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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C.
102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the
statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art
relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 12:
Claim 12 recites the limitation “a connector plug coupling the upper electrical feed line and the lower electrical feed line, wherein the connector plug extends into the quartz liner.” There is insufficient support in the written specification for this limitation. In the applicant’s specification, the connector plug 314 does not extend into the quartz liner 402. Rather, the insulator sleeve 418 extends into the quartz liner 402 [Fig. 4A & 0040].
Claim 12 is 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.
Regarding Claim 12:
Claim 12 recites the limitation “a connector plug coupling the upper electrical feed line and the lower electrical feed line, wherein the connector plug extends into the quartz liner.” However, in the applicant’s application, the connector plug 314 does not extend into the quartz liner 402. Rather, the insulator sleeve 418 extends into the quartz liner 402 [Fig. 4A & 0040]. As such, it is unclear what the applicant means by the connector plug extending into the quartz liner. For purposes of prosecution on the merits, the limitation will be read as “a connector plug coupling the upper electrical feed line and the lower electrical feed line
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (US 20230207281).
Regarding Claim 1:
Choi teaches a protective ring (upper ring 173) for a substrate support assembly, the protective ring comprising: an annular body (body of upper ring 173), comprising a first top surface and a first bottom surface; a protrusion (inner portion 173ip) disposed along an inner perimeter of the annular body and comprising a second top surface and a second bottom surface, the second top surface being disposed below the first top surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the body of upper ring 173 has an upper surface that is above the top surface of the inner portion 173ip); and a skirt (outer portion 173op) disposed along an outer perimeter of the annular body and extending downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the outer portion 173op extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173), wherein the skirt, the protrusion, and the first bottom surface form a groove (recess R) under the annular body [Fig. 1-6 & 0031-0032].
Regarding Claim 2:
Choi teaches wherein the annular body comprises a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of quartz, alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon (the upper ring 173 may include quartz) [Fig. 6 & 0032].
Regarding Claim 5:
Choi teaches wherein the groove forms a circle within the annular body (as evidenced by Fig. 2, the recess R forms a circle) [Fig. 1, 2, 5, 6 & 0031-0032].
Regarding Claim 6:
Choi teaches wherein the protrusion extends downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the inner portion 173ip extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173) [Fig. 1-6 & 0031-0032].
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 20230207281), as applied to claims 1-2 and 5-6 above, and further in view of Sant et al. (US 20140034242).
The limitations of Claims 1-2 and 5-6 have been set forth above.
Regarding Claim 3:
Choi does not specifically disclose wherein the first top surface comprises a coating made of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon.
Sant teaches wherein the first top surface comprises a coating made of a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon (the rings 200 and 205 each have protective outer coatings 200a and 205a, wherein the outer coatings can be made from SiC) [Fig. 2 & 0022-0023].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the protective ring of Choi to have a coating, as in Sant, to prevent unwanted particles contamination [Sant - 0023].
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 20230207281), as applied to claims 1-2 and 5-6 above, and further in view of Tsujimoto et al. (US 20100041240).
The limitations of Claims 1-2 and 5-6 have been set forth above.
Regarding Claim 4:
Choi does not specifically disclose wherein the first top surface inclines inwardly toward a center of the protective ring at an angle between about 1 degree to about 10 degrees.
Although Tsujimoto does not specifically disclose "wherein the first top surface inclines inwardly toward a center of the protective ring at an angle between about 1 degree to about 10 degrees," Tsujimoto does disclose that ring incline angle is a result effective variable. Specifically, ring angle can determine etch rate [Tsujimoto - 0040]. As such, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to find an optimum incline angle for a ring to achieve a desired etching rate. It has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. See MPEP 2144.05.
Claim(s) 7-9 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 20230207281) in view of Kellogg et al. (US 20180082822), with Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) as evidentiary references.
Regarding Claim 7:
Choi teaches an edge voltage delivery system for a substrate support assembly, the edge voltage delivery system comprising: a protective ring (upper ring 173) comprising an annular body (body of upper ring 173), a protrusion (inner portion 173ip) disposed along an inner perimeter, a skirt (outer portion 173op) disposed along an outer perimeter of the annular body, and a groove (recess R), wherein the annular body comprises a first top surface and a first bottom surface, the protrusion comprises a second top surface and a second bottom surface, the second top surface is disposed below the first top surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the body of upper ring 173 has an upper surface that is above the top surface of the inner portion 173ip), the skirt extends downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the outer portion 173op extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173), and the skirt, the protrusion, and the first bottom surface form the groove under the annular body (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the outer portion 173op and the inner portion 173ip form the recess R); an edge electrode (intermediate ring 172; the ring 172 may be made of aluminum) made of a conductive material and disposed under the protective ring, the edge electrode contacting the protective ring (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the intermediate ring 172 contacts the upper ring 173) [Fig. 1-6 & 0031-0032].
Choi does not specifically disclose a plurality of electrical feed lines coupled with the edge electrode.
Kellogg ‘822 teaches a plurality of electrical feed lines (power pin 702) coupled with the edge electrode [Fig. 7 & 0087].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical feed line of Choi to be a plurality of electrical feed lines, as in Kellogg '822, to provide further control over power supplied to specific portions of an electrode [Kellogg '822 - 0089-0090]. Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) also disclose that utilizing multiple power feed lines for a single electrode is a very well-known technique in the art [Kellogg '378 - 006; Kim - 0064].
Regarding Claim 8:
Choi teaches wherein the annular body comprises a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of quartz, alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon (the upper ring 173 may include quartz) [Fig. 6 & 0032].
Regarding Claim 9:
Choi teaches wherein the protrusion extends downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the inner portion 173ip extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173) [Fig. 1, 5, 6 & 0031-0032].
Regarding Claim 13:
Choi teaches wherein the edge electrode comprises a horizontal plate (first flange portion 172p1) coupled with a vertical leg (body portion 172b), and wherein the horizontal plate is disposed within the groove [Fig. 1-6 & 0031].
Regarding Claim 14:
Choi teaches wherein an electrical feed lines is coupled with the vertical leg (as evidenced by Fig. 5, the socket 190 is coupled with the body portion 172b) [Fig. 1-6 & 0031].
Choi does not specifically disclose a plurality of electrical feed lines coupled with the edge electrode.
Kellogg ‘822 teaches a plurality of electrical feed lines (power pin 702) coupled with the edge electrode [Fig. 7 & 0087].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical feed line of Choi to be a plurality of electrical feed lines, as in Kellogg '822, to provide further control over power supplied to specific portions of an electrode [Kellogg '822 - 0089-0090]. Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) also disclose that utilizing multiple power feed lines for a single electrode is a very well-known technique in the art [Kellogg '378 - 006; Kim - 0064].
Claim(s) 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 20230207281) in view of Kellogg et al. (US 20180082822), with Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) as evidentiary references, as applied to claims 7-9 and 13-14 above, and further in view of Nakatani et al. (US 20220037127).
The limitations of claims 7-9 and 13-14 have been set forth above.
Regarding Claim 10:
Modified Choi does not specifically disclose wherein the plurality of the electrical feed lines comprise an upper electrical feed line coupled with a lower electrical feed line that is offset horizontally from the upper electrical feed line.
Nakatani teaches wherein the plurality of the electrical feed lines comprise an upper electrical feed line (power supply boss 133) coupled with a lower electrical feed line (connecting column 147) that is offset horizontally from the upper electrical feed line [Fig. 2 & 0065].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical feed lines of Modified Choi to have an upper and lower feed lines, as in Nakatani, to help prevent damage due to thermal expansion [Nakatani - 0079 - 0082].
Regarding Claim 11:
Modified Choi teaches a quartz liner (lower plate 140; the lower plate 140 can comprise of quartz), wherein the plurality of the upper electrical feed lines are disposed within the quartz liner (socket 180 is disposed within the lower plate 140) [Choi - Fig. 1-6 & 0026].
Regarding Claim 12:
Modified Choi does not specifically disclose a connector plug coupling the upper electrical feed line and the lower electrical feed line.
Nakatani teaches a connector plug (beam-shaped member 135) coupling the upper electrical feed line and the lower electrical feed line (member 135 connects the boss 133 and the column 147) [Fig. 2 & 0065].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical feed lines of Modified Choi to have an upper and lower feed lines, as in Nakatani, to help prevent damage due to thermal expansion [Nakatani - 0079 - 0082].
Claim(s) 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 20230207281) in view of Kellogg et al. (US 20180082822) and Matyushkin et al. (US 20230075462), with Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) as evidentiary references.
Regarding Claim 15:
Choi teaches a substrate support assembly for a processing chamber comprising: a susceptor (electrostatic chuck 130) configured to support a substrate; an edge voltage delivery system for a substrate support assembly, the edge voltage delivery system comprising: a protective ring (upper ring 173) comprising an annular body (body of upper ring 173), a protrusion (inner portion 173ip) disposed along an inner perimeter, a skirt (outer portion 173op) disposed along an outer perimeter of the annular body, and a groove (recess R), wherein the annular body comprises a first top surface and a first bottom surface, the protrusion comprises a second top surface and a second bottom surface, the second top surface is disposed below the first top surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the body of upper ring 173 has an upper surface that is above the top surface of the inner portion 173ip), the skirt extends downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the outer portion 173op extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173), and the skirt, the protrusion, and the first bottom surface form the groove under the annular body (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the outer portion 173op and the inner portion 173ip form the recess R); an edge electrode (intermediate ring 172; the ring 172 may be made of aluminum) made of a conductive material and disposed under the protective ring, the edge electrode contacting the protective ring (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the intermediate ring 172 contacts the upper ring 173) [Fig. 1-6 & 0031-0032].
Choi does not specifically disclose a plurality of electrical feed lines coupled with the edge electrode.
Kellogg ‘822 teaches a plurality of electrical feed lines (power pin 702) coupled with the edge electrode [Fig. 7 & 0087].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electrical feed line of Choi to be a plurality of electrical feed lines, as in Kellogg '822, to provide further control over power supplied to specific portions of an electrode [Kellogg '822 - 0089-0090]. Kellogg et al. (US 20200365378) and Kim et al. (US 20220172926) also disclose that utilizing multiple power feed lines for a single electrode is a very well-known technique in the art [Kellogg '378 - 006; Kim - 0064].
Modified Choi does not specifically disclose an edge ring surrounding the susceptor.
Matyushkin teaches an edge ring (outer edge ring 430) surrounding the susceptor (support 100) [Fig. 4 & 0056-0057].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Modified Choi to have an edge ring with a seal groove, as in Matyushkin, since the edge ring arrangement of Matyushkin allows for easier manufacturing and higher flexibility [Matyushkin - 0065].
Regarding Claim 16:
Choi teaches wherein the annular body comprises a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of quartz, alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon (the upper ring 173 may include quartz) [Fig. 1-6 & 0032].
Regarding Claim 17:
Choi teaches wherein the protrusion extends downwardly from the first bottom surface (as evidenced by Fig. 6, the inner portion 173ip extends downwardly from a bottom surface of the upper ring 173) [Fig. 1-6 & 0031-0032].
Regarding Claim 18:
Choi teaches wherein the edge electrode comprises a horizontal plate (first flange portion 172p1) coupled with a vertical leg (body portion 172b), and wherein the horizontal plate is disposed within the groove [Fig. 1-6 & 0031].
Regarding Claim 19:
Choi modified by Kellog ‘822 does not specifically disclose wherein the edge ring comprises a seal groove disposed along an inner perimeter of the edge ring and configured to receive a seal disposed between the edge electrode and the edge ring.
Matyushkin teaches wherein the edge ring comprises a seal groove (groove 440) disposed along an inner perimeter of the edge ring and configured to receive a seal (seal 442) disposed between the edge electrode (ring support 410) and the edge ring (first outer edge ring 430) [Fig. 4 & 0056-0057].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Modified Choi to have an edge ring with a seal groove, as in Matyushkin, since the edge ring arrangement of Matyushkin allows for easier manufacturing and higher flexibility [Matyushkin - 0065].
Regarding Claim 20:
Choi modified by Kellog ‘822 does not specifically disclose wherein the skirt is supported by an upper wall of the seal groove of the edge ring.
Matyushkin teaches wherein the skirt is supported by an upper wall of the seal groove of the edge ring (as evidenced by Fig. 4, an outer portion of upper edge ring 150 is supported by an upper wall of groove 440) [Fig. 4 & 0056-0057].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Modified Choi to have an edge ring with a seal groove, as in Matyushkin, since the edge ring arrangement of Matyushkin allows for easier manufacturing and higher flexibility [Matyushkin - 0065].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s
disclosure. Yamazawa (US 20070235420) and Sato (US 20090242132) teach power feed structures [Yamazawa – Fig. 2; Sato – Fig. 3].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSHUA NATHANIEL PINEDA REYES whose telephone number is (571)272-4693. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gordon Baldwin can be reached at (571) 272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.R./Examiner, Art Unit 1718
/GORDON BALDWIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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