DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on (11/14/2023), is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claims (1-20) were pending and were subject to a restriction requirement dated 5/28/2026. Applicant elected claims 1-12, 14-17 and 20 on 7/28/2026 without traverse. Therefore, these claims are being examined in this office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3-6 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites frequency of first reaction and frequency of second reaction without defining what those reactions are and more importantly how they define an apparatus-limitation as claimed.
Claim 15 recites gas injector including a first and second part. This is unclear as not being discussed in the main part of the specification or in drawings.
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 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.
Claims 1-3, 7-12 and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Takamura (US 20220411933).
Takamura discloses a process chamber (Fig 1) cleaning apparatus comprising:
a chamber housing (14);
a substrate support inside the chamber housing, the substrate support being configured to support a plurality of semiconductor substrates (16);
a gas supply configured to provide process gases (50a, 50b and 50c);
a first gas injector inside the chamber housing and connected to the gas supply, the first gas injector being configured to inject an etch gas, which is one of the process gases, into the chamber housing (51a, 51b or 51c); and
a controller configured (100) to control operations of the gas supply and the first gas injector, wherein the first gas injector is configured to inject the etch gas in a direction twisted at a predetermined angle from a central direction of the chamber housing, the central direction being a horizontal direction from the first gas injector to the center of the chamber housing (Abstract, Para 5, 9-15, 43-67, 73-82 and Fig 2-8). The disclosure teaches the effect on the process by controlling angle of the injector holes.
Regarding claim 2, the specification does not state that the substrate support is separated from the process chamber.
Regarding claim 3 as noted above, this claim is unclear. As best understood, this appears to refer to control of temperature during a cleaning or etch reaction. It is noted that temperature control is disclosed in Takamura as heating (70) and temperature sensing (801-80e) is disclosed. Therefore, the disclosed apparatus is capable of this functional limitation.
Regarding claims 7-9 twisted gas injection holes are disclosed as discussed above (Abstract, Para 5, 9-15, 43-67, 73-82 and Fig 2-8).
Regarding claims 10-12 and 14 gas injectors distributed in different zones are disclosed in Fig 5 and Para 52.
Regarding claim 15, as best understood, holes are claimed to be installed corresponding to zones. This however is disclosed in Fig 5 and its corresponding discussion in Para 52.
Regarding claims 16 and 17 reaction gases and purge gases are disclosed in Para 28.
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 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.
Claims 3-6 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takamura (US 20220411933) in view of Nakagawa et al (US 20200303185).
Regarding claim 3 as noted above, temperature control is disclosed in Takamura as heating (70) and temperature sensing (801-80e) is disclosed.
Regarding claims 4 and 5 which are also functional limitations, Nakagawa discloses ClF3 as etching gas and temperature control of 25-300 o C.
Regarding claim 6 which is unclear, however claimed ratio would be possible since the gas and temperature control is disclosed in Takamura in view of Nakagawa et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of this application to have used ClF3 as etching gas and temperature control of 25-300 o C as process requirement.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Parui et al (US 20240068097) with apriority date of 08/23/2022 discloses gas injectors at twisted angles in an apparatus to process plurality of substrates (Fig 2A and 2b).
Hara et al (US 20200312632) disclose gas injectors at twisted angles in an apparatus to process plurality of substrates (Fig 250b).
Oosterlaken et al (20030111013) disclose gas injectors at twisted angles in an apparatus to process plurality of substrates (Fig 6).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAM N KACKAR whose telephone number is (571)272-1436. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM-05:00 PM.
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RAM N. KACKAR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1716
/RAM N KACKAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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