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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in South Korea on May 8, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the KR10-2023-0059327 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 1-9 and 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang et al. (KR1020190002987), translation attached.
Yang et al. teaches a composition for a hard mask in Example 2 comprising 10 wt% of aromatic compound Chemical Formula 6 and 90 wt% of solvent B-1 [page 15 (claims 1 and 12) wherein Chemical Formula 6 is the following:
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[page 10] which is equivalent to a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 of instant claims 1-9 when m and n are 1, Ar1 and Ar2 are both
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linked by a single bond, Ar3 is
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, R1-R3 are hydrogens, R11, R21, and R31 are hydrogens, and Ar11, Ar21, and Ar31 are
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; and solvent B-1 is PGMEA [page 16] (claim 13). The molecular weight of Chemical Formula 6 is 934.09 g/mol (claim 11). Yang et al. also teaches each of the compositions according to the Examples and Comparative Examples was spin-coated on a silicon wafer and baked at 200°C for 60 seconds to form a film having a thickness of 1500Ǻ. A photoresist for ArF was coated on each of the formed films, baked at 110°C for 60 seconds, and exposure was performed using an exposure device manufactured by ASML, and developed with TMAH to obtained a line-and-space pattern of 60 nm. The obtained patterned specimen was further cured at 110°C for 60 seconds, a dry etching was performed on the specimen for 20 seconds using a CHF3/CF4 mixed gas [page 17] (claims 14-16). Yang et al. further teaches the hard mask may be formed on an etching target layer (material layer) on a substrate [page 15] (claim 15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record does not teach or provide motivation to make/use a hardmask composition comprising a compound represented by any one of Chemical Formulae 2-15. Closest prior art Yang et al. teaches compounds in which the nitrogen atom is part of a fused ring, i.e. Ar1 and Ar2 are linked by a single bond. Closest prior art Lee et al. (U.S. 2014/0186775) teaches a monomer for a hardmask which encompasses a triphenylamine but only teaches one terminal group -CR1OR11Ar11 [0041-0049] instead of at least two groups as instantly claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNA E MALLOY whose telephone number is (571)270-5849. The examiner can normally be reached 6:30-3:00 EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Keith Walker can be reached at 571-272-3458. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Anna Malloy/Examiner, Art Unit 1737
/KEITH WALKER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1735
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