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 § 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 1-7 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 “irradiating the multiple pixels in the cell”, but does not define which of the “multiple cells” is being referenced. Therefore, it is unclear whether this limitation is meant to apply to irradiating the multiple pixels in each cell, irradiating the multiple pixels in every cell, or irradiating the multiple pixels in one of the multiple cells.
Claims 2-6 inherit the limitations of claim 1.
Claim 7 recites “irradiating the multiple pixels in the cell”, but does not define which of the “multiple cells” is being referenced. Therefore, it is unclear whether this limitation is meant to apply to irradiating the multiple pixels in each cell, irradiating the multiple pixels in every cell, or irradiating the multiple pixels in one of the multiple cells.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Regarding independent claim 1; Kato et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2018/0307144 discloses a multi-beam writing method (“a multiple charged particle beam lithography apparatus” [Abstract]) for dividing a writing region of a substrate on a stage (“A target object 101 such as mask blanks to be a substrate intended for pattern writing while a pattern is written is arranged on the XY stage 105” [0032]) to be irradiated with a beam array of a multi-beam into multiple stripe regions (“the target object 101 is divided, for example, into a plurality of stripe regions 35 in a thin rectangular shape of a predetermined width in the y direction” [0044]) with a predetermined width in a direction (Y-direction in figures 6A-6D) perpendicular to a proceed direction (X-direction in figures 6A-6D) of writing (“the XY stage 105 moves continuously, the irradiation position of a beam is controlled by the main deflector 208 so as to track the movement of the XY stage 105” [0043]), dividing each of the stripe regions 35 into multiple pixels 38 each of which is an irradiation unit region for each of individual beams included in the multi-beam (“a pixel region 38 of the first row in the y direction and the second column in the x direction of the irradiation region 34 is irradiated with the beam b11, a pixel region 38 of the first row in the y direction and the sixth column in the x direction of the irradiation region 34 is irradiated with the beam b21, a pixel region 38 of the fifth row in the y direction and the second column in the x direction of the irradiation region 34 is irradiated with the beam b12, and a pixel region 38 of the fifth row in the y direction and the sixth column in the x direction of the irradiation region 34 is irradiated with the beam b22” [0050]), and writing each stripe region with a predetermined within-stripe multiplicity of N (figures 6B-6D illustrate N>1 pixels 38 within each stripe 35), where N is an integer greater than 1 (as illustrated in figures 6B-6D), the multi-beam writing method comprising: generating M different types of segments (figure 6B illustrates M=4 different types of segments, each segment irradiated by a respective beam b11, b12, b21, b22) that define a shot order for multiple pixels 38 belonging to each of multiple cells 34 into which the stripe region is divided (figure 6B illustrates 16 pixels in a cell 34 of the four cells 34 of the stripe 35), the M being an integer greater than 1 (figure 6B illustrates M=4 different types of segments, each segment irradiated by a respective beam b11, b12, b21, b22); irradiating the multiple pixels 38 in the cell 34 with a first individual beam (b11, b12, b21, or b22, in figure 6B) using (m-1)th segment, where m is an integer such that 2 ≤ m ≤ M (as illustrated in figure 6B), while the multi-beam is being deflected (“while the irradiation region 34 is maintained in the position of FIG. 6B by tracking operation, the multiple beams 20 as a whole are collectively deflected by the sub-deflector 209 in the y direction by one pixel and in the above position, the second shot of the multiple beams 20 is targeted” [0050]). However, Kato does not disclose then irradiating the multiple pixels in a cell that has already been irradiated with a first individual beam using (m-1)th segment with a second individual beam different from the first individual beam using mth segment, and writing all pixels in each cell with the multiplicity of N by repeating irradiation sequentially using the M types of segments.
The prior art fails to teach or reasonably suggest, in combination with the other claim limitations, a multi-beam writing method for dividing a writing region of a substrate on a stage to be irradiated with a beam array of a multi-beam into multiple stripe regions with a predetermined width in a direction perpendicular to a proceed direction of writing, dividing each of the stripe regions into multiple pixels each of which is an irradiation unit region for each of individual beams included in the multi-beam, and writing each stripe region with a predetermined within-stripe multiplicity of N, where N is an integer greater than 1, the multi-beam writing method comprising: irradiating the multiple pixels in a cell with a second individual beam different from a first individual beam using an mth segment after irradiating the multiple pixels in the cell with the first individual beam using an (m-1)th segment, where m is an integer such that 2 ≤ m ≤ M, M is an integer of types of segments that define a shot order for multiple pixels belonging to each of multiple cells into which the stripe region is divided greater than 1; and writing all pixels in each cell with the multiplicity of N by repeating irradiation sequentially using the M types of segments.
Regarding dependent claims 2-6; the claims would be allowable at least for their dependence, either directly or indirectly, upon independent claim 1.
Regarding independent claim 7; claim 7 includes substantially similar limitations to those of independent claim 1 and would be allowable at least for the reasons indicated with respect to independent claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON L MCCORMACK whose telephone number is (571)270-1489. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:00AM-5:00PM EST.
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/JASON L MCCORMACK/Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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