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
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.
Claims 1, 3, and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Satake Publication No. US 2021/0043489.
Regarding claim 1, Satake discloses a member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a ceramic plate [Fig. 2, electrostatic chuck 6] having a wafer placement surface [Fig. 2, 21] on its upper surface and a built-in electrode [Fig. 3, electrode 6a; par. 0013, 0015];
a base plate [Fig. 2, base 2a; par. 0013] provided on a lower surface of the ceramic plate;
a base plate through-hole [Fig. 2, 34; 200; par. 0034-0036] that penetrates the base plate in an up-down direction;
an insulating tube [Fig. 2, insulating member comprising inner sleeve 201 and outer sleeve 202] inserted into the base plate through-hole [par. 0037 and 0038];
an adhesive layer [Fig. 2, adhesive layers 7 and 8] including an insulating tube upper surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 7] and an insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 8], the insulating tube upper surface adhesion part being configured to bond the lower surface of the ceramic plate and an upper surface of the insulating tube together [par. 0030; adhesive layer is disposed between the ceramic plate 6 and upper surface of the insulation tube 201], the insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part being continuous to the insulating tube upper surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 7 is being continuous to the adhesive layer 8] and configured to bond an inner circumferential surface of the base plate through-hole and an outer circumferential surface of the insulating tube together [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 8 is configured to bond between the outer sleeve and the base plate]; and
a positioning structure [Fig. 2, the protrusion portions of the lower ends of 201 and 202]
configured to perform positioning so that a distance between the lower surface of the ceramic plate and the upper surface of the insulating tube reaches a predetermined distance [par. 0038; “The lower ends of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 protrude at the their lower portions so as to have an L-shaped cross section, and the protrusion portions of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 are inserted and fitted into a step in the base 2a. As a result, the position of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 is determined. In this state, the inner sleeve 201 presses the O-ring 203 from below so as to bring the O-ring 203 into contact with the rear surface 22 of the electrostatic chuck 6”];
wherein the positioning structure includes:
an outer circumferential projection provided on the outer circumferential surface of the insulating tube [Fig. 2, as shown and described in par. 0038]; and
a regulator provided in the base plate [Fig. 2, the lower end of the base plate where the protrusion portions of the 201 is inserted] and configured to regulate upward movement of the outer circumferential projection by coming into contact with an upper surface of the outer circumferential projection [par. 0038].
Regarding claim 3, Satake discloses that when a position in an up-down direction of the upper surface of the insulating tube is viewed along an outer circumference of the insulating tube, the position in an up-down direction varies stepwise [Fig. 2, the inner and outer sleeves are fitted into the step in the base 2a; par. 0038’] or continuously.
Regarding claim 5, Satake discloses that the base plate through-hole is part of a power supply member insertion hole into which a power supply member to provide electric power to the electrode is inserted, the power supply member being provided downward from the electrode of the member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, or part of a lift pin hole which penetrates the member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in an up-down direction [par. 0017; holes 200 for a plurality of lifter pins 61 connected to a lifting mechanism 62], and into which a lift pin is inserted, or part of a gas hole that penetrates the member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in an up-down direction to supply gas to the wafer placement surface.
Regarding claim 6, Satake discloses a member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a ceramic plate [Fig. 2, electrostatic chuck 6] having a wafer placement surface [Fig. 2, 21] on its upper surface and a built-in electrode [Fig. 3, electrode 6a; par. 0013, 0015];
a base plate [Fig. 2, base 2a; par. 0013] provided on a lower surface of the ceramic plate;
a base plate through-hole [Fig. 2, 34; 200; par. 0034-0036] that penetrates the base plate in an up-down direction;
an insulating tube [Fig. 2, insulating member comprising inner sleeve 201 and outer sleeve 202] inserted into the base plate through-hole [par. 0037 and 0038];
an adhesive layer [Fig. 2, adhesive layers 7 and 8] including an insulating tube upper surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 7] and an insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 8], the insulating tube upper surface adhesion part being configured to bond the lower surface of the ceramic plate and an upper surface of the insulating tube together [par. 0030; adhesive layer is disposed between the ceramic plate 6 and upper surface of the insulation tube 201], the insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part being continuous to the insulating tube upper surface adhesion part [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 7 is being continuous to the adhesive layer 8] and configured to bond an inner circumferential surface of the base plate through-hole and an outer circumferential surface of the insulating tube together [Fig. 2, adhesive layer 8 is configured to bond between the outer sleeve and the base plate]; and
a positioning structure [Fig. 2, the protrusion portions of the lower ends of 201 and 202]
configured to perform positioning so that a distance between the lower surface of the ceramic plate and the upper surface of the insulating tube reaches a predetermined distance [par. 0038; “The lower ends of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 protrude at the their lower portions so as to have an L-shaped cross section, and the protrusion portions of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 are inserted and fitted into a step in the base 2a. As a result, the position of the inner sleeve 201 and the outer sleeve 202 is determined. In this state, the inner sleeve 201 presses the O-ring 203 from below so as to bring the O-ring 203 into contact with the rear surface 22 of the electrostatic chuck 6”]; wherein
when a position in an up-down direction of the upper surface of the insulating tube is viewed along an outer circumference of the insulating tube, the position in an up-down direction varies stepwise [Fig. 2, the inner and outer sleeves are fitted into the step in the base 2a; par. 0038’] or continuously.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 and 4 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 2: The prior art does not disclose that the positioning structure includes an upper surface projection provided on the upper surface of the insulating tube. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 4: The prior art does not disclose that the insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part is formed from the lower surface of the ceramic plate to an intermediate point of the adhesive agent pool. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Claim 7 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 7: The prior art does not disclose that the insulating tube outer circumferential surface adhesion part is formed from the lower surface of the ceramic plate to an intermediate point of the adhesive agent pool. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838