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, 3 and 8-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wolfsteiner et al. [US 20190324372 A1, hereafter Wolfsteiner].
As per Claims 1 and 19, Wolfsteiner teaches an optical system (See fig. 4, Para 93), comprising:
a printed circuit board (printed circuit board 63) comprising a composite material (Para 95),
wherein:
the composite material defines a vacuum-tight housing (an interior 62 in a vacuum-tight manner) in an interior region of the printed circuit board (Para 93-96); and
a number of active and/or passive components are disposed within the vacuum-tight housing (Para 48-52 and 85, wherein electrical component parts are positioned within the closed-off housing provided).
As per Claim 3, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein: the printed circuit board comprises a rigid region comprising the composite material; and the composite material of the rigid region defines the vacuum-tight housing (Para 48).
As per Claim 8, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling structure embedded in the printed circuit board, wherein the cooling structure is configured to dissipate heat from the number of active and/or passive components (Para 8).
As per Claim 9, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a conductor track connecting at least one of the number of active and/or passive components to at least one further active and/or passive component outside the vacuum-tight housing (Para 13-16).
As per Claim 10, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1, further comprising a number of actuator/sensor devices, wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least one conductor track connecting at least one of the number of active and/or passive components to at least one of the number of actuator/sensor devices (Para 10).
As per Claim 11, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1, wherein: the printed circuit board comprises a rigid region comprising the composite material; the composite material of the rigid region defines the vacuum-tight housing the printed circuit board further comprises a pliable region and a further rigid region; the pliable region connects the rigid region and the further rigid region; the composite material comprises a plurality of plies; the plurality of plies comprises two outer plies and inner plies between the two outer plies; and the inner plies define the vacuum-tight housing (Para 13-16 and 48).
As per Claim 12, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 11, wherein: the inner plies comprise an alternating sequence of metal layers and insulator layers; and the two outer plies comprise metal layers configured to spread heat (Para 13-16).
As per Claim 13, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 11, further comprising a cooling structure embedded in the printed circuit board, wherein the cooling structure is configured to dissipate heat from the number of active and/or passive components (Para 8).
As per Claim 14, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 11, further comprising a number of actuator/sensor devices, wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least one conductor track connecting at least one of the number of active and/or passive components to at least one of the number of actuator/sensor devices (Para 10).
As per Claim 15, Wolfsteiner teaches an apparatus, comprising: an optical system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a lithography apparatus (Para 5).
As per Claim 16, Wolfsteiner teaches the apparatus of claim 15, wherein the optical system is an illumination optical unit or a projection optical unit (Para 5).
As per Claim 17, Wolfsteiner teaches the apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus comprises a vacuum housing, and the printed circuit board is disposed within the vacuum housing (Para 93-96).
As per Claim 18, Wolfsteiner teaches the apparatus of claim 17, wherein the vacuum housing is configured for an interior pressure in a range selected from the group consisting of from 1013.25 hectopascal (hPa) to 10.sup.−3 hPa, from 10.sup.−3 to 10.sup.−8 hPa, and from 10.sup.−8 to 10.sup.−11 hPa (Para 48).
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) 6, 7 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolfsteiner.
As per Claims 6, 7 and 20, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1.
Wolfsteiner does not explicitly teach wherein: the composite material comprises a plurality of plies; the plurality of plies comprises two outer plies and inner plies between the two outer plies; and the inner plies define the vacuum-tight housing.
However, Wolfsteiner further disclosed the heat conducting structure can include metallic elements. It can also include nonmetallic elements, in particular electrically insulating elements (Para 13-16).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a plurality of plies as claimed in order to dissipating heat from the electronic component parts to an outer side of the housing.
Claim(s) 2, 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolfsteiner in view of IM [US 20170111990 A1].
As per Claim 2, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1.
Wolfsteiner does not explicitly teach wherein the number of active and/or passive components comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of an integrated circuit, a processor, a microprocessor, an FPGA, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, a transistor, more particularly a MOSFET, a capacitor, a resistor, and an inductor.
IM teaches wherein the number of active and/or passive components comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of an integrated circuit, a processor, a microprocessor, an FPGA, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, a transistor, more particularly a MOSFET, a capacitor, a resistor, and an inductor (Para 44-46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate the claimed electronic devices as claimed in order to improve a component suitable for vacuum for a projection exposure apparatus with regard to the dissipation of heat from its electronic component parts.
As per Claim 4, Wolfsteiner teaches the optical system of claim 1.
Wolfsteiner does not explicitly teach wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a pliable region.
IM teaches wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a pliable region (Para 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a pliable element as claimed in order to improve a component accommodation in a desired place.
As per Claim 5, Wolfsteiner in view of IM teaches the optical system of claim 4, wherein: the printed circuit board comprises a rigid region comprising the composite material; the composite material of the rigid region defines the vacuum-tight housing; the printed circuit board further comprises a further rigid region; and the pliable region connects the rigid region and the further rigid region (See Wolfsteiner Para 48 in view of IM Para 4).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a pliable element as claimed in order to improve a component accommodation in a desired place.
Additional Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The reference Pommer et al. [US 20030201462 A1] and Vincent et al. [US 20210035927 A1] listed in the attached form PTO-892 teach other prior art apparatus/method of active and passive components in an integrated circuit package that may anticipate or obviate the claims of the applicant's invention.
Conclusion
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/MESFIN T ASFAW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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