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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 1-6, 11, 12, 14, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Van Damme et al. [US 2020/0174381 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Van Damme et al. discloses a method (paragraph [0002]), comprising:
receiving a reticle assembly (as shown in Fig. 4) comprising a reticle (MA) and a pellicle membrane (TL);
transporting (paragraph [0017]) the reticle assembly to an exposure tool (Fig. 2) and securing the reticle assembly (MA and TL) on a reticle stage (MT) of the exposure tool (as shown in Fig. 2);
determining a scanning speed profile based on a risk level associated with a quality of the pellicle membrane (paragraph [0061] teaches determining deformation of the transparent layer depending on the scan direction, and is different for different scan speeds); and
performing an exposure operation (paragraph [0094] teaches a sequence of non-exposure operations or movements and exposure operations) by driving the reticle stage (MT) according to the scanning speed profile (as shown in Figs. 10 A and 10B, see also paragraphs [0091]-[0093] teaches exposing the substrate at a scan speed with respect to the deformation of the transparent layer (pellicle)).
Regarding claim 11, Van Damme et al. discloses a method (paragraph [0002]), comprising:
receiving a reticle assembly (as shown in Fig. 4), wherein the reticle assembly includes a reticle (MA) and a pellicle membrane (TL);
securing (paragraph [0017]) the reticle assembly (MA and TL) on a reticle stage (MA) of an exposure tool (as shown in Fig. 2);
acquiring pellicle quality indices (paragraphs [0056] and [0071]-[0073] teaches the profiling system and accounting for properties of the transparent layer, such as stiffness, resonance behavior, elasticity, etc);
determining a first scanning speed profile of the reticle stage based on the pellicle quality indices (paragraph [0061] teaches determining deformation of the transparent layer depending on the scan direction, and is different for different scan speeds); and
performing an exposure operation (paragraph [0094] teaches a sequence of non-exposure operations or movements and exposure operations) on a substrate (W) according to the first scanning speed profile (as shown in Figs. 10 A and 10B, see also paragraphs [0091]-[0093] teaches exposing the substrate at a scan speed with respect to the deformation of the transparent layer (pellicle)).
Regarding claim 18, Van Damme et al. discloses a photolithography apparatus (Fig. 1), comprising:
an exposure tool (Fig. 2), comprising:
a reticle stage (MT) operable to secure a reticle assembly (Fig. 4), wherein the reticle assembly comprises a reticle (MA) protected by a pellicle membrane (TL), and the reticle stage (MT) is operable to move the reticle assembly in a first direction (paragraph [0060] teaches the scanning movement of the support);
a substrate stage (WT) operable to secure a substrate (W), wherein the substrate stage (WT) is operable to move the substrate (W) relative to the reticle assembly (paragraph [0048]); and
a control unit (LACU) electrically coupled (as shown in Fig. 2) to the reticle stage (MT); and
an inspection tool (PS) configured to acquire a deformation level of the pellicle membrane (paragraphs [0056] and [0071]-[0073] teaches the profiling system and accounting for properties of the transparent layer, such as stiffness, resonance behavior, elasticity, etc),
wherein the control unit (LACU) is configured to determine a scanning speed profile of the reticle stage (MT) at least based on the deformation level of the pellicle membrane (paragraph [0061] teaches determining deformation of the transparent layer depending on the scan direction, and is different for different scan speeds).
Regarding claims 2, 12 and 14, Van Damme et al. discloses further comprising: measuring (PS) a deformation of the pellicle membrane to determine a sag value (paragraphs [0056] and [0071]-[0073] teaches the profiling system and accounting for properties of the transparent layer, such as stiffness, resonance behavior, elasticity, etc); and using the sag value to determine the scanning speed profile (paragraph [0061] teaches determining deformation of the transparent layer depending on the scan direction, and is different for different scan speeds).
Regarding claims 3-5, Van Damme et al. discloses wherein the determining scanning speed profile includes determining: an initial section at a beginning of a scanning path, wherein the reticle stage is driven to move at a first acceleration in the initial section; a scanning section subsequent to the initial section, wherein the reticle stage is driven at a substantially constant speed in the scanning section; and a final section subsequent to the scanning section at an end of the scanning path, wherein the reticle stage is driven to move at first deceleration at the final section, wherein the determining the scanning speed profile includes decreasing a baseline acceleration to the first acceleration due to the risk level, wherein the reticle comprises a feature region and a border region surrounding the feature region, and the scanning path begins at a lower boundary of the border region and terminates at an upper boundary of the border region (as shown in Figs. 10 A and 10B, see also paragraphs [0091]-[0093] teaches exposing the substrate at a scan speed with respect to the deformation of the transparent layer (pellicle)).
Regarding claim 6, Van Damme et al. discloses wherein the pellicle membrane (TL) is determined to have the risk level based on at least one of a composition of the pellicle membrane, a deformation level of the pellicle membrane, an adjustment level of a radiation energy, a number of substrates processed, and a movement speed of a substrate stage for supporting a substrate to be exposed (paragraphs [0056] and [0071]-[0073] teaches the profiling system and accounting for properties of the transparent layer, such as stiffness, resonance behavior, elasticity, etc);
Regarding claim 19, Van Damme et al. discloses further comprising: a radiation source (SO) configured to generate an electromagnetic radiation having a radiation energy, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is guided to the reticle (MA), and the reticle reflects (paragraph [0039]) and patterns the electromagnetic radiation to form a patterned electromagnetic radiation; and a detector (AS) configured to acquire an exposure energy of the patterned electromagnetic radiation and generate a detection result (paragraph [0059] teaches a Transmission Image Sensor).
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.
Claims 7-10, 13, 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Van Damme et al. in view of Brouns et al. [US 2020/0341366 A1].
Regarding claims 7-10, 13, 15-17 and 20, Van Damme et al. discloses the photolithography apparatus / the method, as applied above.
Van Damme et al. does not teach further comprising issuing an alarm signal when the adjustment level in the radiation energy is greater than a tolerable level, wherein the driving of the reticle stage according to the scanning speed profile further comprises: in response to the pellicle membrane being at a high risk of rupture, replacing the pellicle membrane with a qualified pellicle membrane, further comprising: detaching the reticle assembly from the reticle stage and transporting the reticle assembly to an inspection tool; irradiating an inspection beam onto the pellicle membrane and detecting scattered beams after the irradiation; and determining a deformation level of the pellicle membrane based on the detected scattered beams, wherein the risk level is determined using the deformation level, wherein the irradiating the inspection beam is performed during a polarity switch period of a reticle stage.
However, Brouns et al. discloses a lithographic apparatus including a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to measure a property associated with the pellicle, the property being indicative of the pellicle condition (Abstract). Specifically, Brouns et al. discloses an inspection tool such as a patterning device inspection tool wherein the pellicle may not be located in the lithographic apparatus when the measurements are taken (paragraph [0192]). Brouns et al. also discloses wherein the absolute power of the lithographic conditions is relaxed in response to thermal hot spots as a result of the temperature of the pellicle increasing from the infrared radiation (paragraphs [0009]-[0014] and [0018]). Further, Brouns et al. also discloses providing immediate feedback of a pellicle rupture or impending pellicle rupture such the pellicle can be replaced (paragraphs [0070] and [0191]). Even further, Brouns et al. discloses these provides the advantages of providing pellicle failure information, increasing the throughput of substrates, and avoiding damage to substrates (paragraph [0009]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art to provide adjusting the radiation level or replacing a pellicle after inspecting in an inspection tool, as taught by Brouns et al. in the system of Van Damme et al. because such a modification provides the advantages of providing pellicle failure information, increasing the throughput of substrates, and avoiding damage to substrates (paragraph [0009] of Brouns et al.).
Conclusion
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/DEORAM PERSAUD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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