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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prochnau et al. [US 2017/0192360 A1] in view of Seaberg [US 2007/0223741 A1].
Regarding claim 1, Prochnau et al. discloses an optical system (Figs. 1 and 2), comprising:
a number (M1-M6) of actuable optical elements (paragraph [0063]);
a number of actuators (46), each actuator assigned to an actuatable optical component (as shown in Figs. 3-6);
a drive device configured to drive the actuators (paragraphs [0055] and [0061] teaches actuating the optical element).
Prochnau et al. does not teach wherein the drive device comprising: an output stage configured to amplify an input voltage into a drive voltage for an actuator based on a quiescent current of the output stage; and a provision device configured to set the quiescent current for the output stage depending on a specific dynamic requirement for the output stage, wherein the specific dynamic requirement is based on a change in the input voltage of the output stage.
However, Seaberg discloses a drive device (Figs. 6-8) comprising an output stage (132, 132’) configured to amplify an input voltage (146) into a drive voltage (144) for an actuator based on a quiescent current of the output stage (paragraph [0019]); and a provision device (134, 135, 138 and 130) configured to set the quiescent current for the output stage depending on a specific dynamic requirement for the output stage, wherein the specific dynamic requirement is based on a change in the input voltage of the output stage (paragraphs [0023]-[0029]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a drive device comprising an output stage configured to amplify an input voltage into a drive voltage for an actuator based on a quiescent current of the output stage and a provision device, as taught by Seaberg in the system of Prochnau et al. because such a modification provides details of a driver device for efficiently actuating an element.
Regarding claims 2-4, Prochnau et al. in view of Seaberg discloses wherein the specific dynamic requirement is based on a derivative of the input voltage of the output stage, wherein the output stage comprises a member selected from the group consisting of a class A amplifier and a class AB amplifier, wherein the output stage comprises: an input node configured to receive the input voltage of the output stage; an output node configured to provide the drive voltage to the actuator; and a transistor coupled between the input node and the output node, the transistor configured to amplify the input voltage into the drive voltage (paragraph [0021] of Seaberg teaches the class AB output stage).
Regarding claims 5, 7, 9 and 12, Prochnau et al. in view of Seaberg discloses wherein the provision device comprises a provision unit configured to set the quiescent current for the output stage depending on the specific dynamic requirement for the output stage, and the provision device is configured to feed the quiescent current for the output stage into the output node of the output stage, wherein the control unit is configured to provide the current indicative of the specific dynamic requirement based on a change in the input voltage of the output stage, wherein: the drive device comprises a plurality of output stages; each output stage is configured to drive a respective actuator via a respective drive voltage; the current mirror is configured to mirror the current indicative of the specific dynamic requirement N-fold to provide a respective quiescent current and to feed the quiescent current respectively provided into the respective output node of the respective output stage, wherein the controlling unit is configured to provide the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement a derivative of the input voltage of the output stage (Fig. 8, mirror 130, paragraphs [0027]-[0030] of Seaberg).
Regarding claims 6, 8, 10 and 11, Prochnau et al. in view of Seaberg discloses wherein the provision device comprises: a control unit configured to provide a current indicative of the specific dynamic requirement; and a current mirror configured to mirror the current indicative of the specific dynamic requirement to provide the quiescent current and to feed the quiescent current into the output node of the output stage, wherein the control unit is configured to provide the current indicative of the specific dynamic requirement based on a derivative of the input voltage of the output stage, wherein the provision device comprises: a controlling unit configured to provide a voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement; a voltage-dependent current source configured to convert the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement into a current proportional the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement; and a current mirror configured to mirror the converted proportional current to provide the quiescent current and to feed the quiescent current into the output node of the output stage, wherein the controlling unit is configured to provide the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement based on a change in the input voltage of the output stage (in the combination of Prochnau et al. and Seaberg, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, see also paragraphs [0055] and [0061], of Prochnau et al. and paragraphs [0023]-[0029] and Figs. 6-8 of Seaberg).
Regarding claims 13-16, Prochnau et al. in view of Seaberg discloses wherein the provision device comprises: a differential amplifier circuit configured to: i) receive the input voltage of the output stage on an input side of the differential amplifier circuit; and ii) depending on the input voltage, provide a voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement on the output side; a voltage-dependent current source configured to convert the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement into a current proportional to the specific dynamic requirement; and a current mirror configured to: i) mirror the current proportional to the specific dynamic requirement to provide the quiescent current; and ii) feed the quiescent current into the output node of the output stage, wherein the differential amplifier circuit is configured to provide the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement based on a change in the input voltage of the output stage, wherein the differential amplifier circuit is configured to provide the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement based on a derivative of the input voltage of the output stage, wherein the differential amplifier circuit comprises: an input node configured to receive the input voltage of the output stage; an output node configured to provide the voltage indicative of the specific dynamic requirement; an operational amplifier coupled between the input node and the output node; a series circuit of a capacitor and a resistor coupled between the input node and an inverting input of the operational amplifier to provide a dynamically variable component for the indicative voltage depending on the input voltage received at the input node; a voltage divider coupled to the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier to provide a DC component for the indicative voltage; and a resistor circuit comprising a resistor coupled between the inverting input of the operational amplifier and the output node (in the combination of Prochnau et al. and Seaberg, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, see also paragraphs [0055] and [0061], of Prochnau et al. and paragraphs [0023]-[0029] and Figs. 6-8 of Seaberg).
Regarding claims 17-20, Prochnau et al. in view of Seaberg discloses wherein the optical system is a lithography illumination optical unit, wherein the actuatable optical elements comprise actuatable mirrors, an apparatus, comprising: an illumination optical unit configured to illuminate a portion of an object in an object field; and a projection optical unit configured to image the illuminated portion of the object in the object field into an image field, wherein the illumination optical unit comprises an optical system, and the apparatus is a lithography projection exposure apparatus, a method of operating a lithography projection exposure apparatus comprising an illumination optical unit and a projection optical unit, the method comprising: using the illumination optical unit to illuminate a portion of an object in an object field of the projection optical unit; and using the projection optical unit to image the illuminated portion of the object in the object field into an image field, wherein the illumination optical unit comprises an optical system (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, see also paragraphs [0055] and [0061], of Prochnau et al.).
Conclusion
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/DEORAM PERSAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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