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 .
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2 and 6-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Kamimura (US 2019/0324373; IDS, 01/13/2026).
The applied reference has a common Assignee/Applicant with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). The Examiner also points out that based on the publication date of the references it also constitutes prior art under 34 U.S.C. 102(a)(1).
This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C.102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B); or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement. See generally MPEP § 717.02.
Kamimura discloses a quality inspection method for a chemical liquid. Kamimura discloses the process first comprises step W which is a step of preparing a first container having a liquid contact portion formed of a corrosion-resistance material, adopting a portion of the chemical liquid as a liquid, and washing at least a portion of the liquid contact portion by using a liquid. (Para, 0057). Kamimura discloses the chemical liquid is used for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate and components in the chemical liquid include a solvent and a specific component. (Para, 0059). Kamimura discloses the solvent includes water, an organic solvent, and a mixture of these. (Para, 0061). Kamimura discloses it is preferable the chemical liquid contains the organic solvent among the above, with “organic solvent” meaning an organic substance which stays in liquid form under the atmospheric pressure at 25C and is contained in the chemical liquid in an amount equal to or greater than 10,000 mass ppm with respect to the total mass of the chemical liquid. (Para, 0061).
Kamimura discloses the content of the solvent in the chemical liquid is not particularly limited but with respect to the total mass of the chemical liquid is preferably equal to or greater than 98% by mass, more preferably equal to or greater than 99% by mass, even more preferably equal to or greater than 99.9% by mass, particularly preferably equal to or greater than 99.99% by mass, and most preferably equal to or greater than 99.999% by mass. (Para, 0062). Kamimura also discloses one kind of solvent may be used singly, or two or more kinds of solvents may be used in combination. (Para, 0063). Kamimura explains where two or more kinds of solvents are used in combination, the total content thereof is preferably within the above range. (Para, 0063).
Kamimura discloses the organic solvent the chemical liquid contains is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include alkylene glycol monoalkyl ether carboxylate, alkylene glycol monoalkyl ether, a lactic acid alkyl ester, alkoxyalkyl propionate, cyclic lactone (preferably having 4 to 10 carbon atoms), a monoketone compound which may have a ring (preferably having 4 to 10 carbon atoms), alkylene carbonate, alkoxyalkyl acetate, alkyl pyruvate, and the like. (Para, 0066). Kamimura discloses the organic solvent may be…octane, isooctane, nonane, decane, methyl cyclohexane, decalin, xylene, ethyl benzene, diethyl benzene, cumene, sec-butyl benzene, cymene, dipentene, methyl pyruvate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethyl lactate, methyl methoxypropionate, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane, 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, or the like. (Para, 0067). These disclosures teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 2.
Kamimura discloses in an aspect in which the chemical liquid is used for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate and is incorporated particularly into a prewet solution, a developer, and a resist composition, the chemical liquid preferably contains at least one kind of organic solvent selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), cyclopentanone (CyPn), cyclopentane (CyPe), butyl acetate (nBA), propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), cyclohexane (CyHe), cyclohexanone (CyHx), ethyl lactate (EL), 2-hydroxymethyl isobutyrate (HBM), cyclopentanone dimethyl acetal (DBCPN), γ-butyrolactone (GBL), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), isoamyl acetate (iAA), 2-propanol (IPA), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and 4-methyl-2-pentanol (MIBC), and more preferably contains at least one kind of organic solvent selected from the group consisting of PGMEA, MIBC, nBA, PGME, CyHe, GBL, EL, DMSO, iAA, HBM, PC, IPA, and CyPe. (Para, 0068). These disclosures teach and/or suggest the limitation of claims 17-18.
Kamimura explains one kind of organic solvent may be used singly, or two or more kinds of organic solvents may be used in combination. (Para, 0068). Kamimura discloses the content of the organic solvent in the chemical liquid is not particularly limited but generally, the content of the organic solvent with respect to the total mass of the chemical liquid is preferably equal to or greater than 98% by mass, more preferably equal to or greater than 99% by mass, even more preferably equal to or greater than 99.9% by mass, particularly preferably equal to or greater than 99.99% by mass, and most preferably equal to or greater than 99.999% by mass. (Para, 0069). Kamimura further discloses one kind of organic solvent may be used singly, or two or more kinds of organic solvents may be used in combination and in a case where two or more kinds of organic solvents are used in combination, the total content thereof is preferably within the above range. (Para, 0070). These disclosures teach and/or suggest the limitation of claims 6-8. Moreover, these disclosures and the disclosures of Kamimura as discussed (Para, 0062-0068) above teach and/or suggest and the limitation of claims 9-14.
Kamimura discloses the specific component means a component or a combination of components that is contained in the chemical liquid and causes a defect such as an inorganic substance (hereinafter, referred to as “specific inorganic substance” as well) and an organic substance (hereinafter, referred to as “specific organic substance” as well). (Para, 0072). Kamimura discloses the specific organic substance means an organic substance contained in the chemical liquid in an amount equal to or smaller than 10,000 mass ppm with respect to the total mass of the chemical liquid. (Para, 0073). Kamimura discloses the organic substance as the specific component is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include known organic substances. (Para, 0074). Kamimura discloses the content of the specific organic substance in the chemical liquid is not particularly limited, but is preferably equal to or smaller than 1 mass ppb, more preferably equal to or smaller than 100 mass ppt, and even more preferably equal to or smaller than 10 mass ppt. (Para, 0075). Kamimura discloses examples of the specific organic substance include a high-boiling-point organic substance having a boiling point higher than that of the aforementioned solvent. (Para, 0076). Kamimura explains some of such specific organic substances are mixed into the chemical liquid by being eluted from unreacted raw materials used at the time of synthesizing the organic solvent, a structural isomer of an organic solvent, a stabilizer for preventing the oxidation of the organic solvent (for example, dibutylhydroxytoluene (BHT, boiling point: 265° C.) or the like), and members of the manufacturing device or the like. (Para, 0079). Kamimura also discloses examples of the specific organic substance which includes… an azelaic acid ester, a benzoic acid ester, terephthalate (example: dioctyl terephthalate (DEHT)), a 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), an alkylsulfonic acid phenyl ester (ASE), an organic phosphoric acid ester (example: tricresyl phosphate (TCP), and tributyl phosphate (TBP)).
Kamimura also discloses the inorganic substance (“specific inorganic substance”) as the specific component is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include known metals, inorganic compounds, and the like. (Para, 0084). Kamimura discloses the content of the specific inorganic substance in the chemical liquid is not particularly limited, but is preferably equal to or smaller than 1 mass ppb, more preferably equal to or smaller than 100 mass ppt, and even more preferably equal to or smaller than 10 mass ppt, with respect to the total mass of the chemical liquid. (Para, 0084). Kamimura explains in some cases, the specific inorganic substance is mixed into the chemical liquid from, for example, a metal tank of a manufacturing device used for manufacturing the chemical liquid, a filter used for purifying the chemical liquid, and the like. (Para, 0085). Kamimura discloses examples of the specific inorganic substance include Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, Tl, V, W, Zn, Zr, and the like. According to the examination conducted by the inventors of the present invention, it has been revealed that in a case where the chemical liquid contains at least 5 or more kinds of atoms selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, Tl, V, W, Zn, and Zr among the above, and the total content thereof and the defect inhibition performance of the chemical liquid are subjected to linear regression, a higher coefficient of correlation is obtained. Furthermore, it has been revealed that in a case where 5 or more kinds of the atoms contain at least 2 or more kinds of metals selected from the group consisting of Al, Fe, and Ti, and the total content thereof and the defect inhibition performance of the chemical liquid are subjected to linear regression, a much higher coefficient of correlation is obtained. (Para, 0086). These disclosures teach and/or suggest the limitation of claims 15-16.
Kamimura then describes each process step in greater detail. Kamimura discloses step A is a step of adopting a portion of the chemical liquid as b liquid and performing concentration of b liquid by using the washed first container described above so as to obtain c liquid. (Para, 0195-0196). Kamimura explains each of b liquid used in the step A and a liquid used in the step W corresponds to a liquid extracted from the same chemical liquid. (Para, 0195-0196). Kamimura discloses in step B, a step of performing measurement of the content of the specific component in c liquid obtained in the step A. (Para, 0204-0205). Kamimura explains the specific component is as described above as the component that the chemical liquid contains. (Para, 0204-0205). These disclosures and the disclosures of Kamimura as discussed above describing the various components of the chemical liquid teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 1, ‘A method for inspecting a treatment liquid including an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, the method comprising: a step A1 of acquiring measurement data of a content of an acid component in the treatment liquid, the acid component being at least one selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids having a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms and formic acid…’
Kamimura discloses the present quality inspection method has a step of comparing the content of the specific component obtained in the step B with a preset standard value. (Para, 0276). Kamimura discloses in a case where the value of the content of the specific component measured in the step B is an absolute quantity, the standard value is predetermined as an absolute quantity. (Para, 0277). Kamimura discloses in a case where the value of the content of the specific component measured in the step B is a relative quantity, the standard value is predetermined as a relative quantity. (Para, 0277). Kamimura explains a plurality of standard values may be determined according to the type of the specific component, the measurement method, and the like. (Para, 0277). Kamimura further discloses alternatively, according to the type of the specific components, the measurement method, and the like, a standard value as an absolute quantity and a standard value as a relative quantity may be determined. (Para, 0277). Kamimura then discloses the standard value is not particularly limited as long as it is predetermined. (Para, 0278). Kamimura discloses the present quality inspection method may additionally have a step D of determining the chemical liquid as being inadequate and discarding the chemical liquid in a case where the content of the specific component is greater than the standard value. (Para, 0279). These disclosures and the disclosures of Kamimura discussed above teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 1, ‘A method for inspecting a treatment liquid including an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, the method comprising: and a step A2 of determining whether the measurement data acquired in the step A1 falls within a preset allowable range.’
Kamimura also discloses a manufacturing method of a chemical liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a chemical liquid containing an organic solvent. (Para, 0345). Kamimura discloses the manufacturing method has a step P of purifying a substance to be purified containing an organic solvent so as to obtain a substance to be purified having undergone purification, a step W2 of preparing a first container having a liquid contact portion of which at least a portion is formed of at least one kind of material selected from the group consisting of glass, a fluorine-containing polymer, and electropolished stainless steel, adopting a portion of the substance to be purified having undergone purification as a2 liquid, and washing at least a portion of the liquid contact portion by using a2 liquid, a step A2 of adopting a portion of the substance to be purified having undergone purification as b2 liquid and performing concentration of b2 liquid by using the first container so as to obtain c2 liquid, a step B2 of performing measurement of a content of a specific component in c2 liquid, a step C2 of comparing the content of the specific component with a preset standard value, a step E of determining the substance to be purified having undergone purification as a new substance to be purified and repeating the step P, the step W2, the step A2, the step B2, and the step C2 in this order in a case where the content of the specific component is greater than the standard value, and a step Z of determining the substance to be purified having undergone purification as being adequate and adopting the substance to be purified having undergone purification as a chemical liquid. (Para, 0345). Kamimura further discloses the step P, the step W2, the step A2, the step B2, the step C2, the step E, and the step Z are performed in this order, and at least the step P, the step W2, and the step A2 are performed in a clean room having cleanliness equal to or higher than class 4 specified in the International Standard ISO14644-1:2015 established by the International Organization for Standardization. (Para, 0345). These disclosures and the disclosures of Kamimura as discussed above (Para, 0195-0196; 0204-0205, 0277-0279) teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 19.
While the recitations of claims 1-2 and 6-19 are not exactly or identically disclosed by Kamimura, one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably expected to successfully determine contamination in a chemical liquid composition used for forming a semiconductor device and/or related processing that allows for determining purity of the chemical liquid composition with necessary accuracy in order to avoid contamination of the semiconductor device fabrication process.
Claim(s) 3-5 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kamimura as applied to claims 1-2 and 5-19 in paragraph 4 above, and further in view of Oomatsu (US 202132503; IDS, 05/16/2024).
The disclosures of Kamimura as discussed above fail to teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 3, ‘The method for inspecting a treatment liquid according to claim 1, wherein the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent is undecane.’ However, the disclosures of Kamimura further in view of Oomatsu provide such teachings.
Oomatsu discloses a chemical liquid composition is a chemical liquid containing an organic solvent, an acid component, and a metal component. (Para, 0067). Oomatsu discloses in the present chemical liquid, the content of the acid component is equal to or greater than 1 mass ppt and equal to or smaller than 15 mass ppm with respect to the total mass of the present chemical liquid. (Para, 0068). The disclosures of Kamimura further in view of this disclosure of Oomatsu teaches and/or suggests the limitation of claim 5. Oomatsu also discloses in the chemical liquid, the content of the metal component is 0.001 to 100 mass ppt with respect to the total mass of the present chemical liquid. (Para, 0069). Oomatsu also discloses the chemical liquid is used in processed related to patterning wafers and the contamination in the chemical liquid can cause defects such as leaving residue on the wafer surface after being used to process the wafer. (Para, 0072-0074).
Oomatsu discloses the chemical liquid may contain an organic solvent which may be used singly or multiple types of organic solvents may be used. (Para, 0082-0084), Oomatsu also discloses examples of the organic solvents that may be used. (Para, 0086-0092). The disclosures of Kamimura further in view of these disclosures of Oomatsu teach and/or suggest the limitation of claims 3 and 20. Oomatsu also discloses the acid may be included in the chemical liquid composition by being added intentionally, it may be contained in a substance to be purified first or it may migrate from a chemical liquid manufacturing device. (Para, 0103-0105). Oomatsu also discloses examples of the acid included in the chemical liquid and that includes acid such as organic carboxylic acid which is preferred. (Para, 0112). The disclosures of Kamimura further in view of these disclosures of Oomatsu teach and/or suggest the limitation of claim 4.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the present application by Applicant to modify the disclosures of Kamimura further in view of the disclosures of Oomatsu because both are directed to chemical liquid compositions used in forming semiconductor devices and to methods of determining the level of contamination of chemical liquids used in the fabrication process and Oomatsu also discloses a chemical liquid that can be purified so as to avoid contamination of the device fabrication as by the inspection process disclosed in Kamimura.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALEEN O SULLIVAN whose telephone number is (571)272-6569. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7:30 am-4:00 pm.
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, Dale Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CALEEN O SULLIVAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Prosecution Insights