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 .
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, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Saito et al (20200278084).
Regarding claim 1, in making and/or using the device of Saito, for supplying associative gas (HF, Para 15) which is likely to cause association to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (Para 22), one would perform the steps of a step in which one associative gas (HF, Para 15, source 12) is selected for the purpose of using in manufacture of semiconductor devices, a step in which data of equilibrium vapor pressure Pe(T) as a function of temperature T for the selected associative gas is acquired (saturated vapor pressure curve, Fig 3), a step in which the maximum allowable pressure Pmax(T) at which the associative gas can be supplied without causing association is determined (Para 31, Para 47, pressure/temperature below saturation curve by a margin) based on the data of the equilibrium vapor pressure Pe(T), a step in which temperature Tg (adjusting temperature to desired values would necessarily involve temperature measuring) and pressure Pg (sensor 34) of the associative gas supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus are measured, a step in which a value of the maximum allowable pressure Pmax(Tg) at the measured temperature Tg is determined (pressure below critical valve from curve), and a step in which the pressure Pg is (Para 31) adjusted such that the measured pressure Pg does not exceed a value of the determined maximum allowable pressure.
As to claim 8, Saito shows a step in which a flow rate Fg of the associative gas supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus per unit time is measured using a flow rate measuring means 34, and a step in which the measured flow rate Fg is controlled so as to be coincident with a preset flow rate Fs (by controller 35).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 6, 7 is/are allowed. Claim(s) 2-5 is/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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Atif Chaudry at phone number 571-270-3768. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (9:30AM-6:00PM EST).
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/ATIF H CHAUDRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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