CTNF 18/627,065 CTNF 83642 DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. 07-30-03-h AIA Claim Interpretations The “wherein the plurality of dummy openings are configured to attenuate the plasma that is generated in the plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings “ of claim 2, and “wherein the plurality of dummy openings that are configured to attenuate the plasma generated in the plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings, and minimizes plasma-induced damage to the o-rings ” of claim 13, the purpose of the dummy opening is not part of the apparatus. A dummy opening, with some of the properties as required in the dependent claim(s), is considered to have the capability of “to attenuate the plasma that is generated in the plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings” and “to minimize plasma-induced damage to the o-rings”. The “the dielectric faceplate thickness” and the “the faceplate thickness” of claim 1 is considered intrinsic property of the dielectric faceplate 200 and therefore, no 112(b) antecedent issue. The “a plurality of o-rings surrounding the conductive plate gas openings and the dielectric faceplate gas openings and configured to seal the dielectric faceplate gas openings and the conductive plate gas openings from atmospheric pressure” of claim 1, Applicants’ Specification states “a plurality of o-rings 220 surround the conductive plate gas openings 260 and the dielectric faceplate gas openings and configured to seal the dielectric faceplate gas openings 210 and the conductive plate gas openings 260 from atmospheric pressure when the plasma showerhead assembly 150 is assembled together” ([0043]), therefore, this atmospheric pressure is during assembly, presumable under atmospheric pressure. Note the plasma showerhead is operated under vacuum during processing, the O-ring is sealed against vacuum in the processing chamber during processing. Drawings 06-22-03 AIA The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “ 212 ” has been used to designate both dummy opening (left hand side of Fig. 5) and pointing to faceplate 200 (right h and side of Fig. 5) . Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-36 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d): (d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph: Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. 07-36-01 AIA Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 14 recites “further comprising a microwave antenna in the opening of each of the dielectric resonators”, which is duplication of the limitation “each of the plurality of dielectric resonators having geometric center and an opening configured to receive a microwave antenna” of claim 1 . Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 Claims 8-10 and 14 are 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 14 recites “further comprising a microwave antenna in the opening of each of the dielectric resonators”, this raises antecedent issue with “each of the plurality of dielectric resonators having geometric center and an opening configured to receive a microwave antenna ” of claim 1. Claim 14 will be examined inclusive as being duplication of the portion of claim 1 cited above. Claims 8-10 recites “ a ratio of dummy openings to dielectric faceplate gas openings”, it is not clear this is number ratio or surface area ratio. Claims 8-10 will be examined inclusive both interpretations. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-2, 5, and 8-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Carducci et al. (US 20210098231, from IDS, hereafter ‘231), in view of Chen et al. (US 7584714, hereafter ‘714) . ‘231 teaches some limitations of: Claim 1: Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional illustration of a plasma processing tool 100 is shown ([0024]), gas may also be injected into the chamber 178 through a monolithic source array 150 (e.g., as a showerhead) for evenly distributing the processing gases over a substrate 174 ([0025], last sentence, includes the claimed “A plasma showerhead assembly comprising”): the assembly 370 comprises a monolithic source array 350, a housing 372, and a lid plate 376 (Fig. 3, [0034], 2 nd sentence), the housing 372 comprises a conductive body 373 ([0037], includes the claimed “a conductive plate including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface defining a conductive plate thickness”), the protrusions 366 function as the dielectric cavity resonator of the applicator 142 ([0036], 2 nd sentence), The housing comprises a plurality of openings 374. The openings 374 may pass entirely through a thickness of the conductive body 373. The openings 374 may be sized to receive the protrusions 366 ([0037], 2 nd sentence, includes the claimed “a plurality of resonator openings extending through the conductive plate thickness”), the couplers 419 may secure an O-ring (not shown) that seals the junction between the end of the second gas line 418 and the hole 414 through the lid plate 476. As shown in FIG. 4B, the hole 414 passes through the conductive body 479 from the first surface 412 to a second surface 411 of the lid plate 476 ([0040], last sentence), the channels 530 are fed processing gasses from the second holes 535 that pass vertically through the conductive body 573. That is, the second holes 535 intersect with the channels 530. The second holes 535 may be fluidically coupled to the holes 414 through the lid plate 476 (Fig. 5B, [0046], see also Fig. 5A, includes the clamed “a plurality of gas channels formed between the first surface and the second surface of the conductive plate”), groups 532 of first holes 537 may pass through the cover 531. The groups 532 of first holes 537 provide exit locations for gas within the gas distribution channels ([0044], includes the claimed “and a plurality of conductive plate gas openings extending from the second surface of the conductive plate in fluid communication with the plurality of gas channels”); monolithic source array 350 may comprise a dielectric plate 360 and a plurality of protrusions 366 that extend up from the dielectric plate 360 ([0035], includes the claimed “a dielectric faceplate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface defining a dielectric faceplate thickness, a plurality of dielectric resonators protruding from the first surface and arranged in a pattern and configured to mount through the plurality of resonator openings when the dielectric faceplate and the conductive plate are assembled”), A monopole antenna 668 may pass through the lid plate 676 and extend into a hole 665 in the axial center of the protrusion 666 ([0048], 7 th sentence, includes the claimed “each of the plurality of dielectric resonators having geometric center and an opening configured to receive a microwave antenna”); the hole 635 intersects with channel 630. The channel 630 laterally distributes the processing gas. The channel 630 is sealed by a cover 631, and gas is distributed out of the housing 672 by passing through groups 632 of holes 637 in the cover 631. In an embodiment, the gas then flows through holes 663 through the dielectric plate 660. The holes 663 may be aligned with the holes 637 in the groups 632. In an embodiment, the holes 663 through the dielectric plate 660 have a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the holes 637 through the cover 631. In an embodiment, an O-ring or the like (not shown) surrounds the interface between the holes 637 in the cover 631 and the holes 663 through the dielectric plate 660 ([0050], includes the claimed “a plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings extending through the dielectric faceplate thickness in fluid communication with the plurality of the conductive plate gas openings” and “a plurality of o-rings surrounding the conductive plate gas openings and the dielectric faceplate gas openings and configured to seal the dielectric faceplate gas openings and the conductive plate gas openings from atmospheric pressure”). 2’31 does not teach the other limitations of: Claim 1: a plurality of dummy openings that extend through a portion of the faceplate thickness from the first surface of the dielectric faceplate and the second surface of the dielectric faceplate. ‘714 is analogous art in the field of the plasma source 130 of FIG. 1, this source may be … microwave plasma source (including those utilizing electron-cyclotron resonance (ECR) (col. 6, lines 9-13). ’714 teaches that FIG. 3 shows a plasma source 231 that can further include one or more concentric grooves 260 configured to improve the spatial uniformity of plasma in the plasma space 116 (col. 7, lines 36-38), the resonator plate 250 can be fabricated from a high dielectric constant (high-k) material (col. 7, lines 42-43, see also blind holes 276 of Fig. 6). Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added grooves of ‘714 to the dielectric plate 360 of ‘231, for the purpose of spatial uniformity of plasma, as taught by ‘714 (col. 7, lines 36-38). The combination of ‘231 and ‘714 further teaches the limitations of: Claim 2: FIG. 3 shows a plasma source 231 that can further include one or more concentric grooves 260 configured to improve the spatial uniformity of plasma in the plasma space 116 (‘714, col. 7, lines 36-38, includes the claimed “wherein the plurality of dummy openings are configured to attenuate the plasma that is generated in the plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings”, note also this is the purpose of the design, not part of the structural of the apparatus). Claim 5: Fig. 3 of ‘714 shows the grooves 260 is about one half the thickness of the dielectric resonator plate 250 (includes the claimed “wherein the dummy openings extend at least 25% into the thickness of the dielectric faceplate”). Claims 8-10: Fig. 3 of ‘714 teaches one or more concentric grooves 260 (col. 7, lines 36-38) Fig. 5 of ‘714 teaches that the mode scrambler 270 comprises one or more gas holes 274 (col.10, lines 16-17), Fig. 6 of ‘714 teaches one or more blind holes 276 formed at an interface of the cover plate 265 and the resonator plate 250 (col. 10, lines 39-41, various choices of number of holes, or the area ratio of the holes, reads into the claimed “wherein there is a ratio of dummy openings to dielectric faceplate gas openings in a range of from to 2:1 to 6:1” of claim 8, “wherein there is a ratio of dummy openings formed on the first surface or the second surface of the dielectric faceplate to dielectric faceplate gas openings in a range of 3:1” of claim 9 and “wherein the ratio of dummy openings to dielectric faceplate gas openings of 2:1” of claim 10).. Claims 11-12: Fig. 3 of ‘231 shows the claimed “wherein the pattern of the plurality of dielectric resonators comprises a central region including a group of central dielectric resonators and a peripheral region including a group of peripheral dielectric resonators surrounding the group of central dielectric resonators” of claim 11 and “wherein the pattern of the plurality of dielectric resonators comprises a center dielectric resonator surrounded by the group of central dielectric resonators” of claim 12. Claim 13: “wherein the plurality of dummy openings that are configured to attenuate the plasma generated in the plurality of dielectric faceplate gas openings, and minimizes plasma-induced damage to the o-rings” is a design purpose, see claim interpretation above. Claim 14: A monopole antenna 668 may pass through the lid plate 676 and extend into a hole 665 in the axial center of the protrusion 666 ([0048], 7 th sentence, includes the claimed “further comprising a microwave antenna in the opening of each of the dielectric resonators”). Claim 15: Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional illustration of a plasma processing tool 100 is shown (‘231, [0024]), In processing tools 100, the chamber 178 may be a vacuum chamber. A vacuum chamber may include a pump (not shown) for removing gases from the chamber to provide the desired vacuum … it is to be appreciated that gas may also be injected into the chamber 178 through a monolithic source array 150 (e.g., as a showerhead) for evenly distributing the processing gases over a substrate 174 ([0025], includes the claimed “A microwave plasma processing chamber comprising: the plasma showerhead assembly of claim 1; a substrate processing region”); As used herein, “high-frequency” electromagnetic radiation includes radio frequency radiation, very-high-frequency radiation, ultra-high-frequency radiation, and microwave radiation. “High-frequency” may refer to frequencies between 0.1 MHz and 300 GHz ([0024], last sentence), each oscillator module 106 generates high-frequency electromagnetic radiation that is transmitted to the amplification module 130. After processing by the amplification module 130, the electromagnetic radiation is transmitted to the applicator 142. In an embodiment, the applicators 142 each emit electromagnetic radiation into the chamber 178. In some embodiments, the applicators 142 couple the electromagnetic radiation to the processing gasses in the chamber 178 to produce a plasma ([0029], includes the claimed “and a microwave plasma power supply configured to generate a microwave plasma in the dielectric faceplate gas openings in the plasma showerhead assembly”) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘231 and ‘714, as being applied to claim 1 rejection above, further in view of Kofuji et al. (US 20080078505, hereafter ‘505) . ‘231 is silent on the diameter of the holes 537. The combination of ‘231 and ‘714 does not teach the limitations of: Claim 3: wherein the gas openings are substantially circular and have a diameter in a range of from 0.2 millimeters to 5 millimeters. ‘505 is analogous art in the field of the PLASMA ETCHING APPARATUS (title), microwaves generated via a magnetron 53 is supplied via a waveguide 54, a cavity resonator 55 and a dielectric window 26 into the vacuum processing chamber (Fig. 13, [0074], 3 rd sentence). ’505 teaches that As an example of the shower plate structure, a plate having five gas feed holes 11 each having a hole diameter of 1 mm and a depth of 10 mm is used ([0074], 2 nd last sentence). Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have adopted 1 mm hole diameter, as taught by ‘505, as the diameter of the holes 537 of ‘231, for its suitability with predictable results. The selection of something based on its known suitability for its intended use has been held to support a prima facie case of obviousness. MPEP 2144.07 . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘231 and ‘714, as being applied to claim 2 rejection above, further in view of Kofuji et al. (US 20110039355, hereafter ‘355) . ‘231 is silent on the diameter of the holes 537. The combination of ‘231 and ‘714 does not teach the limitations of: Claim 4: wherein the plurality of dummy openings comprise elongate slots. ‘355 is analogous art in the field of Plasma Generation Controlled By Gravity-Induced Gas-Diffusion Separation (GIGDS) Techniques (title), microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source ([0016], 2 nd sentence), A dielectric plate or resonator plate is positioned in the second region and has a lower surface that includes the plasma-facing surface of the EM wave launcher ([0018]). ’355 teaches that one or more of the first recesses 455 may comprise a cylindrical geometry, a spherical geometry, an aspherical geometry, a rectangular geometry, or any arbitrary shape (Fig. 4, [0137], 2 nd sentence, rectangular is considered as an elongated slot, see also Fig. 5), one or more of the second recesses 465 may comprise a cylindrical geometry, a spherical geometry, an aspherical geometry, a rectangular geometry, or any arbitrary shape ([0138], 2 nd sentence), for the purpose of achieving plasma uniformity ([0154], last sentence). Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have changed the shape of the grooves in Fig. 3 of ‘714 (or the blind holes 276 of Fig. 7 to rectangular/slot shape, as taught by ‘355, for the purpose of achieving plasma uniformity, as taught by ‘355 ([0154], last sentence). The combination of ‘231 and ‘714 further teaches the limitations of: Claim 6: Fig. 3 of ‘714 shows the grooves 260 is about one half the thickness of the dielectric resonator plate 250 (includes the claimed “wherein the dummy openings extend from 25% to 75% into the thickness of the dielectric faceplate”, note ‘355 also teaches this limitation, see Figs. 3-11) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ‘231 and ‘714, as being applied to claim 2 rejection above, further in view of Neuberger et al. (US 20040031289, hereafter ‘289) . ‘714 further teaches that referring to FIG. 8, the one or more blind holes 276 are filled with a spherical pellet 280. The spherical pellets 280 can, for example, comprise SiO 2 , or a low-k material, as described above (col. 12, lines 25-28). The combination of ‘231 and ‘714 does not teach the limitations of: Claim 7: wherein the plurality of dummy openings contain metal inserts. ‘289 is analogous art in the field of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) … A microwave generator coupled with a resonator (abstract), Silica rod 101, reactor 102, resonator 103, coupled opening 104, H 10 -waveguide 105, and delivery H 10 - waveguide 106 (Fig. 1, [0021], last sentence). ’289 teaches that Input and output hole diameters of the E 10 resonator must be decreased in accordance with any reduction in the silica tube diameter. In this case metal screens are inserted into resonator holes ([0037], 4 th sentence). Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have added metal screens of ‘289 to the grooves 260 in Fig. 3 of ‘714 (or blind holes 276 in Fig. 6 of ‘714), and then combined with ‘312, for the purpose of adjusting the resonator output, as taught by ‘289 ([0037], 4 th sentence) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20070181531 is cited for dielectric part 31 with recesses and gas nozzle 27 (Fig. 1). US 20110285306 is cited for tuning blind hole 680 with metal pin of the resonator 600 (Fig. 6I, [0172]) . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEATH T CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1870. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5:00 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, Parviz Hassanzadeh can be reached at 571-272-1435. 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. /KEATH T CHEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 2 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 3 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 4 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 5 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 6 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 7 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 8 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 9 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 10 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 11 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 12 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 13 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 14 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 15 Art Unit: 1716 Application/Control Number: 18/627,065 Page 16 Art Unit: 1716
Prosecution Insights