DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim(s) 12-15 and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1).
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 20 recites a dependency to itself however, it appears to have been intended to depend from claim 12. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 12-15 and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by US Patent 7,138,640 to Delgado et al. (provided by applicant).
In regards to claims 12-15 and 20-22, Delgado discloses and shows in Figures 1-15, a sample inspection tool and method (col. 1, ll. 16-20) comprising:
a light source configured to produce effective inspection radiation below approximately 200nm (col. 1, ll. 57-68; col. 4, ll. 48-64; col. 12, l. 55-68; col. 14, ll. 6; wherein the deep UV range encompasses 100-300 nm);
a sample holder (220) (col. 1, ll. 57-68; col. 13, ll. 16-30);
an imaging sub-system (204) containing sub-system components configured to deliver light along an optical path from the light source to a sample to be held by the sample holder (col. 1, ll. 57-68; col. 4, ll. 16-27); and
a transparent cover (260) (applicant’s barrier) positioned between a last sub-system component (24) in the optical path and the sample (12) to be held by the sample holder, the barrier configured to permit the radiation to pass therethrough and to inhibit impurities from reaching the sample to be held by the sample holder (Figures 8-9, 11-12, 15) (col. 14, ll. 50 to col. 15, ll. 26; wherein a transparent cover may be attached to a pedestal for supporting the sample, thereby enclosing the sample and inhibiting impurities for reaching the sample); (See also, Figures 2-5; col. 7, ll. 7 to col. 8, ll. 56; wherein a cover (64, 80) is attached to a housing (60) to provide a plurality of gas conduits around the optical system and sample, thereby allowing a purging gas to flow therethrough and remove any contaminants from around the optics and the sample);
[claim 13] wherein the impurities comprise particulates (col. 1, ll. 39-47);
[claim 14] wherein the impurities comprise spectral impurities (col. 4, ll. 65 to col. 5, ll. 51);
[claim 15] wherein the impurities include a particular gas or gasses in the inspection tool (col. 4, ll. 65 to col. 5, ll. 51);
[claim 20] further comprising:
a plurality of fasteners (161) (applicant’s releasable barrier holder) configured to hold the barrier at the position between the last optical element in the optical path and the sample to be held by the sample holder and to release the barrier to permit replacement thereof (Figures 5a-c) (col. 10, ll. 63-68; col. 13, ll. 31-68; col. 14, 21-58; wherein screws, magnets, snaps, hooks, grooves or adhesives may be used to attach an optical membrane in a variety of locations);
[claim 21] wherein the light source is configured to produce the effective inspection radiation of greater than about 100nm (col. 1, ll. 57-68; col. 4, ll. 48-64; col. 12, l. 55-68; col. 14, ll. 6; wherein the deep UV range encompasses 100-300 nm);
[claim 22] wherein the barrier is separated from the sample by about 0.1 mm to 10 mm (col. 8, ll. 10-56; col. 11, ll. 46-59).
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) 16-18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Delgado, in view of US Publication 2022/0311200 to Cox et al.
In regards to claims 16-18 and 19, Delgado differs from the limitations in that it is silent to the apparatus wherein:
[claim 16] the barrier comprises a thin film having multiple layers, a first layer is made of a first material or composition of materials, and a second layer is made of a second material or composition of materials, different from the first material or composition of materials;
[claim 18] wherein the barrier comprises a thin film of silicon-containing material;
[claim 19] wherein: the barrier comprises a frame surrounding a thin film, and the thin film has a thickness between about 3 nm and 200 nm.
However, Cox teaches and shows a system for protecting optical elements, such as transmissive windows, from intense UV laser light (par. 9, 16). The system including an optically transparent substrate and a plurality of different layers to prevent degradation of the optical components (par. 16, 18, 44-45). The plurality of different layers may include various silicon, metals and adhesive materials, which may range from 5 nm to 120 nm thick (par. 57, 61, 87, 89). The system may also include protective coatings anti-reflection coatings, and blocking coatings, which may be an aluminum or metallic material (par. 54, 81-82).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Delgado to include the thin film layers discussed above for the advantage of protecting optical elements from degradation, with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim(s) 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Delgado, in view of US Publication 2007/0178631 to Tanaka.
In regards to claim 17, Delgado differs from the limitations in that it is silent to the apparatus wherein:
[claim 17] wherein the barrier comprises a thin film of carbon-containing material.
However, Tanaka teaches and shows a system and method for protecting a semiconductor device, wherein a protective layer is formed of a material containing carbon, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide (par. 200-201).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Delgado to include the thin film layer discussed above for the advantage of providing a hard and resilient layer to protect optical elements from degradation, with a reasonable expectation of success.
Conclusion
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JONATHAN M. HANSEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2877
/JONATHAN M HANSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877