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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 6-8, 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ottens et al. [US 2005/0134829 A1].
Regarding claims 1, 7 and 12, Ottens et al. discloses a lithography system (Fig. 1) comprising:
an illumination system (IL) configured to illuminate a pattern of a patterning device (MA);
a projection system (PL) configured to project an image of the pattern onto a substrate (W); and
a support table (MT / WT) comprising one or more protrusions configured to contact and support the patterning device such that the patterning device is suspended with respect to the support table (paragraph [0007]), wherein a sagging of the patterning device when supported by the support table is based on a material and/or dimensions of the patterning device (paragraph [0045]); and
a pressure device configured to adjust a pressure on a side of the substrate such that the sagging is reduced (paragraph [0055], see also Figs. 2-5).
Regarding claims 2, 8 and 13, Ottens et al. discloses wherein: the pressure device comprises a conduit coupled to a gap between the substrate and the support table and the pressure device is further configured to introduce and/or remove a pressurizing gas from the gap to adjust the pressure on the side of the substrate; and the pressure device is configured to generate a flow of pressurizing gas at the side of the substrate to adjust the pressure on the side of the substrate ((paragraph [0055]).
Regarding claims 6, 11 and 15, Ottens et al. discloses further comprising: an actuator configured to move the support table, wherein the pressure device is further configured to compensate a pressure change resulting from the moving; and a controller configured to control the pressure device to compensate the pressure change resulting from the moving (paragraphs [0011], [0039] and [0055]).
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.
Claims 3-5, 9, 10 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ottens et al. in view of Nogawa et al. [US 2002/0018190 A1].
Regarding claims 3-5, 9, 10 and 14, Ottens et al. discloses further comprising: a controller (6) configured to control the pressure device to adjust the pressure (paragraph [0045]).
Ottens et al. does not explicitly teach a pressure sensor configured to generate a measurement signal, wherein the controller is configured to receive the measurement signal and to determine the pressure based on the measurement signal, wherein: the controller is further configured to generate a control signal based on the determined pressure; and the pressure device is further configured to receive the control signal and adjust the pressure based on the control signal, wherein: the pressure sensor is disposed at a gap between the substrate and the support table; the system further comprises a second pressure sensor exposed to an ambience of the system and is configured to generate a second measurement signal; the controller is further configured to: receive the second measurement signal; determine a pressure difference between the gap and the ambience based on the measurement signal and the second measurement signal; and the generating the control signal is further based on the pressure difference, wherein: the pressure device is further configured to adjust the pressure at a gap between the suspended substrate and the support table; and the pressure device is further configured to adjust an ambient pressure of the system.
However, Nogawa et al. discloses a pressure sensor configured to generate a measurement signal, wherein: the pressure sensor is disposed at a gap between the substrate and the support table (as shown in Fig. 8, see also paragraphs [0059], [0060] and [0071]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a pressure sensor disposed at a gap between the substrate and the support table, as taught by Nogawa et al. in the system of Ottens et al. because such a modification provides better controlled differential pressure such that, a change in optical performance due to a pressure change can be suppressed (paragraph [0072] of Nogawa et al.).
Conclusion
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/DEORAM PERSAUD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882