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 .
The preliminary amendment filed on May 10, 2024 has been entered. Claims 1-15 are pending in this application.
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) 1-3 and 6-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nakano [US 20020124993 A1].
As per Claims 1 and 15, Nakano teaches a microlithographic system (an exposure apparatus 13, See fig. 1), comprising:
a climate chamber (the environment chamber 1) enclosing an atmosphere;
a printing device (an exposure apparatus 13) for projection of an optical beam onto a photo-sensitive resist, the printing device being arranged in the climate chamber (Para 28 and 43);
a fluid reservoir (a reservoir 18) arranged to accommodate a thermally conductive fluid and arranged to be in thermal connection with the atmosphere to transfer heat between the atmosphere and the thermally conductive fluid (See fig. 1, Para 33);
a first heat exchanging means (cooling heat exchanger 3') arranged outside the climate chamber (Para 33);
a means (not labeled) for transporting the thermally conductive fluid (a coolant d) between the fluid reservoir 18 and the first heat exchanging means; and
a means (the air blower 5) for supplying a gas from outside the climate chamber to the enclosed atmosphere (Para 25);
wherein the first heat exchanging means is configured to transfer heat between the thermally conductive fluid and the gas before the gas is supplied to the enclosed atmosphere (See fig. 1, Para 35).
As per Claim 2, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, further comprising a thermal reservoir in thermal connection with the fluid reservoir (the refrigerator 6), wherein the thermal reservoir is in thermal connection with the climate chamber (Para 34-35).
As per Claim 3, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 2, wherein the thermal reservoir is part of the printing device or the climate chamber (See fig. 3, wherein through a returning port 15).
As per Claim 6, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, further comprising a second heat exchanging means (a condenser 8) arranged in thermal contact with the fluid reservoir and configured to transfer heat between the atmosphere and the fluid reservoir (See fig. 3, Para 25).
As per Claim 7, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir is arranged inside the climate chamber (See fig. 1).
As per Claim 8, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the gas supplied to the first heat exchanging means comprises pressurized air (Para 28, wherein the space 14 is kept at a pressurized state slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure of the external environment).
As per Claim 9, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive fluid is a liquid (Para 34).
As per Claim 10, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a temperature-control device (a temperature adjusting device 10), configured to perform at least one of increasing and lowering the temperature of the gas which is being supplied to the climate chamber (Para 27).
As per Claim 11, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an inlet (an outside air introducing port 16), configured to direct gas from outside the climate chamber to the first heat exchanging means, an outlet (air blower 5), configured to direct gas from the first heat exchanging means to the climate chamber (Para 27-28).
As per Claim 12, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 11, wherein the system further comprises means for pressure reduction of the gas entering the inlet, before the gas reaches the first heat exchanging means (Para 33).
As per Claim 13, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 11, wherein the first heat exchanging means is arranged at the outlet (See fig. 3).
As per Claim 14, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 1, wherein the printing device comprises a display mask writer (Para 41, wherein an exposure apparatus 13).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakano in view of Hirasawa et al. [US 20190390918 A1, hereafter Hirasawa].
As per Claim 4, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 2.
Nakano does not explicitly teach wherein the thermal reservoir comprises a body of at least one of aluminum and stainless steel.
Hirasawa teaches the evaporator 2 is a cylindrical member made of metal having good thermal conductivity, such as copper, copper alloy, or stainless steel. The evaporator 2 includes a heat receiver 7 containing a wick 6, and a reservoir 8 storing a liquid phase working fluid. One end of a steam tube 4 is connected to the heat receiver 7, and one end of a liquid tube 5 is connected to the reservoir 8. The other end of each of the steam tube 4 and the liquid tube 5 is connected to the condenser 3. The condenser 3 is composed of flat pipes each having numerous aluminum sheet-like fins on its outer circumference surface. The condenser 3 is configured to allow a working fluid to pass through inside the flat pipes to discharge heat of the working fluid through walls and fins of the flat pipes (See fig. 6 and 7, Emphasis added by the Examiner).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the thermal reservoir as disclosed by Hirasawa in the temperature controlling system of Nakano in order to effectively control the temperature of the exposure chamber.
As per Claim 5, Nakano teaches the microlithographic system according to claim 2.
Nakano does not explicitly teach wherein the thermal reservoir is arranged inside the climate chamber.
Hirasawa teaches the thermal reservoir is arranged inside the enclosure (See fig. 7).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the thermal reservoir as claimed in order to effectively use the space.
Conclusion
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/MESFIN T ASFAW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882