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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 7, and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al (10,018,911).
Nakagawa et al disclose a resist composition comprising a resin having at least a polymer A, and optionally a polymer B, wherein polymer A comprises unit (I) having an acid decomposable (acid-labile) group, and additional units (II) to (IV), wherein units (II) and/ or (III) may comprise an aromatic ring (columns 17-19; instant claim 1).
Polymer B does not include unit (I) and thus does not include an acid-decomposable (acid-labile) group.
Polymers A and B are taught that the units (I) to (IV) may be free of unit (II) comprising fluorine (instant claim 2), or may comprise a unit having a fluorine atom in polymer B at an amount of 3 mol % (column 66, line 66 to column 18, line 18) taught by the reference to fall within the definition of substantially free (5 mol% of less of the unit), and may be a unit of (f-2) or (f-3) wherein LF2 and LF4 are preferably ester (column 14, lines 39-41), with RF4, RF5, and RF8 are preferably divalent hydrocarbon or 1-20 carbon atoms (column 15), LF3 fluorinated hydrocarbon, A1 is -COO- or O preferably, , and RF6 is a hydrocarbon, with RF9 and RF10 and fluorinated alkyl. When prepared, (f-2) would include -COO-alkyl-(O or COO)-fluorinated alkyl, and (f-3) COO-alkyl-C(fluorinated alkyl)(fluorinated alkyl)-OH (each which include COO-AL-Y-R2 groups, wherein R2 is H or hydrocarbon (instant claims 1, 5), and wherein the fluorinated groups would result in an atomic weight of greater than 80 (instant claims 3 and 5).
For example, when the exemplified monomer of (f-3) includes a linear or branched alkyl in the place of the norbornyl group, the unit meets the formula of claims 1, 5, and 7.
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Also, for example, when the exemplified monomer of (f-2) includes LF2 and one of RF4, RF5 or LF3 are not a single bond and are alkyl, the structure meets the claim limitations.
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The unit is present in an amount of 3 mol % to 40 mol% (column 17, lines 48-64; instant claim 9).
Alternatively, the references teaches units of (IV) may fall within the scope of the instant formula (1), including:
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Wherein Alis alkyl, and Y is O or COO, with R2 being a hydrocarbon having heteroatoms, which exmaples of R2 groups in the instant specification demonstrate as being include in R2, and wherein the atomic weight of the group woudlbe greater than m80 (instant claims 1, 3, and 5).
The acid generator (instant C) is present in an amount of 0.1 to 30 parts by mass of the resin, which overlaps the claimed range (column 55, lines 25-31; instant claim 10).
The total solid content of the resist is preferably 0.1 top 20% by mass falling within the scope of the instant claim 1 (column 111, lines 25 to 31).
The resist is used in a process of preparing a pattern in the process of forming a semiconductor device, wherein the method includes forming a resist film by applying the resist composition to a substrate, exposing, and developing the resist (column 2, lines 59-65, examples columns 129 and 130; instant claims 11-13).
Given the teachings of the reference, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Nakagawa et al, choosing as a unit, that of either (II) or (IV) in polymer B, wherein as discussed above, the polymer would include a unit meeting the structural limitations of the instant (b1)/ formula (1).
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al in view of Nakashima et al (9,046,765).
Nakagawa et al has been discussed above. Polymers A and B are taught may further comprise a unit in addition to (I) to (IV), wherein the unit comprises a polar group, such as a non-labile hydrocarbon group, a -OH group, carboxy, cyano, nitro, sulfonamide, and the like in an amount of 10 mol % -70 mol %, overlapping the claimed range (column 26, lines 29-45; instant claim).
However, the reference fails to specifically disclose the polar group-containing monomers.
Nakashima et al, teach known resist polymers having units similar and equivalent to those of Nakagawa et al, wherein polar group-containing monomers are taught to be known in the art and includes those falling within the scope of the instantly claimed formula (1).
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In the formula, instant R1 is H, F, methyl, or trifluoromethyl, instant AL is linear or branched alkyl, n is 1, and R2 is H or a hydrocarbon group (instant claim 7), wherein some carbons are replaced by heteroatoms, which falls within the scope of R2 given the examples in the instant specification (see page 29). The units include those wherein the unit is free of F or Si (instant claim 2), and wherein the (AL-Y)nR2 group has an atomic weight of 80 or greater (instant claim 3). Examples above meet the structural limitations of the instant (2) and (3), when Ra15 is H or a hydrocarbon group, wherein AL is CH2CH2 (instant claims 5 and 6), with the example having the sultone group has an atomic weight of greater than 70.
Therefore, given the teachings of the references, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Nakagawa et al ,choosing as the polar group-containing unit, that taught by Nakashima et al as known and useful polar group-containing monomers in similar resist polymers.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa et al in view of Masuyama et al (JP 2017-138587 and its machine translation).
Nakagawa et al has been discussed above. Polymers A and B are taught may further comprise a unit in addition to (I) to (IV), wherein the unit comprises a polar group, such as a non-labile hydrocarbon group, a -OH group, carboxy, cyano, nitro, sulfonamide, and the like in an amount of 10 mol % -70 mol %, overlapping the claimed range (column 26, lines 29-45; instant claim).
However, the reference fails to specifically disclose the polar group-containing monomers.
Masuyama et al disclose a resist composition wherein the reference teaches polar group-containing monomers including units those below having non-labile hydrocarbon groups as instant R2, and AL being alkyl (preferably ethyl), and Y O or COO, wherein n may be 2 as in claims 4 and 6. The structures meet the structural limitations for the instant (1)/ (b1) of claims 1, 2, and 4-6 when included into the resist polymer B of the primary reference.
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Examples include those having an atomic weight for the AL-Y-R2 group of 80 or greater (instant claims 3, 5,and 6).
Therefore, given the teachings of the references, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Nakagawa et al ,choosing as the polar group-containing unit, that taught by Masuyama et al as known and useful polar group-containing monomers in similar resist polymers.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5, and 7-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kasahara et al (2013/0216948).
Kasahara et al disclose a resist composition and method of forming a deice ([0005]) comprising a polymer A and polymer B, wherein the polymer A includes an acid-decomposable unit (acid-labile group) as instant (a1), and a unit (IV) which may include an aromatic ring ([0063]) as instant (a2).
Polymer B is a fluorinated polymer, wherein a unit may have a structure falling within the scope of the instant (b1), formula (1):
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In the formula, instant R1 is H, methyl, or trifluoromethyl, AL is alkyl, such as linear or branches fluoroalkyl (such as- CF2CF2-; [0092]-[0101]), Y is -O-, and R2 is reference R11, defined as H (thus forming an -OH group; instant claim 7), 1 to 30 alkyl, alicyclic, 3-30 aromatic, or a group having a hetero atom such as O, S, ester, or carbonyl, which meets the structural limitations of the instant claims 1 and 5, wherein R2 is H, and as seen above, the atomic weight of (AL-Y)n-R2 is greater than 70, with examples of greater than 80 (instant claim 3).
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The unit is included in the polymer in an amount of 90mol % meeting the limitations of the instant claim 9 ([0108]). The blended amount of polymer B is 0.1 to 20 parts by mass of polymer A ([0109]; instant claim 8).
The acid generator compound (instant C), is included in an amount of 0.1 to 25 parts by mass of the resin ([0131]; instant claim 10).
The total solid content as estimated from the examples would be greater than 15 % or more of the composition as required by the instant claim 1.
The method of forming a film, pattern, and device (instant claims 11 and 13) includes the steps as set forth by the instant claim 12:
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Given the teachings of the reference, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant invention to prepare the material of Kasahara et al, choosing as the unit in the polymer B, that having a structure meeting the limitations of the formula (1) as disclosed by the reference and discussed above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Fujiwara et al (2016/0349612) and additional references cited on the PTO-892 include polar group-containing resist polymer and resist compositions comprising a similar polymer blend.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMANDA C WALKE whose telephone number is (571)272-1337. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 5:30am to 4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Niki Bakhtiari can be reached at 571-272-3433. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AMANDA C. WALKE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1722
