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 .
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.
Claim Status
Claims 1-20 are pending, and have been examined herein on the merits.
Claim Interpretation
For clarity of the record and brevity of this action, the Examiner notes all claims are construed as detailed in this section.
The claimed “flow controller” (claims 1 and 11) is not described or depicted in the instant disclosure as containing any localized memory and/or programming, nor a processing device configured to perform any particular actions.
As such, the functional limitations originating with the “flow controller” are not structurally limiting of the claims. Instead, all functional language is construed as an intended use of the cooling system which includes a generic flow control device (valve, mass flow controller, etc).
Under this interpretation, the functional limitations are only given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use(s).
A claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. See MPEP 2114(II).
The Examiner suggests that, if the operation of the claimed cooling system is of critical importance to the Applicant, the Applicant pursue this operation as method claims in a continuing application.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon (US Pub. 2021/0111056) in view of Tsubokawa (US Pub. 2014/0319672) and Fujii (US Patent 6,135,052).
Regarding claim 1, Yoon teaches a cooling system for semiconductor equipment (Fig. 1, apparatus #100), the cooling system comprising: a chamber ([0023] and Fig. 1, chamber #110); an electrostatic chuck in the chamber ([0023] and Fig. 1, electrostatic chuck #122).
Yoon does not teach a coolant pipe housing in at least one of the chamber and the electrostatic chuck, the coolant pipe housing having an internal space; a coolant pipe at least partially in the internal space of the coolant pipe housing; and a flow controller configured to control a flow velocity of a coolant flowing along the coolant pipe so that the flow velocity periodically reaches a highest speed and a lowest speed.
However, Tsubokawa teaches a coolant pipe housing in at least one of the chamber and the electrostatic chuck (Tsubokawa – [0115] and Figs. 1,4: heat exchanger #200 with channel member #100 providing coolant #23; [0030] details liquid/gas coolant), the coolant pipe housing having an internal space (see Fig. 4); a coolant pipe at least partially in the internal space of the coolant pipe housing (see Fig. 4, volume between #10 and #11; [0038] describes it containing piping).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to include the cooling structure of Tsubokawa with the Yoon apparatus in order to reduce the generation of heat from the electrode, reduce temperature rise in substrates, and improve manufacturing accuracy (Tsubokawa – [0014]).
Modified Yoon does not explicitly teach a flow controller, although the Examiner submits Tsubokawa likely implies or inherently possesses a flow controller in disclosing wherein the fluid is supplied under high pressure (Tsubokawa – Abstract, [0062]).
Alternatively/additionally, Fujii teaches a flow controller (Fujii – Fig. 2, main valve #8 for coolant pipe #11).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to include the flow controller of Fujii with the modified Yoon apparatus in order to control the flow rate of coolant therethrough (Fujii – C4, L30-35).
The remainder of the claim is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use(s). See the Claim Interpretation section above.
The modified Yoon apparatus is regarded as capable of controlling flow velocity at different speeds due to the flow controller and control unit of Fujii and the cooling structure of Tsubokawa.
Regarding claims 2-10, the entirety of each claim is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. See the Claim Interpretation section above.
The modified Yoon apparatus is regarded as capable of controlling flow velocity at different speeds, with different waveforms, and for different lengths of time due to the flow controller and control unit of Fujii and the cooling structure of Tsubokawa.
Regarding claim 11, Yoon teaches a cooling system for semiconductor equipment (Fig. 1, apparatus #100), the cooling system comprising: a chamber ([0023] and Fig. 1, chamber #110); and an electrostatic chuck in the chamber ([0023] and Fig. 1, electrostatic chuck #122), wherein the electrostatic chuck includes: a top plate on which a wafer is seated ([0023] and Fig. 1, wafer placed on top plate surface of #122).
Yoon does not teach a coolant pipe housing below the top plate and having an internal space; and a coolant pipe at least partially in the internal space of the coolant pipe housing;
However, Tsubokawa teaches a coolant pipe housing having an internal space (see Fig. 4); and a coolant pipe at least partially in the internal space of the coolant pipe housing (see Fig. 4, volume between #10 and #11; [0038] describes it containing piping).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to include the cooling structure of Tsubokawa with the Yoon apparatus in order to reduce the generation of heat from the electrode, reduce temperature rise in substrates, and improve manufacturing accuracy (Tsubokawa – [0014]).
Modified Yoon does not explicitly teach a flow controller, although the Examiner submits Tsubokawa likely implies or inherently possesses a flow controller in disclosing wherein the fluid is supplied under high pressure (Tsubokawa – Abstract, [0062]).
Alternatively/additionally, Fujii teaches a flow controller (Fujii – Fig. 2, main valve #8 for coolant pipe #11).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the instant application, to include the flow controller of Fujii with the modified Yoon apparatus in order to control the flow rate of coolant therethrough (Fujii – C4, L30-35).
The remainder of the claim is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use(s). See the Claim Interpretation section above.
The modified Yoon apparatus is regarded as capable of controlling flow velocity at different speeds due to the flow controller and control unit of Fujii and the cooling structure of Tsubokawa.
Regarding claims 12-20, the entirety of each claim is merely an intended use and is given patentable weight to the extent that the prior art is capable of performing the intended use. See the Claim Interpretation section above.
The modified Yoon apparatus is regarded as capable of controlling flow velocity at different speeds, with different waveforms, and for different lengths of time due to the flow controller and control unit of Fujii and the cooling structure of Tsubokawa.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Burward-Hoy (US 5,977,785) teaches a waveform control of cooling fluid (Fig. 7). White (US Pub. 2008/0035306) teaches shape variations in cooling channels (Figs. 2A-3F), as does Chung (US Pub. 2014/0096716, Figs. 2-3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kurt Sweely whose telephone number is (571)272-8482. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gordon Baldwin can be reached at (571)-272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Kurt Sweely/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
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