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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/10/2025 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 –
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, 9-11, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bishara et al, (Pub. No.: US 20140367043 A1) hereafter Bishara.
Regarding claim 1, Bishara teaches a plasma-processing apparatus (FIG. 1, a plasma enhanced substrate processing system 100), comprising:
a chamber (FIG. 1, process chamber 101);
a substrate support in the chamber (FIG. 1, a cathode pedestal 120);
an antenna (FIG. 1, at least one antenna assembly 104) above the substrate support (FIG. 1);
an RF generator (FIRST RF SOURCE 112) that is electrically connected to the antenna (FIG. 1) and is configured to generate an RF signal including one or both of a first frequency component for igniting plasma in the chamber (paragraph [0021],” 116 may be configured for fast plasma ignition and fast frequency tuning”) and a second frequency component for maintaining the ignited plasma (paragraph [0038], “the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period. During the first time period, the matching network is maintained in the hold mode”), the first frequency component having a first frequency and the second frequency component having a second frequency which is a matching frequency different from the first frequency (paragraphs [0021] and [0038]); and
a controller (FIG. 1, CONTROLLER 114) configured to control the RF generator to set, in a first period, a power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal to a power level greater than a power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal in order to ignite the plasma in the chamber (FIG. 4 and paragraph [0038], “the plasma may be ignited at some frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency. The frequency may continue to be adjusted to the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period”), and
set, in a second period, the power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal to a power level greater than the power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal in order to maintain the ignited plasma (FIG. 4 and Claim 1 “the RF power supply to change a level of RF power delivered to the process chamber, or changing a pressure in the process chamber, wherein the RF power supply operate at a first frequency and the matching network is in a hold mode; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the first frequency to a second frequency during a first time period to ignite the plasma; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the second frequency to a known third frequency during a second time period while maintaining the plasma”).
Regarding claim 2, Bishara teaches plasma-processing apparatus (FIG. 1, a plasma enhanced substrate processing system 100) including:
a chamber (FIG. 1, process chamber 101);
a substrate support in the chamber (FIG. 1, a cathode pedestal 120);
an RF generator (FIRST RF SOURCE 112) configured to generate an RF signal including one or both of a first frequency component for igniting plasma in the chamber (paragraph [0021],” 116 may be configured for fast plasma ignition and fast frequency tuning”) and a second frequency component for maintaining the ignited plasma (paragraph [0038], “the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period. During the first time period, the matching network is maintained in the hold mode”), the first frequency component having a first frequency and the second frequency component having a second frequency which is a matching frequency different from the first frequency (paragraphs [0021] and [0038]); and
a controller (FIG. 1, CONTROLLER 114) configured to control the RF generator to set, in a first period, a power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal to a power level greater than a power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal in order to ignite the plasma in the chamber (FIG. 4 and paragraph [0038], “the plasma may be ignited at some frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency. The frequency may continue to be adjusted to the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period”), and
set, in a second period, the power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal to a power level greater than the power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal in order to maintain the ignited plasma (FIG. 4 and Claim 1 “the RF power supply to change a level of RF power delivered to the process chamber, or changing a pressure in the process chamber, wherein the RF power supply operate at a first frequency and the matching network is in a hold mode; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the first frequency to a second frequency during a first time period to ignite the plasma; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the second frequency to a known third frequency during a second time period while maintaining the plasma”).
Regarding claim 3, Bishara further teaches wherein the second frequency component has a power level greater than zero in the first period (paragraph [0038], “during a first time period (e.g., Tvar_freq) to ignite the plasma or tune during a transition and reduce the reflected power in the process chamber using the RF power source”, which means a power level greater than zero).
Regarding claim 4, Bishara further teaches wherein the first frequency component has a power level greater than zero in the second period (paragraph [0038], “The frequency may continue to be adjusted to the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period. During the first time period, the matching network is maintained in the hold mode”, which means a power level greater than zero).
Regarding claim 5, Bishara further teaches the first frequency component has a minimum power level required for igniting the plasma in the chamber in the second period (paragraph [0039], “during the second time period, an operation mode of the matching network is changed from the hold mode to automatic tuning mode”, which must need a power level).
Regarding claim 9, Bishara further teaches wherein a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is within 5% of the first frequency (paragraph [0034], “the RF frequency f1 may be about 5% to about 10% different from f0. Although f1 is shown as being a higher frequency than f0”).
Regarding claim 10, Bishara further teaches wherein a difference between the first frequency and the second frequency is within 1 MHz (paragraph [0032], “the generator center frequency could be about 2 MHz” and (paragraph [0034], “the RF frequency f1 may be about 5% to about 10% different from f0. Although f1 is shown as being a higher frequency than f0”), 5% to 10% of 2 MHz is .1 MHz to .2 MHz which is within 1 MHz).
Regarding claim 11, Bishara further teaches the controller is configured to control the RF generator to set a power level of the first frequency component in a period between the first period and the second period to a power level greater than zero and smaller than the power level of the first frequency component in the first period (paragraph [0038], “The frequency may continue to be adjusted to the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period. During the first time period, the matching network is maintained in the hold mode”, which means a power level greater than zero) , and set a power level of the second frequency component in the period between the first period and the second period to a power level greater than zero and smaller than the power level of the second frequency component in the second period (paragraph [0039], “during the second time period, an operation mode of the matching network is changed from the hold mode to automatic tuning mode”, which must need a power level).
Regarding claim 14, Bishara teaches a plasma-processing method (FIG. 1, a plasma enhanced substrate processing system 100) comprising:
Supplying, in a first period, an RF signal including a first frequency component (paragraph [0021],” 116 may be configured for fast plasma ignition and fast frequency tuning”) from an RF generator (FIRST RF SOURCE 112) to an antenna (FIG. 1, at least one antenna assembly 104) that is above a chamber (FIG. 1, process chamber 101) in a plasma-processing apparatus (FIG. 1, a plasma enhanced substrate processing system 100) in order to ignite plasma in the chamber; and
supplying, in a second period, the RF signal including a second frequency component from the RF generator to the antenna in order to maintain the ignited plasma (paragraph [0038], “the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period. During the first time period, the matching network is maintained in the hold mode”),
wherein the first frequency component has a first frequency and the second frequency component has a second frequency which is a matching frequency different from the first frequency (paragraphs [0021] and [0038]),
in the supplying of the RF signal including the first frequency, a power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal is greater than a power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal(FIG. 4 and paragraph [0038], “the plasma may be ignited at some frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency. The frequency may continue to be adjusted to the second frequency until the reflected power is minimized to a certain level during the first time period”), and
in the supplying of the RF signal including the second frequency, the power level of the second frequency component of the RF signal is greater than the power level of the first frequency component of the RF signal (FIG. 4 and Claim 1 “the RF power supply to change a level of RF power delivered to the process chamber, or changing a pressure in the process chamber, wherein the RF power supply operate at a first frequency and the matching network is in a hold mode; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the first frequency to a second frequency during a first time period to ignite the plasma; instruct the RF power supply to adjust the second frequency to a known third frequency during a second time period while maintaining the plasma”)..
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8, 12-13, 15-16 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 6, prior arts whether stand alone or in combination fail to teach or reasonably suggest plasma-processing apparatus according to Claim 5, comprising “the controller is configured to control the RF generator to set a power level of the second frequency component in the second sub-period to a power level greater than a power level of the second frequency component in the first sub-period”, as required in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Dependent claims 7 & 8 are also objected by virtue of its dependency.
Regarding claim 12, prior arts whether stand alone or in combination fail to teach or reasonably suggest plasma-processing apparatus according to Claim 2, comprising “wherein the controller is configured to control the RF generator to supply the RF signal including the first frequency component in order to reignite the plasma in the chamber in a case where it is determined that the plasma has disappeared after the first period based on the state of the plasma monitored by the plasma state monitor”, as required in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Dependent claim 13 is also objected by virtue of its dependency.
Regarding claim 15, prior arts whether stand alone or in combination fail to teach or reasonably suggest plasma-processing method according to Claim 14, comprising “supplying the RF signal including the first frequency component to reignite the plasma in the chamber in a case of determining that the plasma has disappeared after the first period based on a state of the plasma monitored by a plasma state monitor”, as required in combination with the other limitations of the claim.
Dependent claim 16 is also objected by virtue of its dependency.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYED M KAISER whose telephone number is (571)272-9612. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m.-6 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SYED M KAISER/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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