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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I (claims 1-7) in the reply filed on December 9, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 8-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kotaka et al. (J.P. 3203796U).
Referring to Figure 4 and pages 3-5, Kotaka et al. disclose a hydrophobization treatment apparatus for performing a hydrophobization treatment on a substrate, comprising: a treatment container 101 configured to house the substrate and form a treatment space (Fig. 4, page 3); a first supply port 107 configured to supply first gas from above the substrate in the treatment container to the substrate (Fig. 4, page 4); and a second supply port 122 configured to supply second gas from a position facing a central region of the substrate below the substrate in the treatment container to the substrate (Fig. 4, page 4), the hydrophobization treatment apparatus being configured to be able to supply a hydrophobizing gas as the first gas from the first supply port 107, 110 and the second gas from the second supply port 122, 124.
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With respect to claim 2, the hydrophobization treatment apparatus of Kotaka et al. further includes wherein: the first supply port 107 has a central supply port formed at a position facing the second supply port 122, 123 across the substrate in the treatment container (Fig. 4, page 4); and for the substrate whose both front surface and rear surface are hydrophobization treatment targets, the hydrophobizing gas as the first gas is supplied from the central supply port 107, 110 during the hydrophobization treatment on the front surface (Fig. 4, page 4).
With respect to claim 3, the hydrophobization treatment apparatus of Kotaka et al. further includes wherein for the substrate whose both the front surface and the rear surface are the hydrophobization treatment targets, the hydrophobizing gas 110, 124 is supplied to the front surface and the rear surface at a same time (Fig. 4, pages 4-5).
With respect to claim 4, the hydrophobization treatment apparatus of Kotaka et al. further includes wherein for the substrate whose both the front surface and the rear surface are the hydrophobization treatment targets, the supply of the hydrophobizing gas to the front surface and the supply of the hydrophobizing gas 110, 124 to the rear surface are performed in order (Fig. 4, page 4).
With respect to claim 5, the hydrophobization treatment apparatus of Kotaka et al. further includes wherein: the first supply port 107 has a central supply port formed at a position facing the second supply port 122 across the substrate in the treatment container; and for the substrate whose only front surface is a hydrophobization treatment target, the hydrophobizing gas 110 as the first gas is supplied from the central supply port 107 and an inert gas 125 is supplied as the second gas from the second supply port 122, 123 during the hydrophobization treatment on the front surface (Fig. 4, pages 4-5).
With respect to claim 6, the hydrophobization treatment apparatus of Kotaka et al. further comprising an upper outer peripheral exhaust port 115 provided above and outside the substrate in the treatment container and opening to the treatment space, wherein when the hydrophobizing gas 110, 124 is supplied into the treatment container, an inside of the treatment container is exhausted from the upper outer peripheral exhaust port (Fig. 4, page 4).
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(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kotaka et al. (J.P. 3203796U).
Referring to Figure 4 and pages 4-5, Kotaka et al. discloses the hydrophobization treatment apparatus includes wherein the treatment container 101 is configured such that an inside thereof is exhaustable from an exhaust position outside the substrate (Fig. 4, page 3); the first supply port 107 has: a central supply port 107 formed at a position facing the second supply port 122 across the substrate in the treatment container. Additionally, central supply port 107 provides inert gas 111
However, Figure 4 of Kotaka et al. is silent on an outer peripheral supply port formed at a position between the central supply port and the outside exhaust position; and when a hydrophobization treatment is performed on only an outer peripheral portion of the front surface of the substrate in the treatment container, an inert gas as the first gas is supplied from the central supply port and the hydrophobizing gas is supplied as the first gas from the outer peripheral supply port.
Referring to Figures 7-8 and pages 5-6, Kotaka et al. teach a hydrophobization treatment apparatus wherein an outer peripheral supply port 107 when a hydrophobization treatment is performed on only an outer peripheral portion of the front surface of the substrate in the treatment container. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the Figure 4 apparatus of Kotaka et al. such that a hydrophobization treatment apparatus wherein an outer peripheral supply port when a hydrophobization treatment is performed on only an outer peripheral portion of the front surface of the substrate in the treatment container as taught by Figures 7-8 of Kotaka et al. The modification would yield a one piece construction that would allow either central or peripheral hydrophobization treatment to be performed reducing the footprint and processing costs.
The resulting modification of Kotaka et al. would yield an outer peripheral supply port formed at a position between the central supply port and the outside exhaust position; and when a hydrophobization treatment is performed on only an outer peripheral portion of the front surface of the substrate in the treatment container, an inert gas as the first gas is supplied from the central supply port and the hydrophobizing gas is supplied as the first gas from the outer peripheral supply port.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Matsunaga’579, Bang’175, Itonaga et al.’864, Fukuoka et al.’612, Ueda’559, Hirakawa’000, Kanaoka et al.’038, Kukumoto et al.’235, Kodama et al.’856, Matsunaga’050, Tanino’604, Kamimura et al.’515, Fukuoka et al.’390, Kudoh et al.’046, and Shimmura et al.’166 teach a hydrophobization treatment apparatus for processing either a front surface substrate and/or back surface substrate.
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/Michelle CROWELL/Examiner, Art Unit 1716
/SYLVIA MACARTHUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1716