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 . Claims 1-19 filed on 11/25/2024 have been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. CN202210602647.6, filed on 5/30/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 11/25/2024 has been reviewed and considered by this office action.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 11/25/2024 have been reviewed and are considered acceptable.
Specification
The specification filed on 11/25/2024 has been reviewed and is considered acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: Amended claim 5 is currently missing the formula that was in the original claim leading to confusion as a plurality of variables are defined without an accompanying formula. Please amend the claim to include the missing formula. In order to further prosecution, any prior art containing the variables listed will be interpreted to read upon the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation of, “…acquiring an actual pressure value in the process chamber in real time; calculating a pressure variation of the actual pressure value; and comparing the pressure variation with a preset value set in advance;”. In particular, it is unclear what the “variation” in pressure is referring to as compared to the actual pressure value. For instance, is it comparing the actual value to a setpoint pressure value that the chamber is set to achieve? Is it a pressure variation in an expected pressure value in the given situation that requires compensation? Is it a change in rate of pressure? In order to further prosecution, any variation in pressure will be interpreted to read upon the present limitation until further amendments and clarification are provided.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by McMillin et al. (US Patent 6,142,163).
Regarding Claim 1; McMillin teaches; A pressure control method applied to a process chamber of a semiconductor process device, a gas pipeline of the process chamber being provided with a pressure regulating valve for regulating a pressure in the process chamber, wherein the method comprises: (McMillin; at least Fig. 2; column 6, lines 33-67; disclose a reaction chamber (106) (i.e. process chamber) for producing wafer substrates wherein the system further includes a pressure controlling gate valve (124) for regulating and maintaining set pressure in the reaction chamber)
acquiring an actual pressure value in the process chamber in real time; (McMillin; at least column 6, lines 58-61; column 8, lines 8-30; disclose a pressure control system and method for a process chamber wherein the system includes a manometer for acquiring actual pressure of the process chamber)
calculating a pressure variation of the actual pressure value; and (McMillin; at least column 6, lines 58-61; column 8, lines 8-30; disclose wherein the system further can determine the difference between the current pressure and setpoint pressure)
comparing the pressure variation with a preset value set in advance; in a case where the pressure variation is less than or equal to the preset value, controlling an actuator of the pressure regulating valve to maintain a current frequency, and controlling an opening change of the pressure regulating valve based on the current frequency; and in a case where the pressure variation is greater than the preset value, controlling a frequency of the actuator to decrease according to a preset functional relationship, and controlling the opening change of the pressure regulating valve based on the frequency. (McMillin; at least column 6, lines 58-61; column 8, lines 8-30; disclose wherein the system and method further includes comparing the pressure variation to a preset percentage value (i.e. 5% as discussed in the prior art) of actual pressure to a setpoint pressure, wherein if the pressure is not within the preset range, controlling the actuator of the pressure regulating valve to maintain a current opening and when the system detects that the system pressure is within the 5% preset range, adjusting an opening of the pressure control valve to decrease it’s opening and to smoothly reach the setpoint pressure and avoid overshooting the target pressure).
Regarding Claims 2 and 12; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 1, wherein calculating the pressure variation of the actual pressure value comprises: calculating a first difference between a first actual pressure value in the process chamber which is acquired at a first moment and a target pressure value; calculating a second difference between a second actual pressure value in the process chamber which is acquired at a second moment and the target pressure value; and calculating a ratio of a difference between the first difference and the second difference to a maximum difference between an initial actual pressure value in the process chamber and the target pressure value as the pressure variation. (McMillin; at least column 11, lines 1-65).
Regarding Claims 3 and 13; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 1, wherein calculating the pressure variation of the actual pressure value comprises: calculating a first difference between a first actual pressure value in the process chamber which is acquired at a first moment and a target pressure value; calculating a second difference between a second actual pressure value in the process chamber which is acquired at a second moment and the target pressure value; and calculating a ratio of a difference between the first difference and the second difference to the first difference as the pressure variation. (McMillin; at least column 11, lines 1-65).
Regarding Claims 4 and 14; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 1, wherein controlling the frequency of the actuator to decrease according to the preset functional relationship comprises: calculating a difference between each acquired actual pressure value and a target pressure value; and in a case where the difference is greater than zero, controlling the frequency of the actuator to decrease according to the preset functional relationship, with the preset functional relationship meeting that differences corresponding to all actual pressure values correspond to frequencies of the actuator in a one-to-one correspondence manner. (McMillin; at least Figs. 3 and 5; column 7, lines 58-67; column 8, lines 1-7).
Regarding Claims 5 and 15; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 1, wherein the preset functional relationship is: , where Fi is the current frequency of the actuator, Fi+1 is a next frequency of the actuator, a value of K is between 0 and 1, and i=1, 2, 3, ..., n, wherein F1 is an initial frequency of the actuator, and the initial frequency is a maximum frequency at which the actuator does not produce resonance. (McMillin; at least column 9, lines 63-67; column 10, lines 1-28).
Regarding Claims 6 and 16; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 5, wherein controlling the opening change of the pressure regulating valve based on the frequency comprises: according to the acquired actual pressure value and a target pressure value set in advance, controlling the opening change of the pressure regulating valve with a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) closed-loop control method. (McMillin; at least column 3, lines 30-41).
Regarding Claims 7 and 17; McMillin teaches; The pressure control method of claim 1, wherein the actual pressure value is an absolute pressure value inside the process chamber; or the actual pressure value is a relative value between the pressure inside the process chamber and the atmospheric pressure. (McMillin; at least claim 9).
Regarding Claim 8; McMillin teaches; A chamber pressure control apparatus, comprising: a pressure collector, a pressure controller, and an actuator; the pressure collector is configured to collect an actual pressure value in a process chamber in real time; the pressure controller is configured to perform the pressure control method of claim 1, and the actuator is configured to control an opening change of a pressure regulating valve based on a frequency output by the pressure controller. (McMillin; at least Fig. 2; column 6, lines 58-61; column 8, lines 8-30).
Regarding Claims 9 and 18; McMillin teaches; The chamber pressure control apparatus of claim 8, wherein the actuator is a motor for controlling the opening change of the pressure regulating valve, and a frequency of the actuator is a rotation frequency of the motor. (McMillin; at least column 12, lines 1-22).
Regarding Claims 10 and 19; McMillin teaches; The chamber pressure control apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pressure regulating valve comprises an elastic telescopic member, so as to perform opening adjustment with the elastic telescopic member. (McMillin; at least Fig. 2; column 6, lines 33-46).
Regarding Claim 11; McMillin teaches; A semiconductor process device, comprising a process chamber, and a pressure regulating valve provided on a gas pipeline of the process chamber, wherein the semiconductor process device further comprises the chamber pressure control apparatus of claim 8. (McMillin; at least Fig. 2; column 6, lines 58-61; column 8, lines 8-30).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shihommatsu et al. (US PGPUB 20230395360): Disclosed is a technique capable of suppressing pressure fluctuations within a plasma processing chamber. A plasma processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a chamber; a gas supply that supplies a processing gas into the chamber; a power supply that generates a source RF signal to form a plasma from the processing gas within the chamber; a storage that stores in advance a source set value that is a set value of a parameter of the source RF signal; a pressure regulation valve connected to the chamber, the pressure regulation valve being configured to regulate an internal pressure of the chamber; an opening degree calculator that calculates an opening degree of the pressure regulation valve, the opening degree being calculated based on the source set value; and an opening degree controller that controls the opening degree of the pressure regulation valve based on the calculated opening degree.
Nakaya et al. (US PGPUB 20220310413): Disclosed is a technique that includes a processor configured to be capable of executing a process recipe to process a substrate; and a pressure controller configured to be capable of controlling a pressure of a process chamber, in which the substrate is processed, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure regulating valve provided to an exhaust line of the process chamber, wherein when controlling the pressure of the process chamber, the pressure controller adjusts the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve and outputs information of the opening degree, and wherein while receiving the information of the opening degree from the pressure controller and monitoring an open/close state of the pressure regulating valve, the processor is configured to, when the information of the opening degree is a preset value, be capable of determining whether or not opening/closing of the pressure regulating valve happens.
Snijders (US PGPUB 20050279454): Disclosed is a pressure control system allows gas to be evacuated out of a semiconductor process chamber at a substantially constant rate of mass flow. A gas line connects the process chamber to a vacuum pump. A controllable valve having a variable sized opening is positioned between the process chamber and the vacuum pump. A pressure sensor is in turn positioned between the valve and the vacuum pump, proximate the inlet to the vacuum pump. The size of the variable sized opening is regulated based upon the pressure in the gas line measured by the pressure sensor. The size of the valve opening is varied to maintain the pressure measured by the pressure sensor at a constant value. As a result, because the quantity of gas flowing through the gas line is proportional to the gas pressure, a substantially constant mass flow of gas out of the chamber and into the pump can be achieved.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER W CARTER whose telephone number is (469)295-9262. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6:30.
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/CHRISTOPHER W CARTER/Examiner, Art Unit 2117
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