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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-9 in the reply filed on September 1, 2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “collection and removal system”, “reactant supply system” must be shown or the features canceled from the claims. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aitchison; Kenneth Allen (US 5928426 A). Aitchison teaches a semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30), comprising: a unit of semiconductor processing machinery (14; Figure 1; column 4 lines 10-30); a waste gas vent (26,18; Figure 1) coupled to the unit of semiconductor processing machinery (14; Figure 1; column 4 lines 10-30); and a reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) coupled along a path of the waste gas vent (26,18; Figure 1), wherein the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) includes an amount of silicon (silane; column 9; line 8 - Applicant’s 236; Figure 2; [0034]-”...to hold an amount of silicon..”) to react with a waste gas including tungsten (WF6; column 9; line 6), as claimed by claim 1. The above and below italisized claim text is considered intended use claim requirements for the pending apparatus claims. Further, it has been held that claim language that simply specifies an intended use or field of use for the invention generally will not limit the scope of a claim (Walter , 618 F.2d at 769, 205 USPQ at 409; MPEP 2106). Additionally, in apparatus claims, intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim (In re Casey,152 USPQ 235 (CCPA 1967); In re Otto , 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963); MPEP2115).
Aitchison further teaches:
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 1, wherein the unit of semiconductor processing machinery (14; Figure 1; column 4 lines 10-30) includes a chemical vapor deposition system, as claim by claim 2
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 2, wherein the chemical vapor deposition system includes a tungsten (WF6; column 9; line 6) hexafluoride deposition system, as claimed by claim 3
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) includes a heater (44,42; Figure 2-4; 300ºC-500ºC; Figure 8), as claimed by claim 4
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 4, wherein the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) includes a controller (Figure 10; 300ºC-500ºC; Figure 8) to maintain a temperature greater than 300ºC, as claimed by claim 5
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 4, wherein the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) includes a controller (Figure 10; 300ºC-500ºC; Figure 8) to maintain a temperature between 300ºC and 500ºC, as claimed by claim 6
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) includes an amount of waste silicon from a semiconductor die processing system, as claimed by claim 7
The semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 1, further including a collection and removal system (120; Figure 2; column 10; lines 42-52) coupled to the reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) for collection and removal of a tungsten (WF6; column 9; line 6) based solid material (“particulates” column 10; lines 42-52), as claimed by claim 8
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aitchison; Kenneth Allen (US 5928426 A) in view of Farnia; Moretza et al. (US 20080081130 A1). Aitchison is discussed above. Aitchison does not teach Aitchison’s semiconductor manufacture reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) of claim 8, further including a reactant supply system coupled to Aitchison’s reaction chamber (30,30a,30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout- column 4 lines 10-30-Applicant’s 230; Figure 2) for adding silicon.
Farnia also teaches a semiconductor processing waste gas abatement system (300; Figure 4) including additive gas source (335; Figure 4; [0040]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Aitchison to add more silicon (silane; column 9; line 8) to Aitchison’s reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30).
Motivation for Aitchison to add more silicon (silane; column 9; line 8) to Aitchison’s reclamation system (30, 30a, 30b; Figure 1,2,4; EGR throughout; column 4 lines 10-30) is for “reducing the of unreacted precursor gas and byproduct in the effluent” as taught by Farnia (abstract).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Semiconductor industry waste gas treatment includes US 20200041211 A1; US 20200191488 A1; US 20020066535 A1; US 20090183684 A1; US 20090018688 A1; US 20120222813 A1.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Rudy Zervigon whose telephone number is (571) 272- 1442. The examiner can normally be reached on a Monday through Thursday schedule from 8am through 6pm EST. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Any Inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Chemical and Materials Engineering art unit receptionist at (571) 272-1700. If the examiner cannot be reached please contact the examiner's supervisor, Parviz Hassanzadeh, at (571) 272- 1435.
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/Rudy Zervigon/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716
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