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 .
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s communication filed on April 17, 2025. In virtue of this communication, claims 1-20 are currently presented in the instant application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/17/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-5, 7-10 and 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Long et al. (US 2019/0385821).
With respect to claim 1, Long discloses in figure 6 a system for control of impedance associated with an output (Vin) of a plasma source (620, e.g., an RF generator or an RF source or a plasma source), comprising: the plasma source configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal (Vin, e.g., an RF signal); a load (Cathode or load) coupled to the plasma source via an RF connection (RFC, e.g., an RF connection), wherein the RF connection has a point (P, e.g., a point); a tunable impedance match (650-654, e.g., a matching network having tunable or variable capacitors C1-C2 thereof) coupled to the point between the plasma source and the load (see figure 6), wherein the tunable impedance match includes a dependent voltage source (410, e.g., a DC source or a dependent voltage source thereof) and a circuit network (L1-L8, C1-C7, e.g., a matching network), wherein the dependent voltage source is coupled in series with the circuit network (see figure 6, e.g., having a serial feature thereof).
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With respect to claim 2, Long discloses that wherein the circuit network includes a capacitor (C1-C7) or an inductor (L1-L8) or a combination thereof (see figure 6), wherein the dependent voltage source includes a direct current (DC) voltage source (410 is a DC voltage source), the system comprising a processor (644, e.g., a controller), wherein the processor is configured to modify a voltage output from the DC voltage source to achieve the control of impedance (see figure 6 and paragraph 0061, e.g., “one or more microprocessors”).
With respect to claim 3, Long discloses that wherein the dependent voltage source includes a direct current (DC) voltage source (410) and an inverter circuit (138), wherein the DC voltage source is coupled in parallel to the inverter circuit (see figure 6).
With respect to claim 4, Long discloses that wherein the DC voltage source is configured to modify a voltage output (VDC) from the DC voltage source for the control of impedance (see figure 6).
With respect to claim 5, Long discloses that wherein the dependent voltage source includes a plurality of pulse signal sources (144, 146, e.g., pulse sources) including a first pulse source (144) and a second pulse source (146), wherein the inverter circuit includes a first transistor (140) and a second transistor (142), wherein the first pulse source is coupled to the first transistor to provide a first pulse signal (S1) to the first transistor and the second pulse source is coupled to the second transistor to provide a second pulse signal (S2) to the second transistor, wherein the first pulse source is configured to modify a phase of the first pulse signal and the second pulse source is configured to modify a phase of the second pulse signal to achieve the control of impedance (see paragraph 0052).
With respect to claim 7, Long discloses that wherein the dependent voltage source includes a capacitor (C5) and an inverter circuit (138), wherein the capacitor is coupled in parallel to the inverter circuit (see figure 6).
With respect to claim 8, Long discloses in figures 6-7 a system for control of impedance associated with an output (Vin) of a plasma source (620, e.g., an RF generator or an RF source or a plasma source), comprising: the plasma source configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal (Vin, e.g., an RF signal); a load (Cathode or Load) coupled to the plasma source via an RF connection (RFC), wherein the RF connection has a point (P, e.g., a point); a plurality of tunable impedance matches (650-1, 650-2, e.g., matching networks) coupled to the point between the plasma source and the load (see figure 7), wherein the plurality of tunable impedance matches include a first tunable impedance match (650-1) and a second tunable impedance match (650-2), wherein the first tunable impedance matches includes a first dependent voltage source (410) and a first circuit network (C4-C7, L5-L8), wherein the second tunable impedance matches includes a second dependent voltage source (410) and a second circuit network (C4-C7, L5-L8), wherein the first dependent voltage source is coupled in series with the first circuit network (see figure 7, e.g., having a serial feature thereof), wherein the second dependent voltage source is coupled in series with the second circuit network (see figure 7, e.g., having a serial feature thereof).
With respect to claim 9, Long discloses that wherein the first circuit network includes a first capacitor (C4) or a first inductor (L5) or a combination thereof (see figure 7), wherein the second circuit network includes a second capacitor (C4) or a second inductor (L5) or a combination thereof (see figure 7), wherein the plasma source is a matchless plasma source or a radio frequency (RF) generator (620, e.g., an RF generator), and the load includes a plasma chamber (Load is a plasma chamber).
With respect to claim 10, Long discloses that wherein the plurality of tunable impedance matches are configured to modify an impedance of the RF signal to output a modified RF signal (Vo), wherein the modified RF signal is provided to the load, wherein the RF signal is a sinusoidal signal and the load includes a plasma chamber (figure 6, e.g., Load is a plasma chamber).
With respect to claim 12, Long discloses in figure 7 that wherein the first dependent voltage source includes a first direct current (DC) voltage source (VDC), a first pulse source (144), a second pulse source (146), and a first inverter circuit (138), and the second dependent voltage source includes a second DC voltage source (VDC), a third pulse source (144), a fourth pulse source (146), and a second inverter circuit (138).
With respect to claim 13, Long discloses that wherein the first DC voltage source is coupled in parallel with the first inverter circuit and the second DC voltage source is coupled in parallel with the second inverter circuit (figure 7 shows parallel features thereof).
With respect to claim 14, Long discloses in figure 7 that wherein the first dependent voltage source includes a first capacitor (C4) and the second dependent voltage source includes a second capacitor (C4).
With respect to claim 15, Long discloses that wherein the first capacitor is coupled in parallel with the first inverter circuit and the second capacitor is coupled in parallel with the second inverter circuit (see figure 7).
With respect to claim 16, Long discloses in figure 6 a system for control of impedance associated with an output (Vin) of a radio frequency (RF) generator (620, e.g., an RF generator), comprising: the RF generator configured to generate an RF signal (Vin, e.g., an RF signal); a tunable impedance match (650-654, e.g., a matching network having tunable or variable capacitors C1-C2 thereof) coupled to the RF generator via an RF cable (RFC) to receive the RF signal (see figure 6), wherein the tunable impedance match includes a dependent voltage source (410), wherein the tunable impedance match is configured to modify an impedance of the RF signal to output a modified RF signal (Vo); and a load (Cathode or Load) coupled to the tunable impedance match via an RF transmission line (having a transmission line from a point P to the load) to receive the modified RF signal (see figure 6).
With respect to claim 17, Long discloses that further comprising: an additional tunable impedance match (650-2) coupled to the RF generator via the RF cable (see figure 7), wherein the additional tunable impedance match includes an additional dependent voltage source (410), wherein the additional tunable impedance match is configured to modify the impedance of the RF signal to output the modified RF signal (see figure 7).
With respect to claim 18, Long discloses in figure 7 that further comprising a match (C4-C7 and L5-L8) including the tunable impedance match, wherein the match includes a mechanical circuit (L5-L8) component coupled to the tunable impedance match (see figure 7).
With respect to claim 19, Long discloses in figure 7 that wherein the mechanical circuit component is a mechanical capacitor (C4) or a mechanical inductor (L5).
With respect to claim 20, Long discloses that wherein the tunable impedance match includes an inductor-capacitor network (C4-L5) that is coupled to the dependent voltage source (see figure 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Prior art Yamazawa et al. – US 8,741,097
Prior art Morii – US 2021/0194462
Prior art Luu et al. – US 2018/034903
Prior art Shimomoto et al. – US 2014/0091875
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/TUNG X LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845 August 13, 2026
