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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group II (claims 9-15) in the reply filed on 06/02/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the Office failed to established prima facie showing that there would be serious burden on the examiner if election is not required. This is not found persuasive. First, Group I and Group II inventions belong to different CPC classifications. Further, the bellow recited in Group II invention includes more particularities, such as, the bellow has multiple layers, each layer has flexible and substantially air tight material arranged in loop, and each layer includes a first end and a second end, for securing the chamber and the metrology frame, respectively. These elements are not included in the Group I invention, and searching these particularities would impose serious burden on examiners if an election is not made.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Fig. 9B shows a C-shaped third layer 605c on the side of the ambient region 905, and a similar Ↄ-shaped structure on the side of vacuum region 906, arranged together with first and second layers 905b and 905a. However, the specification and claim 11 describe the third layer as being separated from the first layer and located on the opposite side of the first and second layers (See Spec. para. [0126] and claim 11). Therefore, the illustration of third layer in Fig. 9B is inconsistent with the specification and claim.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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
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 11-12 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 11 recites “…there is a second enclosed region between the first layer and second layer; the inflow conduit is arranged to provide a gas flow into the second enclosed region.” This limitation is unclear because the region between the first layer and second layer was recited in claim 10 which states an outflow conduit extracts gas from that region. For the purposes of compact prosecution, and based on the specification and Figs. 9A-9B, the second enclosed region is understood as the region (e.g., 903 in Fig. 9B) formed by the third layer and the first layer.
Claim 12 depends from claim 11 and relies on the “second enclosed region” thus it is indefinite for the same reason.
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.
Claims 9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO2018198222A1 [hereinafter Nikon].
Regarding Claim 9:
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Nikon teaches a bellow (Fig.3 -bellow 42) for proving a connection between a vacuum chamber (Fig. 3- vacuum chamber Ca) and a metrology frame (Fig. 3- metrology frame 13) in a platform for a charged particle apparatus (Fig. 3– exposure apparatus EX that irradiates an object with a charged particle beam), the bellow comprising:
a layer of material arranged in a loop (Fig. 3 and para. [0017]: “a bellows 42 having a frame shape” surrounding the annular opening Cao, thus at least the wall material of the bellows is arranged in a closed loop around the opening); wherein:
the material is flexible and substantially air tight (para. [0017]: “the bellows 42 prevents the vibration of the exposure chamber Ca …from being transmitted to the metrology frame 13,” i.e., the bellow is flexible; “The lower part of the bellows 42 is connected to the upper surface of the metrology frame 13 over the entire circumference.,” forming “the airtightness of the space surrounded by the exposure chamber Ca, the plate 41, the bellows 42, the metrology frame 13, and the lens barrel 11,” i.e., the below is substantially air tight);
the layer comprises a first end (Fig. 3- upper end of bellow 42) for securing to the chamber (para. [0017]: “the exposure chamber Ca is provided with an annular (or frame-like) flange portion Caf for defining the opening Cao … The outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the plate 41 is connected to the upper surface of the flange portion Caf over the entire circumference…The upper portion of the bellows 42 is connected to the inner peripheral portion of the lower surface of the plate 41 over the entire circumference…Therefore, the airtightness of the space surrounded by the exposure chamber Ca, the plate 41, the bellows 42, the metrology frame 13, and the lens barrel 11 is secured”); and
the layer comprises a second end (Fig. 3 – lower end of bellow 42) for securing to the metrology frame (para. [0071]: “The lower part of the bellows 42 is connected to the upper surface of the metrology frame 13 over the entire circumference. Therefore, the airtightness of the space surrounded by the exposure chamber Ca, the plate 41, the bellows 42, the metrology frame 13, and the lens barrel 11 is secured”).
Regarding Claim 14:
Nikon teaches a platform for a charged particle apparatus (Fig. 3– exposure apparatus EX that irradiates an object with a charged particle beam) comprising:
a chamber (Fig. 3 – exposure chamber Ca);
a metrology frame (Fig. 3 – metrology frame 13); and
a bellow according to claim 9; wherein:
an inner side of the bellow is arranged to support a substantial vacuum in the chamber; and an outer side of the bellow is arranged to withstand the ambient pressure around the platform (Fig. 3 and para. [0017]: because the bellow 42 secures “airtightness of the space surrounded by the exposure chamber Ca, the plate 41, the bellows 42, the metrology frame 13, and the lens barrel 11,” and “a vacuum space is formed by these components to accommodate the stage device 2,”: therefore, the side of the bellow 42 facing the airtight/vacuum space (“inner side”) supports a substantial vacuum in the chamber. Also, since bellow 42 forms part of the vacuum boundary, its opposite side (“outer side”) necessarily withstands the surrounding ambient pressure).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nikon.
Regarding Claim 15:
Nikon teaches charged particle apparatus (Fig. 3– exposure apparatus EX that irradiates an object with a charged particle beam) comprising:
a charged particle beam generator (para. [0023]: “The electron beam optical system 12 further includes a beam optical device 122 …[which] may include, for example, an electron gun capable of emitting an electron beam EB”); and
a platform comprising:
a chamber (Fig. 3- exposure chamber Ca) arranged to comprise a substrate (Fi.3 -wafer W);
a metrology frame arranged to support the charged particle beam generator for irradiating a substrate in the chamber with a charged particle beam (Fig. 3 and paras. [0011, 0014]: “The electron beam irradiation apparatus 1 can irradiate the electron beam EB to the wafer W held by the stage apparatus 2,” and “the electron beam irradiation apparatus 1 is provided with a metrology frame 13 for supporting the lens barrel 11 from below”); and
a bellow (Fig. 3- bellow 42) arranged between the metrology frame and the chamber, the bellow comprising:
a layer of material arranged in a loop (Fig. 3 and para. [0017]: “a bellows 42 having a frame shape” surrounding the annular opening Cao, thus at least the wall material of the bellows is arranged in a closed loop around the opening); wherein:
the material is substantially air tight such that the metrology frame is substantially isolated from any vibrations that are generated in the chamber, the material is flexible such that the metrology frame is substantially isolated from any vibrations that are generated in the chamber (para. [0017]: the below material is flexible and forms airtight space with metrology frame 13, plate 41 and the chamber Ca, and “the bellows 42 prevents the vibration of the exposure chamber Ca (in particular, the vibration in the Z-axis direction) from being transmitted to the metrology frame 13”);
the layer comprises a first end for securing to the chamber; and the layer comprises a second end for securing to the metrology frame (as discussed in claim 9).
Although Nikon does not specially note that the charged particle apparatus includes a base frame to which the chamber is rigidly connected, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled person in the art, before the effective time of filing, to provide a base frame rigidly supporting the exposure chamber so that the chamber and the stage apparatus disposed therein are mechanically supported in a stable manner, thereby maintaining alignment between the wafer and electron beam during irradiation.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nikon in view of CN 205956637U [hereinafter He].
Regarding Claim 10:
Nikon teaches the bellow according to claim 9. However, Nikon does not teach the additional limitations recited in claim 10.
He teaches a bellow (Fig. 1- bellow 2) has a first layer (Figs. 1&2 – first bellow layer 21), and the bellow further comprises:
a second layer of material arranged in a loop (Figs. 1&2 – second bellow layer 22); and
an outflow conduit (Fig.1 – pipe 4); wherein:
the second layer is separated from the first layer so that there is an enclosed region (Figs. 1&2- vacuum layer 23) between the first layer and second layer (Figs. 1&2 and para. [0021]: “The inner bellows 2 includes a first bellows layer 21 and a second bellows layer 22 disposed outside the second bellows layer 22, and a vacuum layer 23 is formed between the first bellows layers 21 and the second bellows layer 22”);
Although He does not expressly describe pipe 4 as an outflow conduit, He teaches that the inner surface of bellows 2, including the first and second bellow layer 21 and 22, “is coaxially fixedly connected with a pipe 4,” As such, it is obvious pipe 4 can be configured as an outflow conduit to extract excess gas from the vacuum region 23 to maintain the vacuum status in that region.
As such, modify the single-layer bellow in Nion with the double-layer bellow configuration from He would result in a double-layer bellow, where each layer is flexible and each side of the first layer and second layer forms air-tight connection with the exposure chamber Ca and the metrology frame 13, as recited in claim 10.
Nikon teaches using a single-layer bellow to connect an exposure chamber and a metrology frame, to secure airtightness of the vacuum space and preventing vibration transmission to the metrology frame. He teaches a double-layer bellow with a vacuum layer formed therebetween., and a pipe to remove gas and maintain the vacuum condition. Therefore, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled person in the art, before the effective time of filing, to configure Nikon’s single-layer bellow with He’s double-layer bellows structure to provide an evacuated buffer region between the chamber vacuum space and the outside ambient environment. Such a modification would further improve vacuum sealing reliability because any gas leaking toward the chamber vacuum side could be extracted through the pipe before disturbing the vacuum space inside the chamber.
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nikon in view of He, further in view of US 2004/0135979A1 [hereinafter Hazelton].
Regarding Claim 11:
Nikon in view of He teaches the bellow according to claim 10. However, the combined references do not teach the additional limitations recited in claim 11.
Hazelton teaches a bellow 32 connecting mass M1 and mass M2, a conduit 36 is “configured to transfer a fluid from the pressure regulator 34 into the bellows 32”, so that “the internal pressure of the bellows 32 may be continuously monitored and maintained at a pressure at which the bellows exhibits substantially zero lateral stiffness,” and allow “the mass M1 to move with low coupling over a limited range in X and Y directions relative to the mass M2. This low-coupling lateral movement eliminates substantially all lateral vibrations between the masses M1 and M2” (See Fig. 3 and paras. [0064, 0068-069]).
As such, modify the double-layer bellow in the Nikon-He apparatus with the additional bellow structure as disclosed in Hazelton would result in a modified bellow configuration, which comprising:
a third layer of material arranged in a loop (implementing the bellow taught by Hazelton as an additional layer/separate portion from the first/second layer taught in Nikon/He);
an inflow conduit (the conduit 36 of Hazelton); wherein:
the third layer is separated from the first layer and on an opposite side of the first layer to the second layer so that there is a second enclosed region between the first layer and second layer (the modified bellow is an integrated configuration having one half portion from the pressurized single-layer bellow of Hazelton, and the other half portion from the double-layer bellow of He, thereby forming an additional enclosed region);
the inflow conduit is arranged to provide a gas flow into the second enclosed region (the conduit 36 of Hazleton supplies gas flow into the enclosed region);
the material of the third layer is flexible and substantially air tight; the third layer comprises a first end for securing to the chamber; and the third layer comprises a second end for securing to the metrology frame (in the modified bellow configuration, the additional bellow portion is integrated with the bellow connection between the exposure chamber and the metrology frame, and therefore forms flexible, airtight connections at its end with the exposure chamber and the metrology frame as previously discussed for the single- and double- layer configurations).
Nikon/He teaches using a double-layer bellow to connect an exposure chamber and a metrology frame, to secure airtightness of the vacuum space and preventing vibration transmission to the metrology frame. Hazelton teaches improving load-bearing and reducing vibration transmission of a supporting device by supplying gas to a pressurized region enclosed by a bellow. Therefore, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled person in the art, before the effective time of filing, to configure Nikon/He’s double-layer bellow with Hazelton’s pressurized bellows structure by adding that pressurized bellow portion on the opposite side of the double-layer bellow to form an integrated configuration, so that the modified bellow both extracts leaked gas from the vacuum-buffer region and provides pressurized load-bearing support for the metrology frame, improving vacuum sealing reliability while reducing vibration and improving support of the metrology frame.
Regarding Claim 12:
Nikon in view of He and Hazelton teaches the bellow according to claim 11. The combined references further teach wherein:
the inflow conduit is arranged to pressurise the second enclosed region to a higher pressure than the ambient pressure around the platform (the inflow conduit, e.g., conduit 36 taught in Hazleton, increasing the pressurized region enclosed by bellow 32 of Hazelton to a desired value, for example, higher than the ambient pressure around the platform to reduce the vibration);
the outflow conduit is arranged to extract gas from the first enclosed region so that the first enclosed region is at a substantially lower pressure than the second enclosed region (the outflow conduit, e.g., pipe 4 taught in He, extract gas from the vacuum region 23 enclosed by first layer 21 and second layer 22 of He, to maintain a vacuum condition inside, thereby its pressure is substantially lower than the pressurized region of Hazelton).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nikon in view of Hazelton.
Regarding Claim 13:
Nikon teaches the bellow according to claim 9. However, Nikon does not teach wherein the material of the first, second, and/or third layer is rubber.
Hazelton teaches wherein the material of the first, second, and/or third layer is rubber (para. [0058]: Hazelton expressly teaches the “bellows 22…may be manufactured using a number of different materials (e.g., …rubber, etc.)”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for an ordinary skilled person in the art, before the effective time of filing, to configure Nikon’s bellow using a rubber material, as taught by Hazelton, since rubber is a common and well-known material for making bellow and improving its flexibility.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JING WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-2504. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-17:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Kim can be reached at 571-272-2293. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JING WANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2881
/MICHAEL J LOGIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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