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 .
Objected 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 dielectric plug with an air channel proximate an end of the aluminum wire as recited in claims 2, 8 and 17; the probe tip resistor between the dielectric plug and the probe tip as recited in claims 4, 10 and 19; and the probe station having a linear translation stage as recited in claim 13 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). 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.
Rejection under First Paragraph
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 2-5, 8-11, 13 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The specification is completely silent for reciting the limitations “a dielectric plug with an air channel proximate an end of the aluminum wire” as recited in claims 2, 8 and 17; “a probe tip resistor between the dielectric plug and the probe tip” as recited in claims 4, 10 and 19; and “a probe station having a linear translation stage” as recited in claim 13.
Additional explanations are needed if applicant insists on including these features in the claims 2, 4, 8, 10, 13, 17 and 19 without the insertion of new matter.
Clarification without the introduction of new matter is required.
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
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 6 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawai et al. (6,452,400).
Kawai et al. (6,452,400) discloses, in figs. 1-9, a plasma processing apparatus and/or method using an ion probe capacitively coupling to a bulk plasma in a plasma region of the plasma processing apparatus for monitoring a plasma parameter, which includes:
Regarding claims 6, 12, 14,
providing an ion probe 6 extending through a chamber 33 and inner chamber wall and into a plasma region of a plasma processing apparatus (see figs. 2, 6, 7); and
measuring ion density, or ion energy distribution, or both ion density and ion energy distribution of a pulsed plasma in a plasma processing apparatus using the ion probe (see abstract, fig. 6, paras. (2), (23), (29), (50), (57), (58), (59), (61), (62); in “DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS” paras. (7), (11), (14), (18), (19), (20), (22), (25), (27)); and
a workpiece support 4 within the inner chamber wall 33, the workpiece support 4 for supporting a workpiece W in a processing region of the chamber 33; and
Regarding claim 13, wherein “a probe station having a linear translation stage” is considered to be inherent in the Kawai et al. (6,452,400) plasma processing apparatus for retracting or moving the probe 6 (see in “DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS” paras. (9), (11), (19)).
Regarding claim 15, wherein the ion probe is an ion current plasma probe with a probe tip capacitively coupled to a bulk plasma in the plasma region for pulsed plasma measurements (see abstract, figs. 1, 8, paras. (12), (17), (19), (29), (58), (61), (62), in “DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS” paras. (7), (13), (15), (18), (25)).
Claims 6 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (2022/0270852).
Lee et al. (2022/0270852) discloses, in figs. 1-17, a plasma processing apparatus and/or method using an ion probe capacitively coupling to a bulk plasma in a plasma region of the plasma processing apparatus for monitoring a plasma parameter, which includes:
Regarding claims 6, 12, 14,
providing an ion probe 10 extending through a chamber 30 and inner chamber wall and into a plasma region of a plasma processing apparatus (see figs. 1, 3);
measuring ion density, or ion energy distribution, or both ion density and ion energy distribution of a pulsed plasma in a plasma processing apparatus using the ion probe 10 (see abstract, figs. 6A, 6B, 8A, 8B, 10A, 10B, 17, [0002], [0019]-[0021], [0024], [0025], [0031], [0032], [0038], [0040]-[0042], [0079], [0085], [0086], [0097]-[0101], [0107]-[0111], [0117]-[0126], [0132], [0135], [0136], [0148], [0151]-[0154], [0156]-[0158]); and
a workpiece support 70 within the inner chamber wall 30, the workpiece support 70 for supporting a workpiece 60 in a processing region of the chamber (see figs. 1, 3).
Regarding claim 13, wherein “a probe station having a linear translation stage” is considered to be inherent in the Lee et al. (2022/0270852) plasma processing apparatus for positioning or moving the probe 10 (see [0074]).
Regarding claim 15, wherein the ion probe 10 is an ion current plasma probe 10 with a probe tip capacitively coupled to a bulk plasma in the plasma region for pulsed plasma measurements (see “probe or antenna” in abstract; in figs. 1, 3, 17; in [0002], [0004], [0005], [0019]-[0021], [0024], [0026], [0031], [0033], [0038], [0040]-[0042], [0065], [0074], [0075], [0083], [0092], [0093], [0097]-[0101], [0103], [0107]-[0111], [0117]-[0127], [0132]-[0158]).
Claim 1 is are allowable.
Claims 7-11 and 16-20 are 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 2-5, 8-11, 13 and 17-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome objection(s) and the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The Reasons for Allowable Subject Matter
The prior art fails to disclose a plasma processing apparatus and/or method using an ion probe for capacitively coupling to a bulk plasma in a plasma region of the plasma processing apparatus, which includes an outer alumina tube surrounding an inner aluminum tube; and an aluminum wire extending through a portion of a center of the inner aluminum tube and held by crimps as recited in claims 1, 7 and 16.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1) Kim et al. (2005/0016683) discloses, close to the invention of current application, a plasma processing apparatus using a linear translation stage for moving a probe relative to a plasma in a chamber to measuring a plasma electron density.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIET TUAN NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2479. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8-6.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert H. Kim can be reached on 571-272-2293. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.
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/KIET T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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