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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I in the reply filed on 04/29/26 is acknowledged.
Claim 11 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04/29/26.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR
20120001681A.
Regarding claim 1, KR’681 teaches (see 4-5 and 9) a coating film forming apparatus comprising: a rotation mechanism (122) configured to rotate a substrate(W); a coating liquid supply part (143) configured to supply a coating liquid to a central portion of a front surface of the substrate to form a coating film; a gas nozzle (160) configured to supply a high-temperature gas having a temperature higher than a temperature of the substrate to a portion of a rear surface of the substrate (see Fig 9); and a controller (170) configured to output control signals to execute supplying of the coating liquid to the substrate and drying of the coating film by rotation of the substrate and to stop the supplying of the high-temperature gas during an execution period (see English Translation on page 9).
Regarding claim 2, KR’681’s apparatus provided with controller (170) is capable performing the claimed processing steps to output control signals to execute a coating step of supplying the coating liquid to the central portion of the front surface of the substrate and rotating the substrate (W) to spread the coating liquid to a peripheral edge portion of the substrate (see English Translation on page 13); a high-temperature gas supply step of supplying the high-temperature gas having a temperature (see English Translation on page 12 for temperature of the gas exiting in the range of 30-40 degree C) higher than a temperature of the substrate (W) supplied with the coating liquid to a portion of an exposed region of the rear surface of the rotating substrate; a film thickness distribution adjustment step of adjusting the coating film in a plane of the substrate by rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed (see English Translation pages 7, 9-11 and Fig 7 for adjusted thickness distribution and controlling speed in uniformizing the thickness); and a drying step (S5), after the film thickness distribution adjustment step, of rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed different from the first rotation speed such that a film thickness of the coating film is changed in an entire plane of the substrate (see English Translation on page 9-; wherein a period during which the drying step is capable of being performed includes a period during which the supplying of the high-temperature gas to the substrate is stopped (since valve is provided to stop and supply warm gas, see English Translation on page 6).
As to claim 3, KR’681 teaches (see English Translation on pages 6 and 9) a cleaning nozzle (160) capable of supplying a cleaning liquid (hot water) to an exposed region of the rear surface of the rotating substrate after executing a drying step of the coating film.
Regarding claim 4, in KR’681 (see Figs 9a, 9b) the gas nozzle (1601-160n) includes a first ejection port, wherein the cleaning nozzle includes a second ejection port (see English translation on page 6), and wherein a first contact region which is a contact region of the high-temperature gas on the rear surface of the substrate when the high-temperature gas is ejected from the first ejection port is located on a downstream side in a rotating direction of the substrate with respect to a second contact region which is a contact region of the cleaning liquid on the rear surface of the substrate when the cleaning liquid (hot water) is ejected from the second ejection port (hot water from nozzles 160A, 160B, see English translation on pages 6 and 10).
As to claim 5, in KR’681 the ejection direction of the high-temperature gas from the gas nozzle capable of following the rotating direction of the substrate (since the airflow occur substantially uniformly with respect to the circumferential direction, see Fig 4 and page 5).
Regarding claim 6, in KR’681 the supplying of the high-temperature gas to the substrate is capable of started before the supplying of the coating liquid to the substrate (KR’681’s apparatus is capable of being operated as claimed).
As to claim 7, KR’681 structurally meets the claimed apparatus capable of operating the recited processing steps: the coating step, the high-temperature gas supply step, the film thickness distribution adjustment step, and the drying step are performed on the substrate placed on a stage, wherein a plurality of substrates (see Fig 2 for a plurality of wafers W in the cassette C) is sequentially transported to the stage, and wherein the controller is further configured to output control signals such that, at a timing determined based on a transport interval between one substrate to a next substrate that is subsequently transported to the stage(see page 7 for sequentially transferred wafer and wafer conveyed one by one to the processing station), a step of starting ejection of the high-temperature gas from the gas nozzle is executed so as to process the next substrate.
Regarding claim 8, KR’681 teaches (see Figs 9b, 9c) a gas supply path (pipeline 162) including a downstream end connected to the gas nozzle (1601-160n); a branch path (162’) branching from the gas supply path; and a switching part (linear actuator 167) capable of switching a supply destination of the high-temperature gas between the gas nozzle and the branch path, wherein the supplying of the high-temperature gas to the substrate is performed through switching by the switching part from a state in which the high-temperature gas is supplied to the branch path (162’) to a state in which the high-temperature gas is supplied to the gas nozzle.
As to claim 9, KR’681 teaches (see Fig 4) a stage (spin chuck 122) configured to place the substrate thereon so as to rotate the substrate; and a cup (130) surrounding the substrate placed on the stage, wherein the switching part (167) is proved at a height lower than the cup.
Regarding claim 10, KR’681 teaches (see Figs 4 and 9c) a stage (130) configured to place the substrate (W) thereon so as to rotate the substrate; a cup (130) surrounding the substrate placed on the stage (122); a portion that extends in a left-right direction at an upstream side of a position where the switching part is provided in the gas supply path, the portion being provided parallel to the cup (130) at one of front and rear sides of the cup; and a cup temperature adjustment nozzle connected to a downstream end of the branch path and configured to eject the high-temperature gas to one of left and right sides between the portion and the cup as a temperature adjustment gas for the cup (see English Translation on page 13 for temperature control and adjusting means).
Claims 1 and 5-6 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Emoto et al (US 2014/0065295A1).
As to claim 1, Emoto et al teaches (see Fig 12) a coating film forming apparatus comprising: a rotation mechanism (spin motor 14) configured to rotate a substrate; a coating liquid supply part (nozzle 4) configured to supply a coating liquid to a central portion of a front surface of the substrate to form a coating film; a gas nozzle (gas outlets 160, 161) configured to supply a high-temperature gas having a temperature higher than a temperature of the substrate to a portion of a rear surface of the substrate (see Fig 12); and a controller (controller 40 including microcomputer) configured to output control signals to execute supplying of the coating liquid to the substrate and drying of the coating film by rotation of the substrate and to stop the supplying of the high-temperature gas during an execution period (see para [0114], [0117], [0128], [0172-0174]).
As to claim 5, in Emoto et al the ejection direction (upward direction) of the high-temperature gas from the gas nozzle capable of following the rotating direction of the substrate.
Regarding 6, in Emoto et al the supplying of the high-temperature gas to the substrate is capable of starting before the supplying of the coating liquid to the substrate.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YEWEBDAR T TADESSE whose telephone number is (571)272-1238. The examiner can normally be reached 7.00-3:30 PM.
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YEWEBDAR T. TADESSE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1717
/YEWEBDAR T TADESSE/
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