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 § 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.
Claim 28 is 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.
As to claim 28, the limitation of “the second reservoir is increased” is ambiguous since it is unclear what the second reservoir the Applicant refers to? “The second reservoir lacks proper antecedent basis.
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 18-20 and 28-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hergenhan et al (U.S. 2010/0282987 A1)
With respect to claim 18 and, 28, 32, Hergenhan discloses an apparatus and a corresponding method for supplying a liquid target material to an EUV radiation source and comprising substantially all features of the instant claims such as: a first reservoir (44) containing the liquid target (2); a pressurizing system (see figures 10-11) configured to pressurize a fluid (74) and a separating device (463; 464) configured to separate the fluid from the liquid target material (2) in the first reservoir (44) and to transfer a pressure from the fluid to the liquid target material (2).
As to claim 20, wherein the separating device (463; 464) has a deformable member/bellow (see figures 10, 11) having corrugated or concertinaed sidewall and wherein the pressurizing system is configured to pressurize the fluid inside the bellows or around an exterior of the bellows within the reservoir to transfer the pressure from the fluid to the liquid target material (2).
As to claim 29, Hergenhan discloses a first apparatus (44); a second apparatus (44’) and wherein the first apparatus and the second apparatus are coupled in fluid communication to an ejection system by a transport system (see figure 2).
As to claims 30-31, a radiation source for a lithographic tool having a fuel emitter (see paragraph [0046]) and wherein the radiation source is configured to output EUV radiation (15).
Hergenhan does not expressly disclose the pressure system configured to pressure a hydraulic fluid. It would have been obvious to a skilled artisan before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to replace the fluid/gas (74) of Hergenhan with a hydraulic fluid to improve pressure stability and avoid gas dissolution in the target material 2 (tin), a predictable result from a known substitution.
As to claim 19, Hergenhan does not expressly discloses the separating device has at least one of polyimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, tungsten, tantalum, Molybdenum, as recited in the claim. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to select a proper material for the separating device such as: one of polyimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, tungsten, tantalum, Molybdefnum, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-27 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.
Claims 21-27 have been found allowable since the prior art of record, either alone or in combination, neither discloses nor makes obvious a combination of an apparatus comprising among other features, a first reservoir; a pressuring system; a separating device and along with at least one external heating element or at least one sensor with particular structures and functions of those elements as recited in the mentioned claims of the present application.
Prior Art Made of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Niimi et al (US 2022/0141945 A1); Tedrow (U.S.Pat. 11,988,967) disclose target material supply devices and have been cited for technical background.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG HENRY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2124. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00AM-4:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Toan Minh Ton can be reached at 571-272-2303. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HUNG HENRY NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2882
Hvn
10/29/25
/HUNG V NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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