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 .
Status of the Application
This action is responsive to the amendment dated 1/08/2026. Claims 1-42 remain pending. Claims 1, 4, 17, 18, and 20 have been amended. Claims 23-42 are withdrawn. Claims 43 and 44 are new. The applicant’s amendment has necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection below. This action is Final.
Response to Remarks
Applicant's amendment to recite an equipment front end module comprising an enclosure has overcome the rejection of record. However, a new ground(s) of rejection is applied to the claims below. As such, applicant's arguments with respect to the 102 rejection over McMillin have not been found persuasive. Senn et al. (US 2018/0358239) as stated below in the 102 rejection teaches each and every limitation including an equipment front end module comprising an enclosure.
Applicant's amendments to the claims have necessitated further search and/or consideration and/or revision of the rejection, and accordingly, this action must be made Final.
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, 6, 11-16, 18-21, 43, and 44 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Senn et al. (US 2018/0358239, hereafter “Senn”).
Regarding claim 1, Senn discloses a composition mixture control system (Fig. 1), the composition mixture control system comprising: an equipment front end module (102) comprising an enclosure (the enclosure defining 102); a manifold (132); a plurality of flow controllers (128A, 128B) configured to control flow of respective gases to the manifold (para. [0050]), wherein the manifold is configured to mix the gases received from the plurality of flow controllers and direct a resultant gas mixture to an enclosure in the equipment front end module (para. [0050]; Fig. 1); and a composition controller (138) configured to control operation of the plurality of flow controllers to adjust a composition in the enclosure to a set target composition comprising the gases (para. [0052] – [0058]).
Regarding claim 2, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow controllers comprise a plurality of gas mass flow controllers configured to receive respective gases from a plurality of gas sources. (Fig. 1; para. [0050])
Regarding claim 3, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow controllers comprise an air flow controller configured to control flow of ambient air to the manifold. (note that MPEP 2115 states: "[i]nclusion of the material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims." In re Otto, 312 F.2d 937, 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963); see also In re Young, 75 F.2d 996, 25 USPQ 69 (CCPA 1935). This limitation directed to the type of fluid does not distinguish over Senn)
Regarding claim 6, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, further comprising an exhaust valve (114) controlling flow of gases out of the enclosure, wherein the composition controller is configured to selectively set an opening state of the exhaust valve to adjust at least one of a pressure within the enclosure and a composition in the enclosure to the set target composition. (para. [0043])
Regarding claim 11, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein: the gases comprise a first gas and a second gas; the first gas comprises at least one of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and argon; and the second gas comprises at least one of extreme clean dry air and dehumidified air. (MPEP 2115)
Regarding claim 12, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow controllers comprise: a first gas mass flow controller (128A) configured to control flow of a first gas to the manifold; a second gas mass flow controller (128B) configured to control flow of a second gas to the manifold; and the second gas is different than the first gas. (MPEP 2115)
Regarding claim 13, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors (150, 152, 154) configured to monitor parameters related to the composition in at least one of the enclosure (para. [0068]) and a recirculation duct (118), wherein the composition controller is configured to control operation of the plurality of flow controllers based on the monitored parameters to adjust flow of the gases to the manifold. (para. [0068], [0072], [0083])
Regarding claim 14, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 13, wherein the monitored parameters comprise constituent levels of the gases. (para. [0068], [0072], [0083])
Regarding claim 15, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 13, wherein the monitored parameters comprise an oxygen level and a relative humidity level in at least one of the enclosure and a recirculation duct recirculating gases from an output of the equipment front end module to an input of the equipment front end module. (para. [0056] and [0068] - [0074])
Regarding claim 16, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 13, wherein the composition controller is configured to at least one of: control operation of the plurality of flow controllers independent of the monitored parameters; and at least one of permit transfer of a substrate through the enclosure and perform a countermeasure based on the monitored parameters. (the system of Senn is capable of controlling operation of the plurality of flow controllers independent of the monitored parameters)
Regarding claim 18, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, further comprising: a fan filter module (108) connected to the enclosure; and a recirculation duct (118) configured to recirculate gases output from the equipment front end module to the fan filter module, wherein the fan filter module is configured to filter gases received from the manifold prior to the gases being received in the enclosure. (Fig. 4; para. [0040])
Regarding claim 19, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of sensors (150, 152, 154) attached to at least one of the enclosure and the recirculation duct, the composition controller configured to control operation of the flow controllers based on outputs of the plurality of sensors. (para. [0068], [0072], [0083])
Regarding claim 20, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, further comprising: and a fan filter module (108) connected to the enclosure and configured to filter gases received from the manifold prior to the gases being received in the enclosure, wherein the manifold is connected to the fan filter module and configured to receive gases from the plurality of flow controllers, mix the gases and supplied a mixture of the gases to the fan filter module. (Fig. 4; para. [0040])
Regarding claim 21, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 20, further comprising a recirculation duct (118) configured to recirculate gases output from the equipment front end module to the manifold. (Fig. 4; para. [0044])
Regarding claim 43, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein the equipment front end module is upstream from a vacuum transfer module and at least one processing module. (para. [0037])
Regarding claim 44, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, wherein the equipment front end module is configured to transfer substrates between i) at least one front opening unified pod and ii) at least one load lock. (para. [0037])
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) 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senn in view of Bergman (US 2004/0259370).
Regarding claim 7, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, but fails to disclose a vaporizer configured to vaporize a liquid and supply a resulting vapor to the manifold; and a liquid flow controller configured to control flow of the liquid from a liquid source to the vaporizer.
Bergman teaches a vaporizer (61) configured to vaporize a liquid and supply a resulting vapor to the manifold; and a liquid flow controller (84) configured to control flow of the liquid from a liquid source to the vaporizer. (Fig. 4; para. [0032] – [0034])
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to modify the system of Senn to include the vaporize and liquid flow controller of Bergman in order to provide a means to convert some portion of the liquid to a vaper before being delivered to the manifold. (para. [0032])
Regarding claim 8, Senn in view of Bergman further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of flow controllers comprise a gas mass flow controller configured to supply a gas to the vaporizer. (Fig. 4; para. [0032] – [0034])
Regarding claim 9, Senn in view of Bergman further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 7, wherein the liquid comprises water. (MPEP 2115)
Regarding claim 10, Senn in view of Bergman further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 7, but fails to disclose the combination of wherein the plurality of flow controllers comprise: a first gas mass flow controller configured to control flow of a first gas to the manifold; a second gas mass flow controller configured to control flow of a second gas to the manifold; and the second gas is different than the first gas.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to modify the plurality of flow controllers of Senn to comprise a first gas mass flow controller configured to control flow of a first gas to the manifold; a second gas mass flow controller configured to control flow of a second gas to the manifold; and the second gas is different than the first gas since a mere duplication of essential working part of device involves only routine skill in the art. The motivation for doing so would be to provide an additional flow controller in case one of the flow controllers fail.
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senn in view of Matsuura et al. (US 2019/0310002, hereafter “Matsuura”).
Regarding claim 22, Senn further discloses the composition mixture control system of claim 1, but fails to disclose a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature within the enclosure or in a recirculation duct, wherein the composition controller is configured to control the plurality of flow controllers to limit a moisture level of the composition in the enclosure to prevent condensation in the enclosure.
Matsuura teaches a temperature sensor (24a) configured to detect a temperature within the enclosure or in a recirculation duct, wherein the composition controller is configured to control the plurality of flow controllers to limit a moisture level of the composition in the enclosure to prevent condensation in the enclosure. (para. [0057])
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to modify the system of Senn to include a temperature sensor and configure the composition controller to control the plurality of flow controllers to limit a moisture level as taught by Matsuura in order to provide a means to ensure the desired conditions are maintained throughout operation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, and 17 are allowed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL J GRAY whose telephone number is (571)270-0544. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL J GRAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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