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 .
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chilese et al. [US 20130255407 A1, hereafter Chilese] in view of Lee et al. [US 20140116920 A1, hereafter Lee].
As per Claims 1, 11 and 16, Chilese teaches a reticle enclosure 10 (See fig. 2), comprising:
an outer pod (Reticle SMIF Pod (RSP) 11 ) enclosing an inner pod (EUV Inner Pod (EIP)),
wherein each of the outer pod and inner pod comprises:
a base including a first surface (EIP base 16 and RSP base 13);
a cover including a second surface and disposed on the base (EIP cover 15 and RSP cover 12),
wherein the base and the cover of the inner pod form an internal space therebetween to include a reticle (Para 32, wherein a reticle 150 is stored in an EUV Inner Pod (EIP) 14),
Chilese do not explicitly teach a first L-shaped layer of elastomer or gelatinous material disposed only on a portion of a peripheral region of the first surface of the inner pod and a second L-shaped layer of elastomer or gelatinous material disposed only on a portion of a peripheral region of the second surface of the inner pod, such that the first and second L-shaped layers complement each other; and a third layer of elastomer or gelatinous material disposed on the first surface and the second surface of the outer pod.
Lee teaches a seal ring 112a is disposed between the outer pod shell 108 and the outer pod door 110. The seal ring 112a seals the gap between the outer pod shell 108 and the outer pod door 110. The seal ring 112a has a circular cross section shape in FIG. 1, but may have any other shapes in other embodiments. The seal ring 112a comprises fluorocarbon such as commercially available Viton, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), or any other suitable material (Para 16, wherein the materials specified are elastomer materials).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claim 2, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the reticle enclosure of claim 1, wherein the first L-shaped layer of elastomer or gelatinous material includes an elastomer (Lee Para 16, wherein the materials specified are elastomer materials).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claims 3-5 and 19, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the reticle enclosure of claim 2, wherein the elastomer includes one or more selected from the group consisting of natural rubbers, styrene-butadiene block copolymers, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, silicone elastomers, fluoroelastomers, polyurethane elastomers, and nitrile rubbers (Lee Para 16, wherein the materials specified are elastomer materials).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claims 6, and 7, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the reticle enclosure of claim 1.
Chilese in view of Lee do not explicitly teach wherein the third layer of elastomer or gelatinous material on the first surface and the second surface of the outer pod includes different elastomer or gelatinous materials.
However Lee further disclosed that the seal ring 112a comprises fluorocarbon such as commercially available Viton, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), or any other suitable material (Para 16 and 25, wherein the seal ring is formed with a variety of different materials and shape).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claims 8-10 and 15, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the reticle enclosure of claim 1.
Chilese further disclosed wherein each cover includes a top portion and a side portion extending vertically from the top portion (See fig. 2).
As per Claims 12 and 18, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the method of claim 11, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth layers each include the same elastomer or gelatinous material (Lee Para 16, wherein the materials specified are elastomer materials).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claim 13, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the method of claim 11.
Chilese in view of Lee do not explicitly teach wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth layers include a different elastomer or gelatinous material than remaining layers.
However Lee further disclosed that the seal ring 112a comprises fluorocarbon such as commercially available Viton, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), or any other suitable material (Para 16 and 25, wherein the seal ring is formed with a variety of different materials and shape).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claims 14 and 17, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the method of claim 11.
Lee further disclosed wherein at least one of the first, second, third, or fourth layers includes an elastomer including one or more selected from the group consisting of natural rubbers, styrene-butadiene block copolymers, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, silicone elastomers, fluoroelastomers, polyurethane elastomers, and nitrile rubbers (Lee Para 16, wherein the materials specified are elastomer materials).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the seal ring as claimed in order to avoid particle contamination of the reticle inside the storage pod.
As per Claim 20, Chilese in view of Lee teaches the method of claim 16.
Chilese further disclosed wherein placing the reticle on the first base includes placing the reticle on one or more restraining mechanisms on the first base (Para 49, reticle clamping elements 155).
Conclusion
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/MESFIN T ASFAW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882