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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2 June 2026 has been entered.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the item numbers should be in parentheses. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uchida et al. (US 2021/0098270) (“Uchida”) in view of Ide et al. (US 2022/0270912) (“Ide”). Uchida discloses:
Claim 1: transferring a substrate (W) in an elevating direction and a traveling direction perpendicular to the elevating direction (Fig. 2-4/12), comprising:
an attachment member (rectangles shown between 63 and TW1/TW3/PU/etc. in at least Fig. 2-3);
a processing module including a substrate loading/unloading port, the attachment member including a plurality of traveling rails extending in a traveling direction, the plurality of traveling rails being disposed on both sides of the substrate loading/unloading port in the elevating direction (Fig. 2-4/12; para. [0069]-[0072]; rails shown therein);
an elevating rail extending in the elevating direction across the plurality of traveling rails and being movable along the plurality of traveling rails (Fig. 2-4/12; para. [0069]-[0072]; rails shown therein);
a transfer robot configured to be movable vertically along the elevating rail and including a hand for holding a substrate (CR1; 71a/71b/etc. in Fig. 2-4/12; para. [0069]-[0072]);
Claim 2: the plurality of
Claim 3: wherein the plurality of
Claim 4: a first processing module having a first side surface on which the substrate loading/unloading port is formed;
a second processing module having a second side surface on which the substrate loading/unloading port is formed;
a first module frame for installing the first processing module;
a second module frame for installing the second processing module, the second module being spaced apart from the first module frame such that the first side surface and the second side surface face one another;
a substrate transfer space surrounded by the first side surface and the second side surface to be formed; and
the transfer apparatus disposed in the substrate transfer space and attached to the side surface of the first module frame or the second module frame (7’s; Fig. 1-4/12; para. [0069]-[0072]).
Uchida does not directly show:
Claim 1: an attachment member fixed to a side surface of a module frame, the module frame configured to have disposed therein a processing module;
Claim 2: wherein the attachment member further includes a plurality of fixed rails fixed to the side surface and extending in the elevating direction,
the plurality of traveling rails are fixed to the plurality of fixed rails,
Claim 3: plurality of fixed rails.
Ide shows a similar device having:
Claim 1: an attachment member fixed to a side surface of a module frame (FIG. 3, 46 into 45/20/etc.; para. [0040]), the module frame configured to have disposed therein a processing module (at least processing module 34 within 45/20/etc.);
Claim 2: wherein the attachment member further includes a plurality of fixed rails fixed to the side surface and extending in the elevating direction (41/42; para. [0040]),
the plurality of traveling rails are fixed to the plurality of fixed rails (FIG. 4),
Claim 3: plurality of fixed rails (41/42; para. [0040]);
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of ensuring relatively high rigidity as described in Ide para. [0039] and ensuring that positional accuracy of the transfer robot may be improved (para. [0039]/[0040]). Therefore, 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 Uchida as taught by Ide and include Ide’s similar device having:
Claim 1: an attachment member fixed to a side surface of a module frame, the module frame configured to have disposed therein a processing module;
Claim 2: wherein the attachment member further includes a plurality of fixed rails fixed to the side surface and extending in the elevating direction,
the plurality of traveling rails are fixed to the plurality of fixed rails,
Claim 3: plurality of fixed rails;
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of ensuring relatively high rigidity as described in Ide para. [0039] and ensuring that positional accuracy of the transfer robot may be improved.
Claim(s) 5-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uchida in view of Ide and Aoki et al. (US 2020/0219736) (“Aoki”). Uchida discloses all the limitations of the claims as discussed above.
Uchida does not directly show:
Claim 5: a fan module disposed above the substrate transfer space and configured to provide a gas to the substrate transfer space;
Claim 6: wherein the first processing module and the second processing module include a plating module for performing a plating process on the substrate;
Claim 7: wherein the first processing module further includes a pre-wet module for performing a pre-wet process on the substrate, and the second processing module further includes a drying module for drying the substrate;
Claim 8: wherein in a first area adjacent to the substrate transfer space in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, a dry robot for gripping or releasing of the substrate between a substrate cassette, the pre-wet module, and the drying module is disposed,
in a second area adjacent to the substrate transfer space opposite to the first area in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, an access port for accessing the transfer apparatus disposed in the substrate transfer space from outside the substrate processing apparatus.
Aoki shows a similar device having:
Claim 5: a fan module disposed above the substrate transfer space and configured to provide a gas to the substrate transfer space (75A; para. [0044]/etc.);
Claim 6: wherein the first processing module and the second processing module include a plating module for performing a plating process on the substrate (film/etc.; para. [0032]/[0055]/etc.);
Claim 7: wherein the first processing module further includes a pre-wet module for performing a pre-wet process on the substrate, and the second processing module further includes a drying module for drying the substrate (51/52; para. [0078]/[0084]/etc.);
Claim 8: wherein in a first area adjacent to the substrate transfer space in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, a dry robot for gripping or releasing of the substrate between a substrate cassette, the pre-wet module, and the drying module is disposed,
in a second area adjacent to the substrate transfer space opposite to the first area in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, an access port for accessing the transfer apparatus disposed in the substrate transfer space from outside the substrate processing apparatus (51/52; para. [0078]/[0084]/etc.; FIG 1/3);
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of wafer processing and reducing the running cost of the apparatus (para. [0086]/[0088]). Therefore, 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 Uchida and Ide as taught by Aoki and include Aoki’s similar device having:
Claim 5: a fan module disposed above the substrate transfer space and configured to provide a gas to the substrate transfer space;
Claim 6: wherein the first processing module and the second processing module include a plating module for performing a plating process on the substrate;
Claim 7: wherein the first processing module further includes a pre-wet module for performing a pre-wet process on the substrate, and the second processing module further includes a drying module for drying the substrate;
Claim 8: wherein in a first area adjacent to the substrate transfer space in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, a dry robot for gripping or releasing of the substrate between a substrate cassette, the pre-wet module, and the drying module is disposed,
in a second area adjacent to the substrate transfer space opposite to the first area in the traveling direction of the transfer robot, an access port for accessing the transfer apparatus disposed in the substrate transfer space from outside the substrate processing apparatus;
with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of wafer processing and reducing the running cost of the apparatus.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pp. 6-10, filed 2 June 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-4 under Aoki have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Aoki, Ide, et al.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Gerald McClain whose telephone number is (571)272-7803. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at gerald.mcclain@uspto.gov (see MPEP 502.03 (II)).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Gerald McClain/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
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