) coupled with the support plate [0018], wherein a channel (260 and/or the “wall” of 260 Fig 2A [0035]) is defined through at least a portion of a length of the support stem and extends through the substrate support surface (Fig 2A and [0035]); and a temperature sensor assembly disposed within the channel (281-284 Fig 2A, [0035]), the temperature sensor assembly comprising: a light pipe (281 Fig 2A [0035]) disposed within the channel such that a top end of the light pipe extends through at least a portion of the support plate (Fig 2A and [0035]); and a sensor that is coupled with a bottom end of the light pipe (282 Fig 2A and [0035-0036]).
Regarding claim 3, Bokka teaches the sensor comprises an optical fiber cable (283 Fig 2A, [0036]) that is coupled with the light pipe (Fig 2A and [0036], note that they are indirectly coupled via 282, the claim does not require direct coupling).
Regarding claim 4, Bokka teaches the light pipe comprises sapphire [0035].
Regarding claim 5 and 11, Bokka teaches a gas lumen is defined through at least a portion of the length of the support stem and extends through the substrate support surface (inner volume of 260 Fig 2A, [0034], note that lumen is inclusive of the inner space without requiring the “walls”).
Regarding claim 6, Bokka teaches the gas lumen is fluidly coupled with the channel (Fig 2A, note the interpretation applied above regarding claim 5 or 11, the walls of 260 are fluidly coupled to the inner volume of 260).
Regarding claim 7, Bokka teaches the gas lumen comprises a horizontal segment defined within the support plate; and the horizontal segment is fluidly coupled with the channel (Fig 2A, note the interpretation applied above regarding claim 5 or 11, the walls of 260 are fluidly coupled to the inner volume of 260 and the flat upper surface of 260 is horizontally extending such that it is a horizontal segment).
Regarding claim 9 and 13, Bokka teaches a cooling hub (base 115 Fig 1, 2A with coolant flow [0033]) coupled with a bottom end of the support stem (coupled with the bottom end of 114 Fig 1, 2A), wherein at least a portion of the sensor is disposed within the cooling hub (portion of 281 light pipe and sensor 282 are disposed in 115 Fig 2A).
Regarding claim 12, Bokka teaches one or both of a gas source (265 Fig 2A and [0034]) and a vacuum source that is fluidly coupled with a bottom end of the gas lumen [0034].
Regarding claim 14, Bokka teaches a gas lumen is defined through at least a portion of the length of the support stem and extends through the substrate support surface (inner volume of 260 Fig 2A, [0034], note that lumen is inclusive of the inner space without requiring the “walls”); and a bottom end of the gas lumen extends through a lateral surface of the cooling hub (extends through side surface of 115 Fig 2A).
Regarding claim 15, Bokka teaches the substrate support assembly is operable as an electrostatic chuck [0019].
Regarding claim 16, Bokka teaches the support plate comprises at least one chucking electrode (electrode 112 Fig 2A [0019]).
Regarding claim 17, Bokka teaches the support plate comprises at least one resistive heating element (150 Fig 2A [0022]).
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 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.
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bokka in view of US Patent 6,179,465 of Yam, hereinafter Yam.
Regarding claim 2, Bokka fails to teach the sensor comprises a silicon diode because Bokka teaches sensor body 282 without teaching the structure of the sensor body. Addressing the same problem of optically monitoring the temperature (abstract) of a substrate (col 4, ln 19-39), the temperature sensor includes a silicon diode (photodiode) (col 4, ln 65 to col 5, ln 5). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bokka to include a silicon diode as a structure of the sensor body because Bokka does not limit the sensor and Yam teaches a silicon diode (photodiode) as a functional alternative for optically monitoring the temperature of a substrate (col 4, ln 19-39).
Claim(s) 5-6, 11-12, and 14 is/are additionally and/or alternatively rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bokka in view of US Patent Application Publication 2021/0143037 of Smith et al., hereinafter Smith.
This rejection is provided additionally and/or alternatively to the rejection of claims 5-6, 11-12, and 14 under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1)/(a)(2) as anticipated by Bokka in the event applicant can persuasively argue that “gas lumen” requires the walls also or otherwise present a persuasive argument that the channel and gas lumen cannot be taught by Bokka as presented above. This is not an indication that Examiner has a different position regarding the anticipation rejection above and is instead provided for the purpose of compact prosecution on the merits to demonstrate that if Bokka does not anticipate the claim limitations, that the claim limitations are obvious modifications to Bokka.
Regarding claim 5 and 11, Bokka remains as applied above. Smith is in the same field of endeavor of substrate supports with temperature control [0006]. As explained above, in the event applicant can argue that the structures of the gas lumen and channel are not portions of the same structure, Smith teaches including a plurality of gas lumens (228 Fig 2A) with separate supply lines (Fig 2A) extending through the pedestal (200 Fig 2A) to allow for differently pressurized zones of heat transfer gas [0007] (Fig 2B see zones 248-1 to 248-4, [0041]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the substrate support of Bokka to include a plurality of gas lumens (plurality of gas lines 260 of Bokka) supplied to different radial zones of the substrate support surface (Smith Fig 2B see zones 248-1 to 248-4) because Smith teaches this allows for multiple zones [0041] and improved control of the substrate temperature and reduction of substrate temperature variation (i.e. improved temperature uniformity) [0026-0029]. Note that in this combination as applied there are additional backside gas flow channels beyond 260 of Bokka such that a different backside gas channel is the “gas lumen”. This is inclusive of a plurality of gas flow paths in the same radial zone (shown in Fig 2B) or in different radial zones (also shown in Fig 2B).
Regarding claim 6, the combination remains as applied to claim 5 above. In the combination as applied, the gas flow paths of Smith (228 Fig 2B) within one radial zone are fluidly connected because they all flow into the same annular channel (Fig 2B, one of 248-1 to 248-4). Therefore, in the combination in which the gas flow path 260 of Bokka is duplicated in the manner demonstrated by 228 of Smith (Fig 2B), results in the channel in which the sensor is located being fluidly connected to another gas flow line.
Regarding claim 7, the combination remains as applied to claim 6 above. The horizontal segment defined within the support plate is inclusive of the top of the gas passage or the flat portion of the substrate surface that is lower than the upper portion of the substrate surface walls 268.
Regarding claim 12, the combination remains as applied to claim 11 above. Bokka teaches one or both of a gas source (265 Fig 2A and [0034]) and a vacuum source that is fluidly coupled with a bottom end of the gas lumen [0034]. Also note that Smith teaches a gas source connected to the gas lumen (see 232 Fig 2A).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Bokka in view of Smith remains as applied to the analogous limitations of claim 5 and 11 above. Bokka teaches a bottom end of the gas lumen extends through a lateral surface of the cooling hub (extends through side surface of 115 Fig 2A).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bokka in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0138687 of Boyd Jr. et al., hereinafter Boyd.
Regarding claim 8, Bokka appears to demonstrate the top of the light pipe is positioned at the top surface of the substrate support surface (Fig 2A) but fails to explicitly teach the light pipe is at the top surface of the substrate support surface and therefore fails to explicitly teach the top end of the light is positioned within 2 mm of a top surface of the substrate support surface. Addressing the same problem of monitoring a substrate via a light pipe (404 Fig 8), Boyd teaches the top of the light pipe is at the bottom of recesses in the top surface of the substrate support (Fig 8) and teaches the mesas are 0.05 mm (50 microns) to 0.7 mm (700 microns) such that the top of the light pipe (404) is 0.05 to 0.7 mm from the top surface (top of mesas) of the substrate support. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bokka to ensure the light pipe is within 0.05 to 0.7 mm from the top surface because Boyd teaches this spacing gap allows for monitoring of the substrate support via a light pipe.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2013/0284374 teaches a substrate support having a gas line (174 and 178 Fig 1-2) and a passage (176 and 180 Fig 1-2) having a sensor (186 Fig 1) both passing through the plate and stem (Fig 1). US 2010/0054720 teaches a silicon photodiode detector is common for a pyrometer for silicon processing chambers [0015]. US 2017/0076915 teaches a plurality of sensors (711-714 Fig 7C or 721-728 Fig 7D) positioned in gas holes and the gas holes are connected via grooves between mesas (Fig 7C-7D) [0070-0071]. US 6,575,622 teaches a fiber optic (147 Fig 1) directly coupled to a light pipe (145 Fig 1) for temperature monitoring (Fig 1). US 2002/0048311 teaches a fiber optic (147 Fig 1) directly coupled to a light pipe (145 Fig 1) for temperature monitoring (Fig 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARGARET D KLUNK whose telephone number is (571)270-5513. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:30-5:30.
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/MARGARET KLUNK/Examiner, Art Unit 1716
/Jeffrie R Lund/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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