CTNF 18/739,931 CTNF 86952 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada [US 2020/0183270 A1] in view of Phillips [US 8,284,379 B2] . Regarding claims 1 and 7, Okada discloses a lithography apparatus (Fig. 1) for transferring a pattern of an original (3a) to a substrate (5), comprising: a substrate chuck (6) configured to attract and hold the substrate on a substrate holding surface (61, paragraph [0041]); and a controller (14) configured to deform the substrate (5) held by the substrate chuck (6, as shown in Figs. 5A-6B), wherein the substrate chuck (6) includes a plurality of attraction regions (64a-64c) including a first attraction region and a second attraction region formed on an inner periphery side of the first attraction region, which are concentrically partitioned by partitions on the substrate holding surface (as shown in Figs. 3A and 3B), and a pressure space (64a-64c) formed by the substrate chuck (6) in the first attraction region and the second attraction region and configured to displace the substrate (as shown in Fig. 6A and 6B) by being applied with one of a negative pressure and a positive pressure (paragraphs [0043] and [0046]), an outer periphery side partition (63a) of the first attraction region is lower than an inner periphery side partition (63b, 63a) that partitions the first attraction region and the second attraction region (as shown in Fig. 3B), a radius of an outer periphery side end portion of the pressure space is not larger than a neutral radius of the outer periphery side partition (as shown in Figs. 3A), and the controller deforms the substrate (as shown in Fig. 6A and 6B) by individually controlling a pressure in each of the first attraction region, the second attraction region, and the pressure space (paragraphs [0043] and [0046]). Okada does not teach wherein the controller configured to deform the substrate held by the substrate chuck by controlling a shape of the substrate holding surface of the substrate chuck, and a pressure space formed inside the substrate chuck under the first attraction region and the second attraction region and configured to displace the substrate holding surface by being applied with one of a negative pressure and a positive pressure, the controller deforms the substrate by individually controlling a pressure in each of the first attraction region, the second attraction region, and the pressure space. However, Phillips discloses a substrate chuck for supporting the periphery of the substrate comprising first attraction region and second attraction region and a controller to deforms the substrate by individually controlling a pressure in each of the first attraction region, the second attraction region, and the pressure space (as shown in Figs. 2-4, see also Col. 9 lines 20 – Col. 11 lines 53). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a pressure space formed inside the substrate chuck under the first attraction region and the second attraction region and displace the substrate holding surface by being applied with one of a negative pressure and a positive pressure, as taught by Phillips in the system of Okada because such a modification provides a substrate chuck potentially decreasing the risk on stresses in the substrate and/or overlay errors (Col. 3 lines 10-14 of Phillips). Regarding claims 2-5, Okada in view of Phillips discloses wherein the neutral radius of the pressure space is not larger than a neutral radius of the inner periphery side partition, wherein the radius of the outer periphery side end portion of the pressure space is not smaller than a neutral radius of the inner periphery side partition, further comprising a central partition configured to further concentrically partition the second attraction region, wherein a neutral radius of the central partition is not larger than a radius of an inner periphery side end portion of the pressure space (in the combination of Okada and Phillips, as shown in Figs. 3A and 3B of Okada and Figs. 2-4, Col. 9 lines 20 – Col. 11 lines 53 of Phillips). Regarding claim 6, Okada discloses further comprising a plurality of projecting portions formed in the second attraction region and configured to support the substrate (as shown in Fig. 3B). Regarding claims 8-11, Okada in view of Phillips discloses wherein the controller individually controls the pressure in each of the first attraction region and the pressure space based on distortion information of the substrate, wherein the controller applies a pressure to the first attraction region following application of a pressure to the pressure space, wherein the controller applies a pressure to the pressure space following application of a pressure to the first attraction region, wherein the controller applies a pressure to the pressure space in a state in which a negative pressure is applied to the second attraction region, temporarily releases the negative pressure in the second attraction region, and then applies again the negative pressure to the second attraction region (in the combination of Okada and Phillips, as shown in Figs. 5A and 6B and paragraphs [0043] and [0046] of Okada and Figs. 2-4 and Col. 9 lines 20 – Col. 11 lines 53 of Phillips). Regarding claims 12-15, Okada in view of Phillips discloses wherein the lithography apparatus is configured as an imprint apparatus configured to perform an imprint process of forming the pattern in an imprint material on the substrate using a mold as the original, wherein the imprint process includes curing the imprint material in a state in which the imprint material and the mold are in contact with each other, and before completion of the curing, the controller completes pressure control of the first attraction region, the second attraction region, and the pressure space, wherein the imprint process includes curing the imprint material in a state in which the imprint material and the mold are in contact with each other, the imprint apparatus is configured to perform the imprint process for each of a plurality of shot regions formed on the substrate, and before completion of the curing, the controller temporarily releases the negative pressure in the second attraction region in the imprint process of each shot region, an article manufacturing method comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate using a lithography apparatus defined in claim 7; and processing the substrate with the pattern formed thereon, wherein an article is manufactured from the processed substrate (in the combination of Okada and Phillips, as shown in Figs. 1, 4A and 4B of Okada and paragraph [0108] of Phillips). Response to Arguments 07-38-02 Applicant’s arguments, see remarks, filed 03/31/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-15 under 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of Okada and Phillips. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEORAM PERSAUD whose telephone number is (571)270-5476. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minh-Toan 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DEORAM PERSAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882 Application/Control Number: 18/739,931 Page 2 Art Unit: 2882 Application/Control Number: 18/739,931 Page 3 Art Unit: 2882 Application/Control Number: 18/739,931 Page 4 Art Unit: 2882 Application/Control Number: 18/739,931 Page 6 Art Unit: 2882 Application/Control Number: 18/739,931 Page 7 Art Unit: 2882
Prosecution Insights