DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to Applicant’s reply filed 6/25/2026.
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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Invention I (claims 1-6) in the reply filed on 6/25/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claim 7 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/25/2026.
Claim Status
Claims 1-7 are pending.
Claim 7 is withdrawn.
Claims 1-6 have been examined herein on the merits.
Claim Interpretation
The Examiner notes claim 1 recites a control device that is only “configured to” control the coil power supply, thus this feature is the only structural limitation of the claimed control device.
The remainder of the limitations of claim 1, along with the entirety of claims 2-6, are construed as merely an intended use of the apparatus.
These limitations are given patentable weight only to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended uses. A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ikeda (US Pub. 2020/0286715) with Kadomura (US Patent 5,738,752) as an evidentiary reference.
Regarding claim 1, Ikeda teaches a plasma processing apparatus (Fig. 1, entirety) comprising: a processing chamber configured to allow a sample to be plasma-processed ([0034] and Fig. 1, processing chamber #101 with plasma #111 for wafer #114); a radio frequency power supply configured to supply radio frequency power of a microwave for generating plasma ([0038] and Fig. 1, RF power supply #106 for microwave power); a plurality of coils configured to form a magnetic field in the processing chamber ([0041] and Fig. 1, magnetic field forming coils #110a-c); a coil power supply configured to cause a current to flow through each of the coils ([0044]: describes current flowing through each coil, thus must necessarily have a power supply); a sample stage configured to allow the sample to be placed ([0034] and Fig. 1, sample stage #113 for wafer #114); and a control device configured to control the coil power supply ([0043] and Fig. 2, control unit #121 for #110), wherein the control device receives information on a shape of an isomagnetic surface having a magnetic flux density for causing cyclotron resonance of a charged particle by interaction with the microwave ([0050], [0051] and Fig. 2), obtains combinations of current values for forming the received shape of the isomagnetic surface based on a correlation between values of the currents and the shape of the isomagnetic surface (see Fig. 7), obtains one desired combination of current values from the obtained combinations of current values based on a coil current selection reference, and controls the coil power supply to cause each current in the obtained desired combination of current values to flow ([0044], [0057], [0058]).
The Examiner notes while Ikeda does not explicitly describe an isomagnetic surface being created, the Examiner respectfully submits that such a feature is inherent during operation of the device. In support of this assertion of inherency, the Examiner submits Kadomura as evidence that a similar apparatus generates an isomagnetic field plane as part of its normal operation (Kadomura – C3, L39-41).
Regarding claims 2-6, as indicated in the Claim Interpretation section above, the entirety of each claim is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use.
The Ikeda apparatus is regarded as capable of performing the functions in claims 2-6 by virtue of the disclosed ECR field monitoring/feedback structures (Figs. 1-2, camera #119, control device #121 coupled to coils #110a-c), their described functionalities (at least par. [0043]), and the database consultation features ([0080]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yamasaki (US 6,764,575) teaches using anisotropic segment magnets to control isomagnetics of a plasma apparatus (Fig. 5). Ikeda (US 9,844,126) teaches adjusting an isomagnetic surface via inclination of solenoid coils (Figs. 11C-D). Tamura (US 9,583,314) teaches adjustment of magnetic elements to achieve isomagnetic uniformity (C11, L8-13). Sonoda (US Pub. 2019/0088453) teaches an apparatus with coil current adjustment for magnetic field distribution control (pars. [0054]-[0056]) with the same assignee as the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kurt Sweely whose telephone number is (571)272-8482. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gordon Baldwin can be reached at (571)-272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Kurt Sweely/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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