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 .
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) 1-8 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. [US 20170045826 A1, hereafter Lee].
As per Claim 1, Lee teaches a method of using a lithography apparatus 101 (See fig. 1A, Para 73), comprising:
placing a patterning device 108 and a substrate 112 in the lithography apparatus;
irradiating, by the lithography apparatus, a first region of the substrate with a diffraction light (Para 73); and
increasing an optical path difference (OPD) of the diffraction light on the first region (Para 93, wherein diffracted beam 308 such that the optical paths of the diffracted beams 306,308 are asymmetrically incident on the sample 112),
wherein the diffraction light includes a first diffraction light and a second diffraction light (See fig. 3A),
wherein the OPD is a difference in an optical path of the first diffraction light and an optical path of the second diffraction light (Para 93),
wherein the lithography apparatus includes:
an illumination source 102 configured to emit a light beam that is used as the diffraction light 104 (Para 90);
a substrate table 114 (shown in fig. 1A) supporting the substrate 112;
a supporting structure (mask support device 106) that supports the patterning device 108 and is optically connected to the illumination source (Para 79-80); and
a projection part (projection optics 110) that is optically connected to the supporting structure and is configured to irradiate the substrate with the first diffraction light and the second diffraction light (Para 90-91), and
wherein the illumination source includes a monopole source (MPS) (Para 74, wherein the illumination source 102 may include, but is not limited to, a single-pole illumination source).
As per Claim 2, Lee teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the increasing the OPD of the diffraction light on the first region comprises increasing a pattern shift on the first region (Para 101, wherein the pitch of one or more pattern elements on pattern mask 108 may be adjusted to control the asymmetry of illumination on the sample 112 and thus the sensitivity of the corresponding printed pattern elements to deviations of the focal position of the sample 112).
As per Claim 3, Lee teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control movement of the substrate table and gather data (Para 106).
As per Claim 4, Lee teaches the method of claim 3, further comprising obtaining, by the controller, a first graph showing a pattern shift amount on the first region of the substrate caused by a defocusing of the diffraction light (See fig. 6).
As per Claim 5, Lee teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the obtaining the first graph comprises changing the optical path of the first diffraction light (Para 102).
As per Claim 6, Lee teaches the method of claim 4, further comprising: comparing, by the controller, data on the substrate without any pattern shift with data on the substrate with the pattern shift; and obtaining, by the controller, a second graph showing a change in the pattern shift caused by a change in a focal length of the diffraction light, wherein a slope of the second graph is greater than a slope of the first graph (Para 102).
As per Claim 7, Lee teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the lithography apparatus is configured to execute an exposure operation through one from among reflection-type and transmission-type exposure methods (Para 76).
As per Claim 8, Lee teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the patterning device includes a plurality of patterns, and wherein the obtaining of the first graph comprises changing a pitch of the plurality of patterns such that a slope of the first graph is increased (Para 104).
As per Claim 16, Lee teaches a method of using a lithography apparatus 101 (See fig. 1A, Para 73), the method comprising:
placing a patterning device (a pattern mask 108) and a substrate 112 in the lithography apparatus;
irradiating, by the lithography apparatus, the substrate with a light beam (See fig. 1A, Para 75);
causing a pattern shift on the substrate (See fig. 3B); and
increasing an amount of the pattern shift (See fig. 3E),
wherein the lithography apparatus includes:
an illumination source 102 configured to emit the light beam (Para 74);
an illuminator optically connected to the illumination source and configured to control the light beam (See fig. 1A);
a substrate table 114 supporting the substrate 112 (Para 75);
a supporting structure 106 supporting the patterning device 108; and
a projection part 110 optically connected to the supporting structure and configured to irradiate the substrate with diffraction light (Para 75), and
wherein the illumination source includes a monopole source (MPS) (Para 74, wherein the illumination source 102 may include, but is not limited to, a single-pole illumination source).
As per Claim 17, Lee teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the light beam passes through the patterning device such as to form the diffraction light, wherein the diffraction light includes a first diffraction light and a second diffraction light, and wherein the increasing the amount of the pattern shift comprises increasing a difference in an optical path of the first diffraction light and an optical path of the second diffraction light (See fig. 3A).
As per Claim 18, Lee teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the increasing the amount of the pattern shift comprises increasing the amount of the pattern shift based on comparing a pattern with a pattern shift with a pattern without a pattern shift (See fig. 3B).
As per Claim 19, Lee teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the lithography apparatus is configured to execute an exposure process through one from among reflection-type and transmission-type exposure methods (Para 76).
As per Claim 20, Lee teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the lithography apparatus further includes an aperture configured to control a profile of the light beam, and wherein the increasing the pattern shift comprises controlling at least one from among the aperture and the patterning device such that the pattern shift is increased (See fig. 3E).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 9-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Nakao et al. [US 20030031943 A1, hereafter Nakao].
As per Claims 9, 11 and 12, Lee teaches a method of using a lithography apparatus 101 (See fig. 1A, Para 73), the method comprising:
placing a patterning device 108 and a substrate 112 in the lithography apparatus;
irradiating, by the lithography apparatus, the substrate with a diffraction light (Para 73); and
increasing a pattern shift amount on the substrate (Para 93, wherein diffracted beam 308 such that the optical paths of the diffracted beams 306,308 are asymmetrically incident on the sample 112),
wherein the diffraction light includes a first diffraction light and a second diffraction light (See fig. 3A),
wherein the lithography apparatus comprises:
an illumination source 102 configured to emit a light beam to be used as the diffraction light 104 (Para 90);
a substrate table 114 (shown in fig. 1A) supporting the substrate 112;
a supporting structure (mask support device 106) supporting the patterning device and optically connected to the illumination source (Para 79-80); and
a projection part (projection optics 110) optically connected to the supporting structure and configured to irradiate the substrate with the diffraction light (Para 90-91),
wherein the illumination source includes a monopole source (MPS) (Para 74, wherein the illumination source 102 may include, but is not limited to, a single-pole illumination source), and
wherein the increasing the pattern shift amount on the substrate comprises changing an optical path of the first diffraction light (Para 101, wherein the pitch of one or more pattern elements on pattern mask 108 may be adjusted to control the asymmetry of illumination on the sample 112 and thus the sensitivity of the corresponding printed pattern elements to deviations of the focal position of the sample 112).
Lee does not explicitly teach wherein the projection part includes an aperture that is configured to control a profile of the diffraction light,
Nakao teaches a group of rays (of the blank arrows) is diffracted in the direction to the outside of pupil plane aperture 25, and the other group of rays (of the painted arrows) is diffracted toward the inside of pupil plane aperture 25. In an image formed by the group of rays diffracted toward the outside of pupil plane aperture 25, due to decrease in the amount of diffracted light contributing to formation of an image, the amplitude of the image (energy density) decreases. On the other hand, an image formed by the group of rays diffracted toward the inside of pupil plane aperture 25 has a large amplitude due to increase in the amount of diffracted light contributing the formation of an image (See fig. 4, Para 63).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate an aperture element as claimed in the projection system of Lee in order to focus a patterning beam in a desired direction.
As per Claim 10, Lee in view of Nakao teaches the method of claim 9.
Lee further disclosed wherein the substrate further includes a second region that is not overlapped with the first region, and wherein the method further comprises: measuring a pattern shift amount on the second region, and measuring a defocusing amount on the second region (See claim 8).
As per Claim 13, Lee in view of Nakao teaches the method of claim 11.
Lee further disclosed wherein the increasing the pattern shift amount on the substrate further comprises changing an optical path of the second diffraction light (Para 129).
As per Claim 14, Lee in view of Nakao teaches the method of claim 13.
Lee further disclosed wherein the patterning device includes a plurality of patterns, and the changing the optical path of the second diffraction light comprises passing the light beam through a different pattern from among the plurality of patterns (See fig. 3A).
As per Claim 15, Lee in view of Nakao teaches the method of claim 11.
Lee further disclosed wherein the lithography apparatus further includes an illuminator configured to control an intensity distribution of the light beam, wherein the illuminator includes a pupil unit configured to control uniformity and intensity of the light beam, wherein the pupil unit includes a pupil plane, and wherein the second diffraction light passes through a center of the pupil plane (Para 140).
Conclusion
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/MESFIN T ASFAW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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