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 Group I (claims 1-10) in the reply filed on 8/25/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 11-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 8/25/2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
363a, 370a and 373a in Figs. 7A-7C, 11A-11B and 12A-12B.
365b, 370b and 375b in Figs. 8A-8C.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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 § 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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takebayashi (US PGPub No. 2023/0055928, a prior art published before the instant application) in view of Yamauchi (US PGPub No. 2024/0174457, a prior art effectively filed before the instant application).
Regarding claim 1, Takebayashi discloses a substrate support device comprising:
an electrostatic chuck (ceramic base 20 and first cooling base 30. The ceramic base 20 has a electrostatic wafer attracting electrode 25, paragraph 0025) configured to support a substrate (wafer W), the electrostatic chuck comprising therein a flow path of temperature control fluid (passage 23 of back side gas or BS gas, Fig. 6) for temperature control (the back side gas controls the temperature of the wafer W at least by gas convection);
a body member (second cooling base 50) configured to support the electrostatic chuck (the second cooling base 50 supports the ceramic base 20 and the first cooling base on top);
a fluid supply block (mounting plate 81) mounted in the body member (mounts on bottom side of the first cooling base 30 and second cooling base 50), the fluid supply block comprising a temperature control fluid supply path (BS gas introduction passage 84) formed therein to supply the temperature control fluid to the flow path in the electrostatic chuck (the passage 84 supplies the BS gas to the passage 23);
a sealing member (seal rings 91-95) mounted to the fluid supply block (on interface between the mounting plate 81 and the second cooling base 50).
Takebayashi fails to disclose the sealing member comprising an air injection space defined therein, the sealing member being configured to expand due to injection of air into the air injection space; and an air supply unit configured to inject air into the sealing member.
Yamauchi (Figs. 2A, 2B and 3) discloses a sealing member (seal member 711 between frame bodies 712 and 713), the sealing member comprising an air injection space (S71) defined therein, the sealing member being configured to expand due to injection of air into the air injection space (a first state in Fig. 2B due to a filling of air, paragraph 0054); and an air supply unit (seal drive 714, Fig. 3) configured to inject air into the sealing member (seal drive 714 is controlled to fill the seal 711 with air).
Therefore, each seal ring 91-95 of Takebayashi may be replaced by the inflatable seal member 711 of Yamauchi so that the modified Takebayashi discloses the sealing member set forth in claim 1.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the sealing member comprising an air injection space defined therein, the sealing member being configured to expand due to injection of air into the air injection space; and an air supply unit configured to inject air into the sealing member in Takebayashi as taught by Yamaichi in order to provide an adjustable sealing pressure for close contact between the second cooling base 50 and the mounting plate 81.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takebayashi (US PGPub NO. 2023/0055928) in view of Yamauchi (US PGPub No. 2024/0174457) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wanatabe (US PGPub No. 2019/0198299).
Regarding claim 7, Takebayashi as modified in claim 1 further discloses wherein the fluid supply block comprises:
a heat transfer medium inlet (first refrigerant introduction passage 82) configured to supply a heat transfer medium (refrigerant) to the electrostatic chuck (to the first cooling base 30); and
wherein the sealing member comprises:
a sealing member (94) mounted to the heat transfer medium inlet (the introduction passage 82).
Takebayashi fails to explicitly disclose a heat transfer medium outlet configured to discharge the heat transfer medium from the electrostatic chuck, and
a sealing member mounted to the heat transfer medium outlet.
Wanatabe discloses a heat transfer medium outlet configured to discharge the heat transfer medium from the electrostatic chuck (a refrigerant outlet from refrigerant passage 24 to refrigerant supply device 9, Fig. 2).
Takebayashi further discloses “The other end of the first refrigerant flow channel 31 communicates with a first refrigerant discharge passage”, paragraph 0027.
Therefore, a refrigerant outlet through the second cooling base 50 and the mounting plate 81 in the same manner as the introduction passage 82 may be provided in order to route the first refrigerant back to a first refrigerant circulator 36. Since the introduction passage 82 is provided with the modified inflatable seal 92 taught by Yamauchi, the inflatable seal may also be provided and mounted to the added the heat transfer medium outlet.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided a heat transfer medium outlet configured to discharge the heat transfer medium from the electrostatic chuck, and a sealing member mounted to the heat transfer medium outlet in Takebayashi as taught by Wanatabe in order to direct the first refrigerant back to the first refrigerant circulator 36 and to prevent leakage of the first refrigerant between the second cooling base 50 and the mounting plate 81.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 and 8-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Takebayashi in view of Yamauchi discloses a pressure controlled inflatable seal that replaces the seals 91-95 in order to obtain an adjustable sealing pressure for close contact between the second cooling base 50 and the mounting plate 81.
However, the control of the air being filled into the seal depends on only the air pressure but not depend on any temperature, and Yamauchi lacks a heater in the air supply unit 714.
Therefore, Takebayashi in view of Yamauchi fails to disclose or make obvious the subject matter “a controller configured to control, based on a difference in temperature between the electrostatic chuck and the fluid supply block or a difference in temperature between the fluid supply block and the sealing member, the air supply unit to inject air into the sealing member to expand the sealing member” in claim 2.
Claims 3-6 and 10 are also objected based on their dependence on objected claim 2.
Regarding claim 8, Takebayashi in view of Yamauchi further discloses a coolant inlet (first refrigerant introduction passage 82) configured to supply a coolant (refrigerant) to the electrostatic chuck (to the first cooling base 30); and a first sealing portion fastened to the coolant inlet (modified inflatable seal 92 in view of Yamauchi fastened to the introduction passage 82), the first sealing portion comprising a first air injection space (the space S71 of the modified inflatable seal 92) defined therein, the first sealing portion being configured to expand due to injection of air into the first air injection space (the modified seal 92 inflates as a result of the air being filled in the space S71).
Claim 8 is Takebayashi fails to explicitly disclose a coolant outlet configured to discharge the coolant from the electrostatic chuck, and
a second sealing portion fastened to the coolant outlet, the second sealing portion comprising a second air injection space defined therein, the second sealing portion being configured to expand due to injection of air into the second air injection space
Wanatabe discloses a coolant outlet configured to discharge the coolant from the electrostatic chuck (a refrigerant outlet from refrigerant passage 24 to refrigerant supply device 9, Fig. 2).
Takebayashi further discloses “The other end of the first refrigerant flow channel 31 communicates with a first refrigerant discharge passage”, paragraph 0027.
Similar to claim 7 above, a refrigerant outlet through the second cooling base 50 and the mounting plate 81 in the same manner as the introduction passage 82 may be provided in order to route the first refrigerant back to a first refrigerant circulator 36. Since the introduction passage 82 is provided with the modified inflatable seal 92 taught by Yamauchi, the inflatable seal may also be provided and mounted to the added the coolant outlet.
However, the seals are independent provided and independently surround the first refrigerant introduction passage 82 and the added first refrigerant discharge passage in view of Wanatabe. Therefore, Takebayashi, Yamauchi and Wanatabe fails to disclose or make obvious the subject matter “a connection portion configured to interconnect the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion” set forth in claim 8.
Claim 9 is also objected based on the dependence on objected claim 8.
Conclusion
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/JIANYING C ATKISSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/F.K.L/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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