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
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, 2 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bullock et al (US 20180286650).
Regarding claim 1, Bullock et al teach (Figs. 1-7) A film thickness measurement device and method comprising: a spectral separation unit (245) configured to spectrally separate measurement light outputted from a light source and reflected by a sample (110); a detection unit (250) configured to detect spectral images of the measurement light spectrally separated by the spectral separation unit; a generation unit (280) configured to generate spectrum data for analysis by using spectrum data obtained from a result of detection of spectral images of the measurement light; and an analysis unit (270) configured to analyze a film thickness ([0028]) of the sample on the basis of the spectrum data for analysis, wherein the spectral separation unit subjects the measurement light to wavelength resolution in a first direction and forms spectral images on a wavelength basis each in a second direction intersecting the first direction ([0033]), the detection unit has a first pixel region (310) and a second pixel region (311) divided in the second direction, and receives spectral images of the measurement light with the first pixel region with a first type of exposure time and receives spectral images of the measurement light with the second pixel region with a second type of exposure time longer than the first type of exposure time, and the generation unit combines data in a long wavelength region in a first type of measurement spectrum data obtained from the first pixel region and data in a short wavelength region in a second type of measurement spectrum data obtained from the second pixel region (see [0032] where it teaches the various regions can be independently controlled), and generates the spectrum data for analysis.
Regarding claim 2, Bullock et al teach the detection unit is a CCD photodetector including: a first horizontal shift register ([0073]) to which charge generated in each column of the first pixel region (310) is transferred; and a second horizontal shift register ([0073] – shift register) to which charge generated in each column of the second pixel region (311) is transferred.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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
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/TONY KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2878
TK
