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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on April 10, 2024 fails to comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609 because some documents (lined through in the IDS) have not been provided. It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered as to the merits. Applicant is advised that the date of any re-submission of any item of information contained in this information disclosure statement or the submission of any missing element(s) will be the date of submission for purposes of determining compliance with the requirements based on the time of filing the statement, including all certification requirements for statements under 37 CFR 1.97(e). See MPEP § 609.05(a).
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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 1, the claim recites, “at a predetermined period of time” which renders the claim indefinite because the claim does not provide objective boundaries for determining when the measurement is to be taken.
The claim is indefinite because it recites that, “processing on the first substrate in the lot is started” but the claim does not clearly recite the first substate as being transported into the chamber, placed on the susceptor or otherwise positioned for processing. Therefore, it is unclear whether the processing of the first substrate is part of the claimed method or merely an intended result. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claimed method are unclear.
Claim 2 depends upon claim 1 and does not rectify the problem therefore, it is also rejected.
Regarding claim 2, the claim recites, “a surface achieving temperature” however, the claim does not clearly identify the surface at which this temperature is measured or determined.
The claim is indefinite because it recites that, “processing on the first substrate in the lot is started” but claim 1 does not clearly recite the first substate as being transported into the chamber, placed on the susceptor or otherwise positioned for processing. Therefore, it is unclear whether the processing of the first substrate is part of the claimed method or merely an intended result. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claimed method are unclear.
Regarding claim 3, the claim recites, “a surface achieving temperature” however, the claim does not clearly identify the surface at which this temperature is measured or determined.
The claim is indefinite because it recites that, “processing on the first substrate in the lot is started” but the claim does not clearly recite the first substate as being transported into the chamber, placed on the susceptor or otherwise positioned for processing. Therefore, it is unclear whether the processing of the first substrate is part of the claimed method or merely an intended result. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claimed method are unclear.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lieberer et al. (US 2017/0194220 A1; hereafter Lieberer).
Regarding claim 1, Lieberer teaches a heat treatment method of heating a substrate by irradiating the substrate with light (see e.g., Figures 1, 13 and 15), comprising:
a step (a) of transporting a plurality of dummy wafers into a chamber in series before a first substrate in a lot is transported into the chamber, and placing each of the plurality of dummy wafers on a susceptor (see e.g., pre-heating of dummy wafers is performed to preheat the processing chamber to an equilibrium temperature. The process 400 includes receiving a dummy wafer on a wafer support plate in a processing chamber of a millisecond anneal system. When the wafer support plate reaches the equilibrium temperature, the process 400 includes stopping the preheat recipe; and applying a process recipe to a second substrate in the processing chamber. The process recipe is different than the preheat recipe, Paras [0042], [0043], [00045], [0082], Figure 15);
a step (b) of irradiating a back surface of each of the plurality of dummy wafers disposed on the susceptor with light from continuous lighting lamps to heat the dummy wafer (see e.g., the process 400 includes heating the substrate to the intermediate temperature by using a plurality of continuous mode arc lamps. Heating the substrate to the intermediate temperature is accomplished through the bottom surface of the substrate at a ramp rate which heats the entire bulk of the wafer, Paras [0054], [0055], [0058], Figure1 and 15) and subsequently irradiating a front surface of each of the plurality of dummy wafers with a flash of light from flash lamps to heat the dummy wafer; and (see e.g., When the intermediate temperature is reached, the top side of the semiconductor substrate can be exposed to a very short, intense flash of light by a plurality of arc lamps as light sources for intense millisecond long exposure of the top surface of the substrate-the so called flash, Pars [0054], [0055], [0057], Figures 1 and 15)
a step (c) of measuring a back surface temperature of each of the plurality of dummy wafers at a time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the flash lamps and the continuous lighting lamps were turned off, (see e.g., Figure 13 shows the temperature measurement system for the millisecond anneal system. The temperature measurement system includes temperature sensors 152 and 154 to measure the temperature of both the top surface and the bottom surface of the wafer respectively. The readings of these temperature sensors are provided to the processor circuit. The processor circuit can be configured to process measurements obtained from the temperature sensors to determine a temperature of the semiconductor substrate and/or the wafer support plate.
Curve 104 of Figure 1 represents the temperature measured during the slow cool down of the bulk of the semiconductor substrate by thermal radiation and convection with the process gas as a cooling agent. Thus, once the heating cycle is completed the bottom substrate temperature decreases, indicating that the substrate is no longer being actively heated during the cool-down portion of the cycle, Paras [0074], [0077], [0078])
wherein the step (a) and the step (b) are repeated (see e.g., the preheat recipe is performed multiple times on different dummy wafers until the processing chamber reaches the desired temperature. Each execution of the preheat recipe includes both continuous heating and flash heating of a dummy wafer followed by a slow cool down. Accordingly, when the preheat recipe is repeated on successive dummy wafers, the continuous heating and flash heating step followed by a slow cool down are also repeated, Figure 15)
and subsequently, processing on the first substrate in the lot is started (see e.g., the process 400 includes, once the processing chamber has reached equilibrium temperature, stopping the preheat recipe and applying a process recipe to a second substrate in the processing chamber. The process recipe is different than the preheat recipe, Figure 15)
Lieberer does not explicitly teach
until a back surface temperature of the plurality of dummy wafers measured in the step (c) becomes constant,
However, Lieberer expressly teaches measuring the back surface temperature of the substrate and stopping the dummy wafer preheat process when the wafer support plate/process chamber reaches equilibrium temperature. Lieberer explains that before equilibrium is reached each dummy wafer sees a different thermal radiation background. Through repeated preheat cycles, the wafer support plate/process chamber approaches equilibrium.
Lieberer teaches measuring the back surface temperature and also teaches using the stabilized thermal condition of the wafer support plate/chamber as the basis for ending the dummy wafer preheat process. Because the measured back surface temperature is dependent on the thermal state of the wafer support plate and chamber it would have become repeatable or constant for successive dummy wafers one equilibrium is reached.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed that repeatable or constant back surface temperature measurements indicate that the equilibrium condition has been reached.
Regarding claim 2, Lieberer, as modified in claim 1, further teaches
further comprising
a step (d) of measuring a surface achieving temperature of each of the plurality of dummy wafers at a time of flash irradiation from the flash lamps, wherein (see e.g., Figure 13 shows the temperature measurement system for the millisecond anneal system. The temperature measurement system includes temperature sensors 152 and 154 to measure the temperature of both the top surface and the bottom surface of the wafer respectively. The readings of these temperature sensors are provided to the processor circuit. The processor circuit can be configured to process measurements obtained from the temperature sensors to determine a temperature of the semiconductor substrate and/or the wafer support plate. The temperature measured by the sensor 152 during flash exposure corresponds to the claimed surface achieving temperature. Curve 112 of Figure 1 represents the rapid heating of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate during the flash exposure, Para [0054])
and subsequently, processing on the first substrate in the lot is started (see e.g., the process 400 includes, once the processing chamber has reached equilibrium temperature, stopping the preheat recipe and applying a process recipe to a second substrate in the processing chamber. The process recipe is different than the preheat recipe, Figure 15).
.
Lieberer does not explicitly teach
the step (a) and the step (b) are repeated until both the back surface temperature measured in the step (c) and the surface achieving temperature measured in the step (d) become constant in the plurality of dummy wafers,
However, Lieberer teaches running a preheat recipe on a number of dummy wafers before processing the first lot so that the wafer support plate/process chamber reaches an equilibrium temperature. Lieberer explains that before equilibrium is reached each substrate sees a different thermal radiation background. As the dummy wafer preheat cycles are repeated, the wafer support plate and the process chamber approach thermal equilibrium. Because the front-side temperature achieved during flash heating and the back surface temperature are both dependent on the thermal background of the chamber/support plate, these temperatures would become repeatable or constant for successive dummy wafers one equilibrium is reached.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed that repeatable or constant front-side and back side temperature measurements indicate that the equilibrium condition of the wafer support plate/process chamber has been reached.
Regarding claim 3, Lieberer teaches a heat treatment method of heating a substrate by irradiating the substrate with light (see e.g., Figures 1, 13 and 15), comprising:
a step (a) of transporting a plurality of dummy wafers into a chamber in series before a first substrate in a lot is transported into the chamber, and placing each of the plurality of dummy wafers on a susceptor (see e.g., pre-heating of dummy wafers is performed to preheat the processing chamber to an equilibrium temperature. The process 400 includes receiving a dummy wafer on a wafer support plate in a processing chamber of a millisecond anneal system. When the wafer support plate reaches the equilibrium temperature, the process 400 includes stopping the preheat recipe; and applying a process recipe to a second substrate in the processing chamber. The process recipe is different than the preheat recipe, Paras [0042], [0043], [00045], [0082], Figure 15);
a step (b) of irradiating a back surface of each of the plurality of dummy wafers disposed on the susceptor with light from continuous lighting lamps to heat the dummy wafer, (see e.g., the process 400 includes heating the substrate to the intermediate temperature by using a plurality of continuous mode arc lamps. Heating the substrate to the intermediate temperature is accomplished through the bottom surface of the substrate at a ramp rate which heats the entire bulk of the wafer, Paras [0054], [0055], [0058], Figure1 and 15) and subsequently irradiating a front surface of each of the plurality of dummy wafers with a flash of light from flash lamps to heat the dummy wafer; and (see e.g., When the intermediate temperature is reached, the top side of the semiconductor substrate can be exposed to a very short, intense flash of light by a plurality of arc lamps as light sources for intense millisecond long exposure of the top surface of the substrate-the so called flash, Pars [0054], [0055], [0057], Figures 1 and 15)
a step (c) of measuring a surface achieving temperature of each of the plurality of dummy wafers at a time of flash irradiation from the flash lamps, (see e.g., Figure 13 shows the temperature measurement system for the millisecond anneal system. The temperature measurement system includes temperature sensors 152 and 154 to measure the temperature of both the top surface and the bottom surface of the wafer respectively. The readings of these temperature sensors are provided to the processor circuit. The processor circuit can be configured to process measurements obtained from the temperature sensors to determine a temperature of the semiconductor substrate and/or the wafer support plate. The temperature measured by the sensor 152 during flash exposure corresponds to the claimed surface achieving temperature. Curve 112 of Figure 1 represents the rapid heating of the top surface of the semiconductor substrate during the flash exposure, Para [0054])
and subsequently, processing on the first substrate in the lot is started (see e.g., the process 400 includes, once the processing chamber has reached equilibrium temperature, stopping the preheat recipe and applying a process recipe to a second substrate in the processing chamber. The process recipe is different than the preheat recipe, Figure 15).
Lieberer does not explicitly teach
wherein the step (a) and the step (b) are repeated until the surface achieving temperature of the plurality of dummy wafers measured in the step (c) becomes constant,
However, Lieberer teaches running a preheat recipe on a number of dummy wafers before processing the first lot so that the wafer support plate/process chamber reaches an equilibrium temperature. Lieberer explains that before equilibrium is reached each substrate sees a different thermal radiation background. As the dummy wafer preheat cycles are repeated, the wafer support plate and the process chamber approach thermal equilibrium. Because the front-side temperature achieved during flash heating is dependent on the thermal background of the chamber/support plate, it would become repeatable or constant for successive dummy wafers one equilibrium is reached.
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed that repeatable or constant front-side temperature measurement indicates that the equilibrium condition of the wafer support plate/process chamber has been reached.
Conclusion
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/FAKEHA SEHAR/ Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/YARA B GREEN/ Supervisor Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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