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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are pending in the current application.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 7-8, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lei (US 5968276).
As to claim 1, Lei discloses an apparatus comprising:
A thermal block with a gas inlet (figure 10: channel/block 20 connected to cooling structure 54 with gas inlet via passage 30);
A gas line fluidly coupled to the gas inlet of the thermal block (figure 5/6: gas supply line 42 to passage 30);
A base that is coupled to the thermal block having an embedded channel coupled to a fluid inlet (figure 10: manifold/block 18 with passage/channel continuation of 30);
An air gap between at least a portion of the thermal block and a portion of the base (figure 10: empty/air gap in area of cooling line 60 between 20 and 18).
As to claim 3, Lei discloses the channel has a vertical and horizontal portion (figure 10: showing horizontal and vertical portions of channel through manifold 18 with 90 degree turn).
As to claim 4, Lei discloses a plenum coupled to the vertical portion comprising a ring (figure 10: cylinder 90 [ring] surrounding channel connected to vertical channel of manifold 18).
As to claim 5, Lei discloses the gas line comprises a 90 degree turn (figure 10: showing 90 degree turn in line in cooling section 54 connected to channel 30 of block section 20).
As to claim 7, Lei discloses a channel through the ring (figure 10: cylinder/ring 90 with central gas passage).
As to claim 8, Lei discloses a remote plasma source coupled to the base (figure 10: showerhead 22 connected to gas supply structure – the showerhead capable of receiving a voltage supply [col 1 line 64-col2 line 4: RF ‘hot’ structure] and thus remotely supplying plasma to underlying structure).
A to claim 18, Lei discloses an apparatus comprising:
A chamber (figure 2: lid 11 for chamber not shown);
A gas delivery manifold coupled to the chamber comprising a gas line configured to be heated with vertical and horizontal portion (figure 2: supply system 10 with box 14; figure 10: 14 including manifold 18 having vertical and horizontal portion of interior channel 30; coolant/heating channel 52);
An RPS coupled to the manifold and the interior of the chamber via the manifold (figure 10: figure 10: showerhead 22 connected to gas supply structure – the showerhead capable of receiving a voltage supply [col 1 line 64-col2 line 4: RF ‘hot’ structure] and thus remotely supplying plasma to underlying chamber).
As to claim 19, Lei disclose the manifold comprises a fluid channel with a plenum ring (figure 10: interior channel 30 continuing to cylinder/ring 90 with central channel continuation).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lei.
As to claim 2, Lei discloses a manifold and connected ‘base’ section of a channel structure, as discussed above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make these connected components with a common fluid channel integral as such a change is within the purview of one of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144 (V) (B)) and would simplify the structure and prevent leakage.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lei as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim (US 20220307136).
Lei discloses a gas feed structure for a processing chamber, but is silent as to the structure components comprising aluminum.
Kim discloses a gas supply block with multiple feeds and heating structure fluidly coupled to a showerhead and processing chamber (figure 1: gas supply 230-240 to showerhead 130), the feed structure comprising materials including aluminum (paragraph 43, 67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use aluminum, as disclosed by Kim, in the structure of Lei, because this allows for a known effective material with high thermal conductivity and generally known low reactivity and contamination effect.
Claim(s) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lei as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Metzner (US 20010035127).
As to claim 9, Lei discloses a connected gas manifold and showerhead [RPS], but is silent as to the details of the connection including a plurality of supports.
Metzner discloses a gas supply manifold connected to a showerhead for a processing chamber (figure 4; paragraph 55) and discloses knowledge in the art of forming the connections with a plurality of fasteners therebetween to obtain an effective clamped connection (paragraph 55).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a plurality of fasteners/supports, as disclosed by Metzner, in the structure of Lei, because this allows for a clamped connected.
As to claim 10, Lei discloses a manifold and connected ‘base’ section of a channel structure, and Metzner discloses connecting structure of the manifold and support/base, as discussed above. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make these connected components with a common fluid channel integral as such a change is within the purview of one of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144 (V) (B)) and would simplify the structure and prevent leakage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 20 is 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 11-17 are allowed.
Dependent claim 10, and independent claim 11, require a gas supply structure with a base and RPS, with a plasma isolation valve between the RPS source mount and the base. While the prior art teaches knowledge in the art of gas supply manifolds for showerheads and generation of plasma, none of the prior art teaches the requisite structure with an isolation valve between the RPS and base.
Correspondence Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON BERMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5265. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday 8-4.
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/JASON BERMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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