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 § 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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hauf et al. [US 20170363861 A1, hereafter Hauf] in view of Böhme et al. [US 20210141191 A1, hereafter Böhme].
As per Claim 1, Hauf teaches an individual mirror of a pupil facet mirror (Para 103, a pupil facet mirror 14), comprising:
a reflection surface having a surface normal (See fig. 2);
a bearing configured to enable a pivoting movement of the individual mirror about first and second pivot axes, the first and second pivot axes (two tilt axes 33, 34) being transverse to the surface normal (See fig. 3, Para 126).
Hauf does not explicitly teach an actuator device configured to pivot the individual mirror, wherein a ratio of the pivotability of the individual mirror about the first and second pivot axes is at least 2:1.
Böhme teaches for rotations about the x- and y-axes, space requirements for the magnets in the x- and y-directions are different. The difference is given by the principle of a Gimbal bearing, as pair of magnets is more influenced by the second axis (Para 48-49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a ratio of pivotability as claimed in order to produce a desired illumination.
As per Claim 2, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed wherein the first pivot axis has a first pivotability region, the second pivot axis has a second pivotability region, and smaller of the first and second pivotability regions is at most +/−25 mrad (Para 136).
As per Claim 3, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed wherein a bearing for each pivoting degree of freedom comprises one or more leaf springs, and the one or more leaf springs for one pivoting degree of freedom are thicker and/or stiffer than the one or more leaf springs for the other pivoting degree of freedom (Para 48-50).
As per Claim 4, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed a sensor device configure to detect at most one of the pivoting movements about the first and second pivot axes (Para 52 and 160).
As per Claim 5, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed an eddy current sensor configured to detect a pivot position (Para 183).
As per Claim 6, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed wherein the first and second pivot axes are spaced apart from the reflection surface (See fig. 3).
As per Claim 7, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed a reference position sensor configured to ascertain a reference signal for a pivot position for at least one of the first and second pivot axes (Para 51-52).
As per Claim 8, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Böhme further disclosed wherein the ratio of the pivotability about the first and second pivot axes differs from a ratio of the extents of the reflection surface of the individual mirror in the respective directions (Para 48-49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a ratio of pivotability as claimed in order to produce a desired illumination.
As per Claim 9, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf further disclosed wherein the reflection surface has identical dimensions in the direction perpendicular to the two pivot axes (See fig. 3)
As per Claim 10, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 1.
Hauf in view of Böhme further disclosed wherein: the first pivot axis has a first pivotability region, the second pivot axis has a second pivotability region, and smaller of the first and second pivotability regions is at most +/−25 mrad; and a bearing for each pivoting degree of freedom comprises one or more leaf springs, and the one or more leaf springs for one pivoting degree of freedom are thicker and/or stiffer than the one or more leaf springs for the other pivoting degree of freedom (Hauf Para 136 in view of Böhme Para 48-49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention was made to incorporate a ratio of pivotability as claimed in order to produce a desired illumination.
As per Claim 11, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the individual mirror of claim 10.
Hauf further disclosed a sensor device configure to detect at most one of the pivoting movements about the first and second pivot axes (Para 52 and 160).
As per Claim 12, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches a pupil facet mirror.
Hauf further disclosed a plurality of individual mirrors, wherein each individual mirror is an individual mirror according to claim 1 (Para 104).
As per Claim 13, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches an optical unit, comprising: a field facet mirror comprising a plurality of field facets; and a pupil facet mirror comprising a plurality of individual mirrors, wherein the optical unit is an illumination optical unit, the field facets are imageable into an object field, and each individual mirror of the pupil facet is an individual mirror according to claim 1 (Hauf Para 104).
As per Claim 14, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the optical unit of claim 13.
Hauf further disclosed wherein at least some of the pupil facets are displaceable so that they are assignable to exactly two, three, four or five different field facets (Para 114).
As per Claim 15, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the optical unit of claim 13.
Hauf further disclosed wherein the individual mirrors of the pupil facet mirror are aligned so that they have a smaller pivotability region in a cross-scanning direction than in a scanning direction (Para 120).
As per Claims 16 and 17, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches an apparatus, comprising: an illumination optical unit (Hauf fig. 1, Para 98-104, an illumination optical unit 4), comprising: a field facet mirror 13 comprising a plurality of field facets; and a pupil facet mirror 14 comprising a plurality of individual mirrors; a radiation source 3 configured to generate illumination radiation; and a projection optical unit 7, wherein: the field facets are imageable into an object field of the projection optical unit; each individual mirror of the pupil facet is an individual mirror according to claim 1; and the projection optical unit is configured to image the object field into an image field of the projection optical unit; and the apparatus is a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus (Para 98-104).
As per Claim 18, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches a method, comprising: providing a pupil facet mirror comprising a plurality of individual mirrors, each individual mirror of the pupil facet is an individual mirror according to claim 1; pivoting an individual mirror at a constant pivoting speed; ascertaining a profile of a counter-electromotive force; ascertaining a jump site in the profile of the counter-electromotive force; and ascertaining a calibration support point via a current value at the jump site (Böhme Para 4).
As per Claim 19, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the method of claim 18.
Hauf further disclosed comprising ascertaining two calibration support points for each pivoting degree of freedom, and using this information to ascertain offset and/or gain corrections (Para 39 and 49).
As per Claim 20, Hauf in view of Böhme teaches the method of claim 18.
Hauf further disclosed comprising using a reference position sensor to ascertain a reference signal (Para 51-52).
Conclusion
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/MESFIN T ASFAW/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882
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