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 § 102
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 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) 1-5, 7-12, 14, 15 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Guo et al (US 2023/0170194 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Guo et al discloses a substrate processing system (Figure 1, reference 10), comprising: a processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100) having a dielectric lid (Figure 1, reference 123); an inductive coil (paragraph 0022) disposed about the dielectric lid (Figure 1, reference 123) and configured to generate a plasma (paragraph 0022) within the processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100); a substrate electrode (paragraph 0022) embedded within a substrate support assembly (Figure 1, reference 136) disposed within the processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100); a radio frequency (RF) generator assembly (Figure 1, reference 163) coupled to the substrate electrode (paragraph 0022); and a controller (Figure 1, reference 126) coupled to the processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100) and configured to: flow a cleaning gas over a surface of a substrate support disposed within a processing chamber; generate a radio frequency (RF) pulsed bias using an RF bias generator of the RF generator assembly, wherein the RF pulsed bias comprises delivering an RF waveform for a first portion of a pulse period and halting the delivery of the RF waveform for a second portion of the pulse period; deliver an RF signal from an RF power source coupled to the inductive coil to form a plasma over the surface of the substrate support; and apply the RF pulsed bias to the substrate electrode within the substrate support assembly while the plasma is present in the processing chamber (paragraphs 0022-0038).
Regarding claim 2, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 3, Guo et al discloses wherein the second portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 4, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion comprises a bias ON period wherein the RF signal is applied to the substrate support and the second portion comprises a bias OFF period wherein no RF signal is applied to the substrate support (paragraph 0064).
Regarding claim 5, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the pulse period causes a reaction between ions of the plasma and a metal oxide layer on a substrate disposed on the substrate support (paragraph 0032).
Regarding claim 7, Guo et al discloses wherein herein a duration of the pulse period is between about 1/10 seconds to about 1/40000 seconds (paragraph 0064).
Regarding claim 8, Guo et al discloses a substrate processing system (Figure 1, reference 10), comprising: a processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100) configured to form a capacitively coupled plasma and comprising an upper electrode coupled to a first radio frequency (RF) generator assembly (paragraph 0022); a substrate electrode embedded within a substrate support (Figure 1, reference 136) and facing the upper electrode (Figure 1, reference 123); a processing volume (Figure 1, reference 129) between the upper electrode (Figure 1, reference 123) and the substrate electrode (Figure 1, reference 136); a second RF generator assembly (paragraph 0022) coupled to the substrate electrode (Figure 1, reference 136); and a controller (Figure 1, reference 126) coupled to the radio frequency generator assembly and configured to: flow a cleaning gas over a surface of a substrate support disposed within a processing chamber; deliver an RF signal from the first RF generator assembly coupled to the upper electrode to form a plasma over the surface of the substrate support; generate an RF pulsed bias using an RF bias generator of the second RF generator assembly, wherein the RF pulsed bias comprises delivering an RF waveform for a first portion of a pulse period and halting the delivery of the RF waveform for a second portion of the pulse period; and apply the RF pulsed bias to the substrate electrode within the substrate support while the plasma is present in the processing chamber (paragraphs 0022-0038).
Regarding claim 9, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 10, Guo et al discloses wherein the second portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 11, Guo et al discloses Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion comprises a bias ON period wherein the RF signal is applied to the substrate support and the second portion comprises a bias OFF period wherein no RF signal is applied to the substrate support (paragraph 0064).
Regarding claim 12, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the pulse period causes a reaction between ions of the plasma and a metal oxide layer on a substrate disposed on the substrate support (paragraph 0032).
Regarding claim 14, Guo et al discloses wherein herein a duration of the pulse period is between about 1/10 seconds to about 1/40000 seconds (paragraph 0064).
Regarding claim 15, Guo et al discloses a method of processing a substrate (Figure 1), comprising: flowing a cleaning gas or cleaning plasma (paragraph 0024) onto a substrate (Figure 1, reference 103) disposed on a substrate support assembly (Figure 1, reference 136) of a processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100); and applying a radio frequency (RF) pulsed bias (paragraph 0027) to the substrate support assembly (Figure 1, reference 136) while the cleaning gas or cleaning plasma (paragraph 0024) is present in the processing chamber (Figure 1, reference 100), wherein the RF pulsed bias (paragraphs 0027-0028) comprises delivering an RF waveform for a first portion of a pulse period and halting the delivery of the RF waveform for a second portion of the pulse period (paragraphs 0022-0038).
Regarding claim 17, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 18, Guo et al discloses wherein the second portion of the RF pulsed bias comprises between about 10% and 80% of the pulse period (paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 19, Guo et al discloses wherein herein a duration of the pulse period is between about 1/10 seconds to about 1/40000 seconds (paragraph 0064).
Regarding claim 20, Guo et al discloses wherein the first portion of the pulse period causes a reaction between ions of the plasma and a metal oxide layer on a substrate disposed on the substrate support (paragraph 0032).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 13 and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art does not disclose nor fairly suggest substrate processing systems, comprising: wherein by-products of the reaction between the ions of the plasma and the metal oxide layer evaporate during the second portion of the pulse period (claims 6 and 13), further comprising: before flowing the cleaning gas or cleaning plasma, soaking the substrate with a soak fluid for a soak period; and evacuating soak products from the processing chamber (claim 16), further incorporated into independent claims 1, 8, and 15 and in the context of their recited processes, along with their depending claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MONICA D HARRISON whose telephone number is (571)272-1959. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4:30pm.
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/MONICA D HARRISON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2815
mdh
July 24, 2026
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