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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the channel recited in the specification is said to be in FIGURE 8 and FIGURE 8 IS NOT SHOWN BUT must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-20 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.
The following claims are vague, indefinite, awkwardly, confusingly worded and/or lacking proper antecedent basis:
The claims 1, 8, and 14 recites first, second, and third temperatures; However it is not clear if these are different temperatures because if adjustable these could be same temperatures. These temperature should be said to be different or if the same they should be adjustable. Therefore these claims are confusingly and awkwardly worded making them indefinite.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-10, 12, and 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1 in view of Yang 2025/0095972 A1.
AuBuchon et al disclose the claimed invention as recited in the claims as shown .
1. A substrate support apparatus, comprising:
a body 202, formed from a ceramic material (which is shown in 103 reference), comprising a first surface 301 and an opposing second surface; wherein the first surface comprises:
a first region having a first contact resistance and a first temperature profile;
a second region 206 having a second contact resistance and a second temperature
profile; and
a third region having a third contact resistance and a third temperature profile;
a pedestal 169 coupled to the second surface;
a plurality of channels 236 and 234 embedded within the body and comprising:
a first channel disposed between the first region and the second region; and
a second channel disposed between the second region and the third region; and
a plurality of heating elements 230 embedded within the body.
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2. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third
regions are concentric. See Fig.1 B of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1
3. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first region is located at
a geometric center of the body, the second region is radially outward from the first region,
and the third region is radially outward from the second region. See Fig. 1 B of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1
5. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
electrodes embedded within the body and located above the plurality of heating elements,
and wherein the body is formed from a ceramic material comprising one of AIN, SiC, SiN,
AlOx, and BeC . Yang 2025/0095972 A1 shows ceramic
6. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are
concentric. AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 are disposed around the diameter.
7. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are
capable of containing at least one of air Par.0031 of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1 and helium.
8. A substrate support apparatus, comprising:
a body 202, formed from a ceramic material (which is shown in 103 reference), , formed from a ceramic material, comprising a first surface and an opposing
second surface; wherein the first surface comprises:
a first region 1000 having a first temperature profile,
a second region 2000 having a second temperature profile; and
a third region 3000 having a third temperature profile;
a pedestal 169 coupled to the second surface; and
a plurality of heating elements 230 embedded within the body.
9. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third
regions are concentric. See Fig.1 B of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1
10. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first region is located at
a geometric center of the body, the second region is radially outward from the first region,
and the third region is radially outward from the second region.
12. The substrate support apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of
electrodes embedded within the body and located above the plurality of heating elements,
and wherein the body is formed from a ceramic material comprising one of AIN, SiC, SiN,
AlOx, and BeC. Yang 2025/0095972 A1 shows ceramic
14. A system, comprising:
a substrate support apparatus comprising:
a body 202 comprising a first surface and an opposing second surface 206; and
a cap 300 disposed on the first surface of the body and comprising an outward-facing
surface comprising:
a first region 1000 having a first contact resistance,
a second region 2000 having a second contact resistance; and
a third region 3000 having a third contact resistance;
a pedestal 169 coupled to the second surface; and
a plurality of heating elements 230 embedded within the body.
15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first, second, and third regions are
concentric. See Fig.1 B of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1
16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first region is located at a geometric center
of the body, the second region is radially outward from the first region, and the third region
is radially outward from the second region. See the FIgures
17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the cap further comprises a plurality of
channels comprising:
a first channel disposed between the first region and the second region; and
a second channel disposed between the second region and the third region. See Fig.1 B of AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1
Yang discloses that is known to use a ceramic material (Par. 0058) in a support as known option for constructing a substrate support device and It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the prior to have modified the AuBuchon et al device by providing an alternative ceramic material which allows different materials to used which yields the predictable result of constructing a device. KSR
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over AuBuchon et al 2020/0131635 A1 as applied to claims 1-3, 5-10, 12, and 14-17 above, and further in view of Sivaramakrishnan et al 2009/0283217 A1
The modified AuBuchon et al does not disclose use of a gas helium.
Sivaramakrishnan et al disclose that a substrate support device uses helium and it would have been obvious to use helium as a substitute for air one of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the modified AuBuchon device by substituting helium for air as gas substitute yielding a predictable result of using different gases. KSR
Sivaramakrishnan et al 2009/0283217 A1 ……Gas supply panel 80 includes lines to gas or liquid supply sources 90, containing gases or liquids that may vary depending on the desired processes used for a particular application. Gas supply panel 80 has a mixing system 93 which receives the deposition process and carrier gases (or vaporized liquids) from sources 90 for mixing and sending to gas mixing box 273 via line 85 to supply line 43. Generally, supply lines for each of the process gases a include (i) shut-off valves 95 that can be used to automatically or manually shut off the flow of process gas into line 85 or line 57, and (ii) mass flow controllers 100 that measure the flow of gas or liquid through the supply lines. When toxic gases (for example, ozone and the clean gas) are used in the process, the several shut-off valves 95 may be positioned on each gas supply line in conventional configurations. The rate at which the deposition and carrier gases including, for example, tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS), helium (He), and nitrogen (N.sub.2), and optionally triethylphosphate (TEPO), triethylborate (TEB), and/or other dopant sources, are supplied to gas mixing system 93 is also controlled by liquid or gas mass flow controllers (MFCs) (not shown) and/or by valves (not shown).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 11, 13, and 19-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art is being made of record.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEE D WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4499. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 6;30-4;30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BRIAN KELLER can be reached at 571-272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LEE D. WILSON
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
Ldw
/LEE D WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723 September 11, 2026
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