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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato [US 6,333,777 B1] in view of Komatsu et al. [US 2008/0079855 A1].
Regarding claims 1, 2 , 9 and 10, Sato discloses an illumination optical system (as shown in Fig. 1) / an irradiation method (Figs. 7), which irradiates a target object (14) with light from a light source unit (1), comprising:
an integrator optical system (7) that is disposed on an optical path of the light emitted from the light source unit (1) and uniformizes an illuminance distribution of the light with which the target object (14) is to be irradiated (Col. 4 lines 49-57 teaches the optical integrator system);
an input lens (5) that is disposed on a light incident side (as shown in Fig. 1) of the integrator optical system (7);
an aperture (8) that is disposed on a light emission side (Col. 4 lines 49-57 teaches the aperture) of the integrator optical system (7); and
a condenser lens (10) that irradiates the target object (14) with light emitted from the aperture (as shown in Fig. 1),
the aperture (8) having a size larger than a size of an irradiation region of the light with which the target object is to be irradiated (Col. 3 lines 24-27, teaches a stop member having a constant or variable aperture diameter to variably define a light intensity distribution, see also Fig. 1, with a smaller aperture at the target object).
Sato does not teach a bandpass filter that is disposed between the input lens and the integrator optical system.
However, Sato discloses an adjusting means for adjusting an incidence angle of illumination light (col. 4 lines 41-48) or alternatively, it may use an optical filter such as an ND filter on the light entrance surface of the optical integrator (Col. 59-63). Further, Komatsu et al. discloses an imaging apparatus using a bandpass filter for narrow-banding the beam with a half-power bandwidth (paragraph [0013]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a bandpass filter for narrow-banding the beam with a half-power bandwidth, as taught by Komatsu et al. in the system of Sato because such a modification provides a suitable alternative adjusting means for adjusting an incidence angle of illumination light wherein improvement of the oscillation efficiency and the yield can be expected (paragraph [0017] of Komatsu et al.).
Regarding claims 3, Komatsu et al. discloses wherein the bandpass filter has a half bandwidth of 10 nm or less (paragraph [0013]).
Regarding claims 5 and 11, Sato discloses an exposure apparatus including the illumination optical system, wherein the illumination optical system is configured to irradiate an exposure mask (14) with light (as shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 6, Sato discloses further comprising a masking blade (12) that is disposed within a range of 15 mm with respect to the exposure mask (14), light for irradiation being partially blocked by the masking blade (as shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claims 7, Sato discloses an exposure apparatus including the illumination optical system, further comprising: a masking blade (12); and a masking blade projection optical system (16) that projects light emitted from an opening of the masking blade onto an exposure mask (14), the illumination optical system being configured to irradiate the opening of the masking blade with light (as shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claims 8 and 12, Sato discloses further comprising a projection optical system (16) that projects a pattern of the exposure mask (14) irradiated with the light onto an exposure target object (as shown in Fig. 1).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Komatsu et al. and further in view of Shinoda [US 7,385,672 B2].
Regarding claims 4, Sato as modified discloses the illumination optical system, as applied above.
Sato as modified does not teach further comprising: a beam splitter that is disposed on an optical path from the integrator optical system to the condenser lens and splits the light emitted from the integrator optical system into first split light and second split light, the first split light traveling toward the condenser lens along the optical path, the second split light traveling in a direction deviated from the optical path; and a sensor unit that is disposed at a position on which the second split light is to be incident and detects a state of light.
However, Shinoda discloses an illumination optical system wherein a beam splitter (14e) that is disposed on an optical path from the integrator optical system to the condenser lens and splits the light emitted from the integrator optical system into first split light and second split light, the first split light traveling toward the condenser lens along the optical path, the second split light traveling in a direction deviated from the optical path; and a sensor unit (65) that is disposed at a position on which the second split light is to be incident and detects a state of light (as shown in Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a sensor and a beam splitter to detect the quality of light, as taught by Shinoda in the system of Sato as modified because such a modification provides a suitable alternative mechanism for detecting the quality of light (Col.6 lines 23-30 of Shinoda).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEORAM PERSAUD whose telephone number is (571)270-5476. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
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/DEORAM PERSAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882