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 .
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.
In addressing the rejection ground, each claim may not have been separately discussed to the extent the claimed features are the same as or similar to the previously-discussed features; the previous discussion is construed to apply for the other claims in the same or similar way.
In the office action, “/” should be read as and/or as generally understood. For example, “A/B” means A and B, or A or B.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of electing invention I (i.e. claims 1-26) in the reply filed on 11/10/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that it would not be a significant burden on the Office to search and examine each of the identified inventions, all of the claims are properly presented in the same application, and all of the claims should be examined together. This is not found persuasive because all these inventions listed in this action are independent or distinct for the reasons given above and there would be a serious search and/or examination burden if restriction were not required because one or more of the following reasons apply:
The inventions have acquired a separate status in the art in view of their different classification; and the inventions require a different field of search (e.g. searching different classes/subclass or electronic resources, or employing different search strategies or search queries).
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim 27 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 11/10/2025.
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(s) 18-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kanazawa et al. (US 2014/0148016).
Regarding claim 18, Kanazawa discloses a plasma processing apparatus comprising: a plasma processing chamber [e.g. 104]; a substrate support [e.g. wafer placement,105, 111] disposed in the plasma processing chamber; an electrode [e.g. 111] disposed in the substrate support; a first RF generator [e.g. 109] coupled to the plasma processing chamber, and configured to generate a first RF pulse signal [see microwave power] including a plurality of main cycles, each main cycle including a first duration and a second duration, the first duration including a plurality of first sub cycles, the second duration including a plurality of second sub cycles, the first RF pulse signal having two or more different power levels in each of the plurality of first sub cycles and the plurality of second sub cycles; and a second RF generator [e.g. 114] coupled to the electrode, and configured to generate a second RF pulse signal [see high-frequency bias power] including the plurality of main cycles, the second RF pulse signal having two or more different power levels in each of the plurality of first sub cycles and a zero power level in the second duration [see at least figs. 3 and 12A, paras. 0034, 0036].
Regarding claim 19, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first RF pulse signal has a first frequency, and the second RF pulse signal has a second frequency less than the first frequency [see at least figs. 3 and 12A, paras. 0034, 0036].
Regarding claim 20, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first RF pulse signal has a first power level and a second power level, the second RF pulse signal has a third power level and a fourth power level, and a duration of the third power level coincides with a duration of the first power level [see at least figs. 3 and 12A].
Regarding claim 21, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the second power level and the fourth power level are a zero power level [see at least figs. 3 and 12A].
Regarding claim 22, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a duration of the first power level is equal to or less than 30 μs [2.45GHz frequency].
Regarding claim 23, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first RF pulse signal has a first power level and a second power level, the second RF pulse signal has a third power level and a fourth power level, and a duration of the first power level does not overlap with a duration of the third power level [see at least figs. 3 and 12A].
Regarding claim 24, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the second power level and the fourth power level are a zero power level.
Regarding claim 25, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the duration of the third power level is equal to or less than 30 μs [400KHz].
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 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanazawa et al. (US 2014/0148016).
Regarding claim 26, Kanazawa discloses the plasma processing apparatus according to claim 18. Kanazawa also discloses: “The frequency of electromagnetic waves is not limited particularly, although, in the embodiment, microwave of 2.45 GHz is used.” And “The frequency of high-frequency bias electric power supplied by the high-frequency power supply 114 is not limited particularly, although in the embodiment the high frequency of 400 kHz is used.” See paras. 0034, 0036. Kanazawa does not explicitly disclose wherein one period of the main cycle is 10 Hz to 200 Hz, and one period of each of the plurality of first sub cycles and the plurality of second sub cycles is 1 kHz to 20 kHz. However, this is a design choice for a person in the art to implement one period of the main cycle is 10 Hz to 200 Hz, and one period of each of the plurality of first sub cycles and the plurality of second sub cycles is 1 kHz to 20 kHz, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum of working ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-17 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK C CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7207. The examiner can normally be reached M-F Flexible 9:00-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lincoln Donovan can be reached at 571-272-1988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PATRICK C CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2842
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