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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/22/2026 was filed after the mailing date of the Notice of Allowance on 4/21/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/22/2026 has been entered.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 10 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the light guide" in claim 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 11-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 1; Petrov et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2006/0016988 discloses an electron beam microscope (“scanning electron microscopy (SEM)” [0002]), comprising: an electron beam source 2 configured to generate an electron beam (“a charged particle beam, which is formed by charged particles generated by a source (cathode)” [0016]); a beam tube 7 comprising first and second ends (as illustrated in figure 1), the beam tube configured so that the electron beam enters the beam tube at the first end and emerges from the beam tube at the second end (“The longitudinal axis of the anode tube 7 defines an axis OA of the primary beam propagation towards the arrangement 10” [0043]); a magnetic objective lens 16 (“a magnetic objective lens 16” [0046]) configured to focus the electron beam in an object plane (“a beam directing system 10 of the present invention configured for focusing and deflecting a primary beam propagating towards the sample and collecting a secondary beam from the sample” [0043]); an object holder 50 configured to hold an object S in an object plane (“a sample S (e.g., a semiconductor wafer, a mark, a reticle and the like), which is located on a sample holder 50” [0043]); a scintillator arrangement (“the signal from detector (scintillator) especially at very low primary beam energy (lower than 200 eV) is limited by insufficient detector efficiency” [0015]). However, Petrov does not disclose a magnetic objective lens comprising a solenoid and a yoke, the yoke having first and second pole ends, each of the first and second pole ends extending around an axis of symmetry of the magnetic objective lens. Petrov does not disclose a scintillator arrangement comprising a scintillator body configured to generate light from electrons coming from the object plane, the scintillator arrangement comprising a light exit surface configured so that the light generated by the scintillator body enters a vacuum space from the scintillator arrangement; a detector arrangement comprising a light detector configured to convert light generated by the scintillator arrangement into electrical signals, the detector arrangement comprising a light entry surface through which the light enters the detector arrangement from the vacuum space. And, although Petrov discloses applying a potential U1 to the object holder (“supplying a required voltage to the sample” [0038]), a potential U2 to the beam tube (“the anode voltage” [0008]) Petrov does not disclose a potential supply system configured to supply: i) the object holder with a potential U1; ii) the beam tube with a potential U2; iii) the first pole end and/or the second pole end with a potential U3; iv) the scintillator body with a potential U4; the light detector with a potential U5 such that the claimed relations are satisfied.
Shintake U.S. PGPUB No. 2016/0071690 discloses a magnetic focus lens comprising a solenoid and a yoke (“magnetic focus lenses (solenoid coils with yoke) may be provided” [0022]). However, Shintake does not disclose that the magnetic focus lens is an objective lens.
Additionally, Shintake does not disclose a scintillator arrangement comprising a scintillator body configured to generate light from electrons coming from the object plane, the scintillator arrangement comprising a light exit surface configured so that the light generated by the scintillator body enters a vacuum space from the scintillator arrangement; a detector arrangement comprising a light detector configured to convert light generated by the scintillator arrangement into electrical signals, the detector arrangement comprising a light entry surface through which the light enters the detector arrangement from the vacuum space. And Shintake does not disclose a potential supply system configured to supply: i) an object holder with a potential U1; ii) a beam tube with a potential U2; iii) a first pole end and/or a second pole end with a potential U3; iv) a scintillator body with a potential U4; a light detector with a potential U5 such that the claimed relations are satisfied.
Sasaki et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2017/0271124 discloses a magnetic objective lens comprising a yoke (“a yoke that forms the lower pole of the objective magnetic field lens 8” [0095]), the yoke having first and second pole ends (lower and upper, as described in paragraph [0095]), each of the first and second pole ends extending around an axis of symmetry of the magnetic objective lens (as illustrated in figure 1). However, Sasaki does not disclose that the magnetic objective lens comprises a solenoid and a yoke.
Additionally, Sasaki does not disclose a scintillator arrangement comprising a scintillator body configured to generate light from electrons coming from the object plane, the scintillator arrangement comprising a light exit surface configured so that the light generated by the scintillator body enters a vacuum space from the scintillator arrangement; a detector arrangement comprising a light detector configured to convert light generated by the scintillator arrangement into electrical signals, the detector arrangement comprising a light entry surface through which the light enters the detector arrangement from the vacuum space. And although Sasaki discloses a potential U3 applied to an end of the yoke (“Voltages shown in FIG. 5 are applied to the electrodes 7a and the magnetic poles 7b” [0091]), Sasaki does not disclose a potential supply system configured to supply: i) an object holder with a potential U1; ii) a beam tube with a potential U2; iii) a first pole end and/or a second pole end with a potential U3; iv) a scintillator body with a potential U4; a light detector with a potential U5 such that the claimed relations are satisfied.
Bell et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2010/0163727 discloses a scintillator arrangement comprising a scintillator body configured to generate light from electrons (“the secondary electron detector 38 includes a phosphor or scintillator that converts the collected secondary electrons 35 into flashes of light” [0026]) coming from the object plane (“secondary electrons 35 are emitted from the sample 36” [0026]), the scintillator arrangement comprising a light exit surface configured so that the light generated by the scintillator body enters a vacuum space from the scintillator arrangement (“a secondary electron detector 38 located inside the vacuum chamber 32” [0026]); a detector arrangement comprising a light detector configured to convert light generated by the scintillator arrangement into electrical signals (“a photomultiplier that converts these flashes of light into amplified electrical signals” [0026]), the detector arrangement comprising a light entry surface through which the light enters the detector arrangement from the vacuum space (“a secondary electron detector 38 located inside the vacuum chamber 32. Typically, the secondary electron detector 38 includes a phosphor or scintillator that converts the collected secondary electrons 35 into flashes of light and a photomultiplier that converts these flashes of light into amplified electrical signals. The secondary electron detector 38 is positively biased to attract the secondary electrons 35” [0026]). However, Bell does not disclose a potential supply system configured to supply: i) an object holder with a potential U1; ii) a beam tube with a potential U2; iii) a first pole end and/or a second pole end with a potential U3; iv) a scintillator body with a potential U4; a light detector with a potential U5 such that the claimed relations are satisfied.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, an electron beam microscope, comprising: a potential supply system configured to supply a potential U3 to a first pole end and/or a second pole end of a yoke of an objective lens comprising a solenoid and the yoke, such that the potential U3 satisfies the claimed relation to a light detector potential U5, beam tube potential U2, and object holder potential U1.
Regarding dependent claims 2-9 and 11-20; these claims are allowable at least for their dependence, either directly or indirectly, upon independent claim 1.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON L MCCORMACK whose telephone number is (571)270-1489. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:00AM-5:00PM EST.
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/JASON L MCCORMACK/Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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