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 .
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 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.
Response to Amendments/Arguments
The amendment made to the abstract and the amendments made to claims 8 and 13 as filed on July 23, 2026, are acknowledged.
The amendment made to the abstract has overcome the previous objection to the specification, as set forth in the Office Action mailed on April 30, 2026.
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks filed on July 23, 2026, with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argues that “Tabuchi does not appear to describe a method where after a duration, the thermal transfer fluid is directed from the thermal transfer fluid piping directly to the second tank. Rather, Tabuchi will always direct the fluid through the tank 78 from the collection path 72. Tabuchi's collection path 72 collects fluid supplied to the temperature regulation member 70 and directs that fluid to tank 78, which is upstream of circulation pump 87. Tabuchi does not disclose a later transition in which the fluid from the collection path 72 bypasses tank 78 and is directed directly to either the low-temperature control unit 74 or the high-temperature control unit 75”. However, this argument is not commensurate in scope with the claimed invention. Claim 1 broadly recites “after a duration” without specifying a starting point of the duration. Tabuchi does disclose directing the thermal transfer fluid from the thermal transfer fluid piping directly to the second tank after the switching, and the time from the opening of Vc (the beginning of the switching) to the thermal transfer fluid reaches pipe 89 reads on a duration (see the rejection to claim 1 below for more details). During patent examination, the pending claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification. Because applicant has the opportunity to amend the claims during prosecution, giving a claim its broadest reasonable interpretation will reduce the possibility that the claim, once issued, will be interpreted more broadly than is justified. Though understanding the claim language may be aided by explanations contained in the written description, it is important not to import into a claim limitations that are not part of the claim (see MPEP 2111).
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks filed on July 23, 2026, with respect to amended claims 8 and 13 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The previous prior art rejections to the claims and their dependent claims, as set forth in the Office Action mailed on April 30, 2026, have been withdrawn.
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, 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tabuchi (US20150176928).
Regarding claim 1, Tabuchi discloses a method of operating a tool for processing one or more semiconductor devices (claim 1 and Figs. 1), the method comprising: switching a thermal load of a platform of a tool from a first tank to a second tank, thermal transfer fluid remaining in thermal transfer fluid piping between the first tank and the platform, the first tank defining a first volume configured to hold the thermal transfer fluid at a first temperature and the second tank defining a second volume configured to hold the thermal transfer fluid at a second temperature (chuck 12 reads on a platform, low-temperature tank reads on a first tank, high-temperature tank reads on a second tank, closing of valve Va and opening of valve Vc reads on switching, paragraphs 0024 and 0045; and Figs. 1 and 3); after switching the thermal load of the platform from the first tank to the second tank, directing the thermal transfer fluid remaining in the thermal transfer fluid piping to a temporary tank in fluid communication with the second tank while directing the thermal transfer fluid from the second tank to the platform and from the platform to the thermal transfer fluid piping (tank 78 reads on a temporary tank, paragraph 0048 and Fig. 1); and after a duration, directing the thermal transfer fluid from the thermal transfer fluid piping directly to the second tank (the time from the opening of Vc to the thermal transfer fluid reaches pipe 89 reads on a duration, paragraph 0051; and Figs. 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 4, Tabuchi discloses wherein switching a thermal load of a platform of a tool from a first tank to a second tank comprises switching a thermal load of an electrostatic chuck of a tool for patterning a semiconductor wafer (an etching process reads on a patterning process, paragraphs 0001 and 0084).
Regarding claim 6, Tabuchi discloses wherein directing the thermal transfer fluid remaining in the thermal transfer fluid piping to a temporary tank in fluid communication with the second tank comprises directing the thermal transfer fluid in the thermal transfer fluid piping directly to the temporary tank without directing the thermal transfer fluid from the thermal transfer fluid piping to the second tank (Fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5 and 7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 2, the cited prior art of record, taken either alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious a method comprising: switching the thermal load of the platform from the second tank to the first tank; and after switching the thermal load of the platform from the second tank to the first tank, directing the thermal transfer fluid remaining in the thermal transfer fluid piping to an additional temporary tank in fluid communication with the first tank while directing thermal transfer fluid from the first tank to the platform and from the platform to the thermal transfer fluid piping, in the context of the instant claim. The closest cited prior art of Tabuchi does not require an additional temporary tank (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, it is dependent on claim 2.
Regarding claim 5, the cited prior art of record, taken either alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious a method comprising: wherein directing the thermal transfer fluid remaining in the thermal transfer fluid piping to a temporary tank in fluid communication with the second tank while directing the thermal transfer fluid from the second tank to the platform and from the platform to the thermal transfer fluid piping comprises opening a valve connecting the thermal transfer fluid piping to the temporary tank, in the context of the instant claim. The closest cited prior art of Tabuchi does not require a valve between the platform and the temporary tank (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7, the cited prior art of record, taken either alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious a method wherein directing the thermal transfer fluid remaining in the thermal transfer fluid piping to a temporary tank in fluid communication with the second tank comprises: measuring a temperature of the thermal transfer fluid in the thermal transfer fluid piping; and responsive to detecting a difference between the temperature of the thermal transfer fluid in the thermal transfer fluid piping and a temperature of the thermal transfer fluid in the second tank being less than about 10° C., directing the thermal transfer fluid to the second tank, in the context of the instant claim. The closest cited prior art of Tabuchi discloses measuring the temperature of the chuck and the temperature of the liquid inside the chuck (paragraph 0054).
Claims 13-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 8, the amendment made to the instant claim has overcome the previous prior art rejection to the claim as set forth in the Office Action mailed on April 30, 2026, see Applicant's arguments filed on July 23, 2026 for more details. Further search fails to find prior art, taken either alone or in combination, that discloses or renders obvious a method comprising: after a first transition time, directing the thermal transfer fluid that is circulating from the second tank to the electrostatic chuck back to the second tank via the return piping and stopping the directing of the thermal transfer fluid from the return piping to the temporary tank, in the context of the instant claim.
Regarding claims 9-12, they are dependent on claim 8.
Regarding claim 13, the amendment made to the instant claim has overcome the previous prior art rejection to the claim as set forth in the Office Action mailed on April 30, 2026, see Applicant's arguments filed on July 23, 2026 for more details. Further search fails to find prior art, taken either alone or in combination, that discloses or renders obvious a method comprising: after a first transition time, directing the thermal transfer fluid that is circulating from the second tank to the platform of the tool back to the second tank and stopping the directing of the thermal transfer fluid from the return piping to the temporary tank, in the context of the instant claim.
Regarding claims 14-20, they are dependent on claim 13.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JIONG-PING LU whose telephone number is (571) 270-1135. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00am – 5:00pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua L Allen, can be reached at telephone number (571)270-3176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIONG-PING LU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1713
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