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 .
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 8 is 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. It cites the epitaxy susceptor of any of claims 1. However, it is unclear and does not precisely state if the claim is depending simply on claim 1 or more claims. The language mixes dependency on a single claim with grammar for dependency on multiple claims without concretely stating what those multiple claims are. Hence, while not exactly a multiply dependent claim, the reader is left with doubts as to what those other claims are.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Fujikawa (JP 2010135598).
Regarding claim 1. Fujikawa teaches in the drawings an epitaxy susceptor (susceptor 10 [10] used for epitaxy [10]) comprising: a pocket (10 has pocket 10a [10] fig. 1, 2, 6), wherein the pocket comprises plural lift-pin holes (fig. 6, 10a has through holes 10b for lift pins [10]) for setting lift-pins ([10]), and each lift-pin hole is surrounded by at least one auxiliary through hole penetrating the pocket (each 10b surrounded by 8 small 10c through holes, fig. 5, 6, to allow air to pass/adjust pressure difference [12 15-17], the small holes penetrating the pocket base, fig. 5).
Regarding claim 2. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 1, wherein each lift-pin hole is surrounded by plural auxiliary through holes (as disc, 8 small holes around each pin hole, fig. 1, 5, 6), and the plural auxiliary through holes are distributed with a gradually decreased density outward from the lifting pin hole (fig. 5, assuming two zones of holes, one inner, one peripheral around each lift pin, the outer zone includes the outer most 4 holes and parts of the susceptor w/o holes, the inner zone includes the inner 6 holes around the lift pin, the zone hole density gradually decreases gradually from 6 to 4 holes/zone).
Regarding claim 3. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 1, wherein each lift-pin hole is surrounded by plural auxiliary through holes (as disc, 8 small holes around each pin hole, fig. 1, 5, 6), and the auxiliary through holes are evenly distributed around the lift-pin hole (fig. 6, even distribution of 10c in square shape around 10b).
Regarding claim 4. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 3, wherein the auxiliary through holes distributed around the lifting pin hole as a shape selected from a triangle, a quadrangle, a honeycomb hexagon, or a close-packed hexagonal shape (10c is a square distribution around 10b, fig. 6; it is a quadrangle, i.e. of which square is a type).
Regarding claim 5. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 1, wherein the auxiliary through holes are distributed in an area of 6 mm-15 mm from a center of the lift-pin hole ([16, 28] the area with the aux holes includes a specified 30mm in diameter or 15mm radius/from center of the area, i.e. the lift pin).
Regarding claim 6. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 1, wherein the auxiliary through hole is circular (fig. 6, 10c is circular in shape).
Regarding claim 7. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of Claim 6, wherein the auxiliary through hole has a diameter of 0.5 mm-2 mm ([17] 0.8-1.9mm and 1 mm [28]).
Regarding claim 8. Fujikawa teaches the epitaxy susceptor of any of Claims 1, wherein the auxiliary through hole has a space distance of 1 mm-6 mm with an adjacent auxiliary through hole ([28] 33 of the aux holes are evenly spaced/equal intervals within a circle of diam 30 mm; using geometry such as area/packing density, the area of the circle is 706.9mm^2, and 33 points/holes evenly spread in the area is about 21.4 mm^2 per hole/point; to get approx interval between the holes, the square root of the area is 4.6mm).
Regarding claim 9. Fujikawa teaches an epitaxy growth apparatus (fig. 1, eg single-wafer vapor phase growth apparatus [28]) comprising an epitaxy susceptor of Claim 1 (as discussed, the susceptor of claim 1 which is used in apparatus of fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10. Fujikawa teaches a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device ([28] using gases to grow film on silicon wafer W) comprising: growing an epitaxy layer on a wafer (as disc [28]) by applying an epitaxy growth apparatus of Claim 9 ([28] the process uses the apparatus of fig. 1).
Conclusion
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/YUECHUAN YU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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