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 .
Claims 1-31 are canceled, and claims 32-60 are pending for examination, as filed with the preliminary amendment of May 22, 2025.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: at 0001 of the specification, it should be clarified that 17/793,197 is abandoned.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 38-41 and 60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 38, line 3, part a), “a dielectric polymer” is confusing as to whether the dielectric polymer of claim 32 is referred to, or whether a different polymer is referred to. For the purpose of examination, either is understood to meet the claim requirements, but applicant should clarify what is intended, without adding new matter.
The other dependent claims do not cure the defects of the claim from which they depend, and are therefore also rejected.
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 32-33 and 35-60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over De et al (US 2016/0313641).
Claims 32, 57: De teaches a process for preparing a dry film structure (note 0017, 0121). The process includes coating a carrier substrate with a dielectric film forming composition (note 0017, 0121, 0126 with the photosensitive polymeric composition, understood to provide a dielectric film forming composition as the films are described as forming photoimagable dielectrics at 0004, and as well, polyimide as used understood to provide a dielectric material, note 0005, 0107) comprising at least one dielectric polymer (the fully imidized polyimide would be that described by applicant as dielectric, note 0005, 0017) and at least one solvent to form a coated composition (note 0017, 0025, 0103). The coated composition is dried to form a dielectric film on the carrier substrate (note 0017, 0121). The dielectric polymer comprises a fully imidized polyimide polymer (note 0005, 0006), that can be isolated or purified without precipitation (note 0093, note the another embodiment other than precipitation using isolation by addition of solution to water/solvent, and note 0169-0172).
De does not specifically describe the total amount of the listed metals of claim 32 in the dielectric film, for example. However, De teaches that the photosensitive composition can optionally contain nanoparticles of metal (note 0118, 0019), however, this optional, so not required, and it is not further listed that any metal, including of the list claimed is required to be present, and thus it is understood that each of the listed materials can be provided in a zero amount (for 35 USC 102) or it would at least be suggested to provide each of the listed metals at zero amount, since none of the metals are listed as being required, with an expectation of predictably acceptable results (35 USC 103), which would meet the requirements of claim 32, options 1) or 2) and also claim 57.
Claim 33: De further teaches applying a protective layer over the dielectric film (note 0017).
Claim 35, 36, 37: De indicates preparing the fully imidized polyimide polymer by adding a chemical imidizing agent (such as methanesulfonic acid, etc.) to a polyimide precursor polymer (such as polyamic acid) (note 0005, 0076-0079).
Claim 38: De indicates that the composition can be prepared by synthesizing a dielectric polymer (the polyimide) in an organic solution containing at least one polar, aprotic polyermization solvent (note 0068, 0069, 0075-0078, 0170, 0103, note use of NMP (N-metyl-2-pyrrolidone), for example, or gamma-butyrolactone), further at least one purification solvent can be added to the organic solution to form a diluted solution, where the purification solvent is less polar than the polymerization solvent, and has a lower water solubility as claimed (note 0069, with use of the “poor solvent” such as toluene, understood to meet the claimed requirements as described by applicant for this purpose), where the organic solution/diluted organic solution would be washed with water to obtain a washed polymer containing organic solution (note 0093, 0171), at least a portion of the purification solvent would be removed from the washed solution to obtain a solution with purified dielectric polymer (note 0093, 0171-0172, since the solution concentrated by distillation, solvent, including the purification solvent understood to be removed, or at least suggested to be removed), which leaves a solution for use that could be comprising the film forming composition as it would have the materials needed for such a solution (note 0025, 0103).
Claim 39: in De, additional material for the film could also be added to the solution of the p9olymer (note 0025).
Claim 40: in De, the washed polymer containing solution can also be concentrated by vacuum distillation, which can also perform step (d) (note 0172).
Claim 41: In De, the fully imidized polyimide polymer can be prepared by adding a chemical initiating agent (such as methanesulfonic acid or acetic anhydride) to a polyimide precursor polymer (note 0170, 0078-0079).
Claims 42-50: as to the amount of aluminum, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel and silver in the dielectric film, as discussed for claim 32 above, no metal is required, so each of the listed materials can be present or would be suggested to be present in an amount of zero.
Claim 51: in De, the dielectric film is photosensitive (note 0005).
Claim 52: In De, the dielectric film can further contain a cross linker (note 0094-0096, 0025, which includes materials described by applicant for this purpose).
Claims 53-54: in De, the dielectric film can further contain a catalyst such as a photoinitiator (note 0025, 0098-0099).
Claim 55: in De, the dielectric film can further contain an adhesion promoter (note 0112-0113).
Claim 56: in De, the polymer can be purified without using an ion exchange resin (note 0093, where no ion exchange resin needed).
Claims 58, 59, 60: since all the features of claims 32, 35 and 41 for preparing a dry film structure are suggested as discussed for claims 32, 35 and 41 above, the same dry film structure as claimed would also be provided, noting the resulting dry film structure of De at 0005, 0017.
Claim 34 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De as applied to claims 32-33 and 35-60 above, and further in view of Jin et al (US 2005/0272907).
Claim 34: further as to performing the process in a clean room, De describes its process for treating semiconductor, note 0002, 0004.
Jin further describes how polyimide solutions can be provided for use in applications for semiconductor parts, etc. (note 0001), where a photosensitive polyimide solution can be applied as a coating to various substrates including a semiconductor disk, etc. (note 0058). It is described that the polyimide material can be applied in a clean room (note 0122).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify De to provide the claimed coating/treating process in a clean room as suggested by Jin with an expectation of predictably acceptable results, since De indicates that the photosensitive composition can be applied for semiconductors and Jin also indicates applying photosensitive compositions of polyimide material, and indicates such application would be conventionally preformed in clean rooms, and therefore one would expect that the coating/treatment of De can be performed in such clean rooms.
Claims 32-33 and 35-60 are alternatively rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De et al (US 2016/0313641) in view of Kawabata et al (US 2018/0079864).
Claims 32, 57: De teaches a process for preparing a dry film structure (note 0017, 0121). The process includes coating a carrier substrate with a dielectric film forming composition (note 0017, 0121, 0126 with the photosensitive polymeric composition, understood to provide a dielectric film forming composition as the films are described as forming photoimagable dielectrics at 0004, and as well, polyimide as used understood to provide a dielectric material, note 0005, 0107) comprising at least one dielectric polymer (the fully imidized polyimide would be that described by applicant as dielectric, note 0005, 0017) and at least one solvent to form a coated composition (note 0017, 0025, 0103). The coated composition is dried to form a dielectric film on the carrier substrate (note 0017, 0121). The dielectric polymer comprises a fully imidized polyimide polymer (note 0005, 0006), that can be isolated or purified without precipitation (note 0093, note the another embodiment other than precipitation using isolation by addition of solution to water/solvent, and note 0169-0172).
De does not specifically describe the total amount of the listed metals of claim 32 in the dielectric film, for example.
However, Kawabata describes how photosensitive resins can be applied to provide films with polyimide resin, used as insulating (dielectric) layers (note 0002-0003, 0440), where it is described that the metal content of the photosensitive resin composition is preferably less than 0.5 ppm per mass (so less than 500 ppb per mass) from the viewpoint of insulating properties, where the metal can include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, chromium and nickel, and where the total amount of metals is within the above range (note 0432).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify De to further provide that the total amount of metal in the coating composition, and resulting formed resist film is less than 500 ppb or 300 ppb as suggested by Kawabata to provide good insulating properties, since De is providing a polyimide coating composition to form a dielectric photosensitive layer and Kawabata indicates that in similar applications the resin composition should have a metal total content less than 500 ppb for insulating properties, and where since the coating is formed from the resin composition, the amount would follow the composition, where at the least the amount would be optimized for desirable insulating properties, giving a value in the claimed range (which would give total amounts in the range of claim 32 and claim 57). Note "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955). As to the metals including all those listed, Kawabata indicates metals in general, which would include all metals listed, along with the specific sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, chromium and nickel, so would also include aluminum, cobalt, copper, manganese, silver and zinc.
Claim 33: De further teaches applying a protective layer over the dielectric film (note 0017).
Claim 35, 36, 37: De indicates preparing the fully imidized polyimide polymer by adding a chemical imidizing agent (such as methanesulfonic acid, etc.) to a polymimide precursor polymer (such as polyamic acid) (note 0005, 0076-0079).
Claim 38: De indicates that the composition can be prepared by synthesizing a dielectric polymer (the polyimide) in an organic solution containing at least one polar, aprotic polyermization solvent (note 0068, 0069, 0075-0078, 0170, 0103, note use of NMP (N-metyl-2-pyrrolidone), for example, or gamma-butyrolactone), further at least one purification solvent can be added to the organic solution to form a diluted solution, where the purification solvent is less polar than the polymerization solvent, and has a lower water solubility as claimed (note 0069, with use of the “poor solvent” such as toluene, understood to meet the claimed requirements as described by applicant for this purpose), where the organic solution/diluted organic solution would be washed with water to obtain a washed polymer containing organic solution (note 0093, 0171), at least a portion of the purification solvent would be removed from the washed solution to obtain a solution with purified dielectric polymer (note 0093, 0171-0172, since the solution concentrated by distillation, solvent, including the purification solvent understood to be removed, or at least suggested to be removed), which leaves a solution for use that could be comprising the film forming composition as it would have the materials needed for such a solution (note 0025, 0103).
Claim 39: in De, additional material for the film could also be added to the solution of the p9olymer (note 0025).
Claim 40: in De, the washed polymer containing solution can also be concentrated by vacuum distillation, which can also perform step (d) (note 0172).
Claim 41: In De, the fully imidized polyimide polymer can be prepared by adding a chemical initiating agent (such as methane sulfonic acid or acetic anhydride) to a polyimide precursor polymer (note 0170, 0078-0079).
Claims 42-50: as to the amount of aluminum, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel and silver in the dielectric film, as discussed for claim 32 above, the total amounts of metal would be optimized to be under 500 ppb, and thus, to keep the total amount of metal in the claimed range, any possible metal amount would be optimized to provide an acceptable amount that also keeps the total amount of all metal in the claimed range, and by providing such optimization, the amounts of each of the above metals would be in the claimed range. Note "[W]here the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation." In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235 (CCPA 1955), and also note MPEP 2144.05(II)(A).
Claim 51: in De, the dielectric film is photosensitive (note 0005).
Claim 52: In De, the dielectric film can further contain a cross linker (note 0094-0096, 0025, which includes materials described by applicant for this purpose).
Claims 53-54: in De, the dielectric film can further contain a catalyst such as a photoinitiator (note 0025, 0098-0099).
Claim 55: in De, the dielectric film can further contain an adhesion promoter (note 0112-0113).
Claim 56: in De, the polymer can be purified without using an ion exchange resin (note 0093, where no ion exchange resin needed).
Claims 58, 59, 60: since all the features of claims 32, 35 and 41 for preparing a dry film structure are suggested as discussed for claims 32, 35 and 41 above, the same dry film structure as claimed would also be provided, noting the resulting dry film structure of De at 0005, 0017.
Claim 34 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De in view of Kawabata as applied to claims 32-33 and 35-60 above, and further in view of Jin et al (US 2005/0272907).
Claim 34: further as to performing the process in a clean room, De describes its process for treating semiconductor, note 0002, 0004.
Jin further describes how polyimide solutions can be provided for use in applications for semiconductor parts, etc. (note 0001), where a photosensitive polyimide solution can be applied as a coating to various substrates including a semiconductor disk, etc. (note 0058). It is described that the polyimide material can be applied in a clean room (note 0122).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify De in view of Kawabata to provide the claimed coating/treating process in a clean room as suggested by Jin with an expectation of predictably acceptable results, since De indicates that the photosensitive composition can be applied for semiconductors and Jin also indicates applying photosensitive compositions of polyimide material, and indicates such application would be conventionally preformed in clean rooms, and therefore one would expect that the coating/treatment of De can be performed in such clean rooms.
Malik et al (US 2014/0343199) note making polyimides (note 0006) that can be used for making coatings (note 0264-0272).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATHERINE A BAREFORD whose telephone number is (571)272-1413. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 6:00 am -3:30 pm, 2nd F 6:00 am -2:30 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, GORDON BALDWIN can be reached at 571-272-5166. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KATHERINE A BAREFORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1718
Prosecution Insights