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 .
Double Patenting
The non-statutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A non-statutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on non-statutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a non-statutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1-2, 7, 11-13 are rejected on the ground of non-statutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-2, 5, 8-9 and 12 of U.S. Patent No.12,224,192. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other.
Instant Application Claims
US Patent : 12,224,192
A method for clamping a substrate comprising:
i.placing a substrate on a clamping surface of a substrate support having a plurality of electrodes spaced from one another including a first electrode and a second electrode;
ii.measuring substrate bow of the substrate;
iii.determining, based on the measured substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode;
iv.applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode to clamp the substrate to the substrate support; and
repeating ii, iii, and iv until substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized based on at least one of variation in clamp pressure or heat transfer flux.
1. A method for clamping a substrate, comprising,
i. placing a substrate on a clamping surface of a substrate support having a plurality of electrodes spaced from one another including a first electrode and a second electrode;
ii. measuring substrate bow of the substrate; iii. determining, based on the measured substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode, wherein the first voltage is an AC voltage, and the second voltage is an AC or a DC voltage;
iv. applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode to clamp the substrate to the substrate support; and
repeating ii, iii, and iv until substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized, wherein the substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized when at least one of variation in clamp pressure or heat transfer flux are minimized.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a coating to the substrate while the substrate is clamped to the substrate support.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a non-uniform coating to the substrate while the substrate is clamped to the substrate support.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
discontinuing applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode;
transferring the clamped substrate and substrate support together to a processing chamber having an electrostatic chuck and electrostatically coupling the substrate support to the electrostatic chuck; and
after transferring, applying a third voltage to the first electrode and a fourth voltage to the second electrode.
5.The method of claim 1, further comprising:
discontinuing applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode;
transferring the clamped substrate and substrate support together to a processing chamber having an electrostatic chuck and electrostatically coupling the substrate support to the electrostatic chuck; and
after transferring, applying a third voltage to the first electrode and a fourth voltage to the second electrode, wherein the third voltage is an AC or DC voltage and the fourth voltage is an AC or DC voltage.
11. A system for clamping a substrate, comprising,
a substrate support having a surface for supporting a substrate;
a plurality of electrodes spaced from one another in or on the substrate support, the plurality of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode; and
a controller configured to receive a measurement of substrate bow of a substrate and to determine, based on the substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode, and apply the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode,
wherein the controller is configured to optimize substrate bow of the substrate by repeatedly receiving a measurement of substrate bow, determining the first voltage and the second voltage, and reapplying the first voltage and the second voltage based on the received measurements of substrate bow, and
wherein the substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized based on at least one of variation in clamp pressure or heat transfer flux.
8. A system for clamping a substrate, comprising,
a substrate support having a surface for supporting a substrate;
a plurality of electrodes spaced from one another in or on the substrate support, the plurality of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode; and
a controller configured to receive a measurement of substrate bow of a substrate and to determine, based on the substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode, and apply the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode, wherein the first voltage is an AC voltage and the second voltage is an AC or DC voltage,
wherein the controller is configured to optimize substrate bow of the substrate by repeatedly receiving a measurement of substrate bow, determining the first voltage and the second voltage, and reapplying the first voltage and the second voltage based on the received measurements of substrate bow, and
wherein the substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized when at least one of variation in clamp pressure or heat transfer flux are minimized.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of electrodes are interdigitated or annular.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of electrodes are interdigitated.
13. The system of claim 11, further comprising an electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate support is configured to removably couple to the electrostatic chuck.
12. The system of claim 8, further comprising an electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate support is configured to removably couple to the electrostatic chuck.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowed, pending the filing of the terminal disclaimer as indicated above.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 1, 11 and 16: The prior art by Deng et al Publication No. US 2022/0310431 discloses a method for clamping a substrate, comprising,
i. placing a substrate [Fig. 1, wafer 105, 220] on a clamping surface of a substrate support [Fig. 1, electrostatic chuck 130] having a plurality of electrodes [Fig. 1, securing electrodes 240C, 240M1, 240M2, 240P] spaced from one another including a first electrode and a second electrode [par. 0028];
ii. measuring substrate bow of the substrate [charge monitoring system 180; par. 0055 and Fig. 1];
iii. determining, based on the measured substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode; and
iv. applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode to clamp the substrate to the substrate support [par. 0050]; and
repeating ii, iii, iv until substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized[ par. 0050 to par. 0063 suggest that the flatness of the various regions of the wafer 105 is monitored in real time, the voltages are lowered, disabled based on the monitoring, then reapplied as needed, until the wafer is optimized].
However, the prior art does not disclose that the substrate bow of the substrate is determined to be optimized when at least one of variation in clamp pressure or heat transfer flux. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
