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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/16/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (US 2021/0223688 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Sato teaches an imprinting device (100 in Figure 1; paragraph 0024) configured to form a pattern by bringing a resin applied to a substrate into contact with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin (paragraph 0025, The imprint apparatus is an apparatus that brings an imprint material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold and supplies curing energy to the imprint material to form a pattern of the cured material to which a concave-convex pattern of the mold is transferred), the device comprising at least one processor or circuit (controller 107) configured to function as:
a control unit (paragraph 0038, connected to each constituent element of the imprint apparatus 100 via a line to control each constituent element) configured to move the mold (108) or the substrate (111) to a next shot region (paragraph 0050, the shot region is moved from the supply position of the imprint material to a position under the mold holder 103) so that a portion of the mold facing a periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting a shot region of the periphery portion with the mold (shot region shot 7 in Figure 4, is a peripheral shot region; paragraphs 0044, 0054, continuous shot regions shot 1, shot 2, shot 3, shot 4, . . . , shot 6, shot 7, shot 8, . . . , shot 14, . . . on the substrate 111 are imprinted in this order. These shot regions include “peripheral shot regions” located in the peripheral portion of the substrate 111) faces an inner side of the periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting the next shot region (shot region shot 8 in Figure 4, follows shot region shot 7 after shot region shot 7 has been imprinted according to Figure 2; paragraph 0050, the controller 107 determines whether there is a shot region to be processed next. If there is a shot region to be processed next, the process returns to step S310, and the imprint process of the next shot region is performed; paragraph 0068, as described in the first embodiment, a sequence of supply of the imprint material, contact, curing, and releasing is performed for each shot region). It is noted the claim as written merely requires a singular shot region to be imprinted internal to a periphery of the substrate after a previous shot region has been imprinted on said periphery.
Regarding claim 2, Sato further discloses the control unit determines an order of shot regions for imprinting (paragraph 0044, The shot layout and the imprinting order are saved in advance as a recipe in a memory or the like of the controller 107).
Regarding claim 3, Sato further discloses the control unit determines a shot region layout of the substrate (paragraph 0044, The shot layout and the imprinting order are saved in advance as a recipe in a memory or the like of the controller 107).
Regarding claim 4, Sato teaches all the elements of claim 3 and further discloses the control unit determines an order of shot regions for imprinting in accordance with the shot region layout (paragraph 0044).
Regarding claim 7, Sato teaches an imprinting method for forming a pattern by bringing a resin applied to a substrate (111) into contact with a mold (108) having a pattern and curing the resin (Fig. 2; paragraphs 0040-0051) , the method comprising:
moving the mold or the substrate to a next shot region so that a portion of the mold facing a periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting a shot region in the periphery portion with the mold (shot region shot 7 in Figure 4, is a peripheral shot region; paragraphs 0044, 0054, continuous shot regions shot 1, shot 2, shot 3, shot 4, . . . , shot 6, shot 7, shot 8, . . . , shot 14, . . . on the substrate 111 are imprinted in this order. These shot regions include “peripheral shot regions” located in the peripheral portion of the substrate 111) faces an inner side of the periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting the next shot region (shot region shot 8 in Figure 4, follows shot region shot 7 after shot region shot 7 has been imprinted according to Figure 2; paragraph 0050, the controller 107 determines whether there is a shot region to be processed next. If there is a shot region to be processed next, the process returns to step S310, and the imprint process of the next shot region is performed; paragraph 0068, as described in the first embodiment, a sequence of supply of the imprint material, contact, curing, and releasing is performed for each shot region).
Regarding claim 8, Sato teaches a method for manufacturing an article (Figure 12; paragraphs 0087-0090) comprising:
when imprinting is performed by bringing a resin applied to a substrate into contact with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin to form a pattern (Figure 2), performing control to move the mold or the substrate to a next shot region so that a portion of the mold facing a periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting a shot region in the periphery portion with the mold (shot region shot 7 in Figure 4, is a peripheral shot region; paragraphs 0044, 0054, continuous shot regions shot 1, shot 2, shot 3, shot 4, . . . , shot 6, shot 7, shot 8, . . . , shot 14, . . . on the substrate 111 are imprinted in this order. These shot regions include “peripheral shot regions” located in the peripheral portion of the substrate 111) faces an inner side of the periphery portion of the substrate at the time of imprinting the next shot region (shot region shot 8 in Figure 4, follows shot region shot 7 after shot region shot 7 has been imprinted according to Figure 2; paragraph 0050, the controller 107 determines whether there is a shot region to be processed next. If there is a shot region to be processed next, the process returns to step S310, and the imprint process of the next shot region is performed; paragraph 0068, as described in the first embodiment, a sequence of supply of the imprint material, contact, curing, and releasing is performed for each shot region), and
forming the pattern of the resin on the substrate (SA in Figure 12; paragraph 0087; S322 in Figure 7; paragraph 0050, thereby forming the pattern on the entire surface of the substrate 111.); and
then machining the substrate on which the pattern is formed (Se, SF in Figure 12; paragraph 0090, portions out of the surface of the processing target material 2 z where the cured material is not present or thinly remains are removed, and grooves 5 z are achieved; which is consistent with what Applicant considers ‘machining’ as evidenced by paragraph 0126 of the published application).
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) 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato, in view of Murasato (US 2019/0263031 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Sato teaches all the elements of claim 1, but does not disclose the control unit creates an atmosphere that hinders the curing of the resin in the vicinity of the periphery portion in a process of curing the resin at the time of imprinting the shot region of the periphery portion or at the time of imprinting the next shot region.
Murasato teaches an imprinting device (100 in Figure 1; paragraph 0032), configured to form a pattern by bringing a resin (imprint material IM) applied to a substrate (1) into contact with a mold (4) having a pattern (43) and curing the resin. Further, the imprint device comprises a control unit (23; paragraph 0044) and first and second supply units (9, 10) controlled by the control unit (paragraphs 0045-0046). The second supply unit is configured to create an atmosphere that hinders the curing of the resin (paragraph 0046) at the time of imprinting of a next shot region (paragraph 0047). Murasato discloses curing of imprint material is inhibited or suppressed outside the pattern region in contain between the substrate and the mold (paragraph 0047), which ensures only imprint material in contain between the substrate and the mold is cured (paragraphs 0054, 0067). One of orindary skill in the art could have applied this known improved technique to the invention of Sato and the results would have been predicatable to one skilled in the art. Resin outside of the imprinted area not intended to be cured could be inhibited from being cured leading to an improved product. Further, as both Sato and Murasato disclose the use of control units to control their respective apparatuses, one skilled in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in making said modification.
Regarding claim 6, Sato, as modified by Murasato, teaches all the elements of claim 5 and further discloses the control unit supplies a gas containing oxygen to the vicinity of the periphery portion in the process of curing the resin at the time of imprinting the shot region of the periphery portion or at the time of imprinting the next shot region (paragraph 0046, the second gas is a gas that contains oxygen.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ghariehali (US 2020/0379342 A1) discloses using oxygen as inhibition gas in a method for imprinting a substrate.
Yamamoto (US 2016/0016353 A1 discloses a control unit for an imprint apparatus configured to determine layouts of shot regions.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Virak Nguon whose telephone number is (571)272-4196. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday (and alternate Fridays) 7:30-5:00.
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/VIRAK NGUON/Examiner, Art Unit 1741 2/13/2026