DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restriction
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, Claims 23-26, without traverse, in the reply filed on 4/30/26 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 23-26 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 23 incorporates the method of claim 1. The method of claim 1 recites:
“generating, by acquiring for a plurality of the set ranges a distribution representative value representing a representative value of the first characteristic and the second characteristic of a plurality of the measurement groups included in the set range, the set range being the same, and by approximating a relationship between the distribution representative value and the concentration of the first impurity with a first approximate line including a curved line part, a relationship information indicating a relationship between a value of the set range and the distribution representative value”.
Based on the disclosure, this appears to mean:
generating a relationship information indicating a relationship between a value of the set range and a distribution representative value, by acquiring for a plurality of the set ranges a distribution representative value representing a representative value of the first characteristic and the second characteristic of a plurality of the measurement groups included in the set range, the set range being the same, and by approximating a relationship between the distribution representative value and the concentration of the first impurity with a first approximate line including a curved line part.
The structure of this limitation creates a lack of clarity in the intended meaning and therefore the bounds of the claims are indefinite.
The limitation “by acquiring for a plurality of the set ranges a distribution representative value representing a representative value of the first characteristic and the second characteristic of a plurality of the measurement groups included in the set range, the set range being the same” is unclear and indefinite due to the use of “a plurality of the set ranges”, “a distribution representative value” singular, “the set range” following “a plurality of the set range” (which set range?). The only antecedent basis for “a plurality of set ranges” is “acquiring measurement values … in which a concentration of the first impurity and an irradiation amount of the charged particle beam are included in a set range”.
Further, claim 23 recites that the irradiation amount is determined “based on the defect rate in each of the set ranges calculated with the analysis method of claim 1”, however claim 1 only recites “calculating a defect rate” and does not relate this calculation to specific set ranges.
It cannot be determined from the claim which values are acquired or determined for which of one or more set ranges. This lack of clarity in the intended meaning renders the bounds of the claims indefinite.
Claim 24 recites:
“determining, based on a past information indicating a relationship of a target characteristic with respect to a combination of a concentration of a first impurity of a semiconductor substrate and an irradiation amount of a charged particle beam against the semiconductor substrate, the past information being generated from measurement data of a semiconductor device manufactured previously, and on a concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate used for manufacture, an irradiation amount of the charged particle beam against the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture”.
Based on the disclosure, this appears to mean:
determining an irradiation amount of the charged particle beam against the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture;
the determining being based on a past information indicating a relationship of a target characteristic with respect to a combination of a concentration of a first impurity of a semiconductor substrate and an irradiation amount of a charged particle beam against the semiconductor substrate;
the past information being generated from measurement data of a semiconductor device manufactured previously, and on a concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate used for manufacture.
The structure of this limitation creates a lack of clarity in the intended meaning and therefore the bounds of the claims are indefinite.
Claim 24 further recites “wherein the past information is generated by approximating a relationship between the concentration of the first impurity and the target characteristic with a first approximate line including a curved line part”, however, a previous limitation also recited “the past information being generated from”. It is unclear how these separate recitations interact, and therefore the bounds of the claims are indefinite.
Claim 25 recites the limitation “wherein the past information and a value of the target characteristic that is obtained when the charged particle beam of a first irradiation amount is irradiated to the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture are estimated based on the concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture”.
Based on the disclosure, this appears to mean:
wherein the past information is estimated based on the concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture;
and wherein a value of the target characteristic that is obtained when the charged particle beam of a first irradiation amount is irradiated to the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture is estimated based on the concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate used for the manufacture.
The structure of this limitation creates a lack of clarity in the intended meaning and therefore the bounds of the claims are indefinite. Further, the past information was required by claim 24 to indicate a relationship with respect to “a concentration of a first impurity of a semiconductor substrate” which is “generated from measurement date of a semiconductor device manufactured previously”, and it is unclear if/how the past information can be generated from previously manufactured devices and also estimated based on the concentration of the first impurity of the semiconductor substrate being used for the manufacture. Therefore the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be determined.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
20220084828
20190065630
20210049242
20240085891
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/ALIA SABUR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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