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.
Claims 1, 8-13, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeunink et al. [US 2019/0043749].
For claim 1, Jeunink teaches a holding apparatus that holds a substrate (WT, see Figs. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 13), comprising:
a chuck (22) configured to hold the substrate;
a supply mechanism (97) configured to supply a gas to a first space (regions 81-83, walls do not contact the bottom of the wafer, see Fig. 4) between the substrate and the chuck via first holes (gas supplied by openings 69 during release in region 83, see [0065], [0066], and [0076]) provided at first positions of the chuck;
an opening mechanism (97) configured to make the first space and an outer space (space where gas is extracted) communicate with each other via second holes (gas extracted by openings 69, see [0065], [0066], [0074] and [0075]) provided at second positions (one of the other openings 69 in region 82) of the chuck that are different from the first positions; and
a controller (500) configured to control the supply mechanism and the opening mechanism so that a period during which holding of the substrate by the chuck is stopped includes a period during which supplying of the gas to the first space and communicating between the first space and the outer space are performed simultaneously (vacuum maintained at region 82 while the gas is supplied to the outer region 83, the regions communicate by the distance between the walls 64 and 65, see the method of unloading in [0067]-[0079] and Fig. 4).
For claim 8, Jeunink teaches the first holes are provided at a plurality of first positions on a first circle on which a distance from a center of the chuck is a first distance, and the second holes are provided at a plurality of second positions on a second circle on which the distance from the center of the chuck is a second distance different from the first distance (holes provided at different radiuses, see Fig. 13).
For claim 9, Jeunink teaches the first holes are provided on the first circle at equal intervals, and the second holes are provided on the second circle at equal intervals (see the arrangement in Fig. 13).
For claim 10, Jeunink teaches the first distance is shorter than the second distance (different radius for each circle of port group, see Fig. 13).
For claim 11, Jeunink teaches an exhaust mechanism (97) configured to, when holding the substrate by the chuck, exhaust the gas from the first space via third holes provided at third positions of the chuck that are different from the first positions and the second positions (exhausted by ports 69 in region 81, see [0065], [0066], [0074] and [0075]).
For claim 12, Jeunink teaches an exhaust mechanism configured to, when holding the substrate by the chuck, exhaust the gas from the first space via the first holes provided in the chuck (gas supply and gas extraction may be the same ports 69 or by different ports 69, see [0066], [0067], [0083], and [0084]).
For claim 13, Jeunink teaches an exhaust mechanism configured to, when holding the substrate by the chuck, exhaust the gas from the first space via the second holes provided in the chuck (gas supply and gas extraction may be the same ports 69 or by different ports 69, see [0066], [0067], [0083], and [0084]).
For claims 18-20, Jeunink teaches a substrate processing apparatus (see Fig. 1) that processes a substrate, comprising: a holding apparatus (WT) configured to hold the substrate, the holding apparatus including the holding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an illumination optical system (IL) configured to illuminate an original; and a projection optical system (PS) configured to project a pattern of the original to the substrate and article manufacturing method comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 18; processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the forming; and manufacturing an article from the processed substrate (manufacture ICs, see [0003]).
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.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeunink in view of Millo et al. [US 2025/0329569].
For claim 2, Jeunink fails to teach the first hole and the second hole are provided in the chuck to have a distance between the first position and the second position to be not less than five multiples to not more than 75 multiples of a diameter of the second hole.
Millo teaches the first hole and the second hole are provided in the chuck to have a distance between the first position and the second position to be not less than five multiples to not more than 75 multiples of a diameter of the second hole (openings 322 distance from center opening 321 is 50mm -100 mm and the opening size is 0.6 mm - 2.1 mm, see [0095] and [0133]-[0135]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing of the claimed invention to provide the ratio as taught by Millo in the openings as taught by Jeunink in order to provide for the desired flow profile for controlling the shape of the substrate.
Claims 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeunink in view of Mizutani [US 2008/0165330].
For claims 3-7, Jeunink teaches the gas flow openings 69 before releasing the vacuum, see [0076], and that different gas flow openings 69 may be used for the different phases within a particular region, see [0083], but fails to teach the first holes are provided at a plurality of first positions on a first circle on which a distance from a center of the chuck is a first distance, the second holes are provided at a plurality of second positions on the first circle that are different from the plurality of first positions, and the first holes and the second holes are alternately provided on the first circle, the first holes and the second holes are provided on the first circle at equal intervals, wherein the first holes are provided at a plurality of first positions on a second circle on which the distance from the center of the chuck is a second distance different from the first distance, the second holes are provided at a plurality of second positions on the second circle that are different from the plurality of first positions, and the first holes and the second holes are alternately provided on the second circle, wherein the first holes and the second holes are provided on the second circle at equal intervals, wherein the first holes are provided on a first straight line passing through the center of the chuck, and the second holes are provided on a second straight line passing through the center of the chuck that is different from the first straight line.
Mizutani teaches the first holes (16A, see Fig. 12) are provided at a plurality of first positions on a first circle (circle arrangement of ports 16A and 5A in 8A) on which a distance from a center of the chuck is a first distance (see Fig. 12), the second holes (5a) are provided at a plurality of second positions on the first circle that are different from the plurality of first positions, and the first holes and the second holes are alternately provided on the first circle (see Fig. 12), the first holes and the second holes are provided on the first circle at equal intervals (see the arrangement in Fig. 12), wherein the first holes (16B) are provided at a plurality of first positions on a second circle (8B) on which the distance from the center of the chuck is a second distance different from the first distance, the second holes (5B) are provided at a plurality of second positions on the second circle that are different from the plurality of first positions, and the first holes and the second holes are alternately provided on the second circle, wherein the first holes and the second holes are provided on the second circle at equal intervals (see the arrangement in Fig. 12), wherein the first holes are provided on a first straight line passing through the center of the chuck, and the second holes are provided on a second straight line passing through the center of the chuck that is different from the first straight line ((see the arrangement in Fig. 12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing of the claimed invention to provide the opening layout as taught by Mizutani in the apparatus layout as taught by Jeunink in order to provide for a phased release of vacuum as taught by Jeunink while ensuring desired flow velocities to reduce the introduction of turbulence that may cause slippage or warping.
Claims 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeunink in view of Nakazawa [US 2004/0047718].
For claims 14-17, Jeunink teaches the supply mechanism includes a first flow path configured to connect the first space and a supply source of the gas, and gas supply is provided on the first flow path (control of flow in region 83 during unloading by system 97, see [0067]-[0079]), the opening mechanism includes a second flow path configured to connect the first space and the outer space, and a second valve (valve 99 for control in region 82, see [0119]-[0125]) provided on the second flow path, and the controller controls the supply mechanism to supply the gas from the supply source to the first space via the first flow path, and controls the opening mechanism to open the second valve and make the first space and the outer space communicate with each other (control of flow in region 83 during unloading, see [0067]-[0079]), wherein the controller controls the supply mechanism and the opening mechanism to make a timing to supply gas and a timing to open the second valve coincide with each other (control of flow in region 83 during unloading, see [0067]-[0079]), wherein the controller controls the supply mechanism and the opening mechanism to set a timing to supply gas to be earlier than a timing to open the second valve (supply before vacuum to adjust warpage, see [0141]-[0149]), the controller controls the supply mechanism and the opening mechanism to set a timing to supply gas to be later than a timing to open the second valve (supply applied during unloading after extraction during loading, see [0067]-[0094]).
Jeunink fails to explicitly disclose a first valve along the first path to control flow of supply of gas.
Nakazawa teaches a first valve along the first path to control flow of supply of gas (see [0038]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing of the claimed invention to provide supply valve Nakazawa in the flow control as taught by Jeunink in order to provide a known controllable device that adjusts flow supply for purpose as required by Jeunink and provide control for reducing backflow.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yamagami [JP-H0945755-A] and Yasunobe [US 2019/0287842] teach configurations for control of the gas flow in a substrate stage during unloading.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Steven H Whitesell whose telephone number is (571)270-3942. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM (MST).
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/Steven H Whitesell/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
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