Patent Application 17590263 - WAFER DRYING APPARATUS WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM

Title: WAFER DRYING APPARATUS, WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND WAFER PROCESSING METHOD USING THE SAME

Application Information

Invention Title: WAFER DRYING APPARATUS, WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND WAFER PROCESSING METHOD USING THE SAME
Application Number: 17590263
Submission Date: 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2022-02-01T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2022-02-01T00:00:00.000Z
National Class: 034
National Sub-Class: 350000
Examiner Employee Number: 88767
Art Unit: 3762
Tech Center: 3700

Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 0
103 Rejections: 4

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

US 2751849🔗

Office Action Text

DETAILED ACTION
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.

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.
Claim(s) 13, 15-17, 21, 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20130145640 A1) in view of Kamada (US 20200048515 A1) and Choi (US 20200081347 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Lee discloses a wafer processing method, comprising:
providing a wafer (W) in a drying chamber housing (Fig. 1);
drying the wafer in the drying chamber housing (100) (para. 2); and
wherein the drying of the wafer in the drying chamber housing comprises:
supplying a drying fluid into the drying chamber housing using a drying fluid supplying part (310, 320);
removing a solution on the wafer from a surface of the wafer using the drying fluid (para. 31); and
discharging the drying fluid to an outside of the drying chamber housing (abstract).

Lee fails to disclose:
after drying the wafer, heating the wafer in the drying chamber; and
wherein the solution to be removed from the wafer is a developing solution

Lee discloses heating the wafer in the drying chamber housing (para. 38), but does not show it as a separate step. Kamada teaches a wafer processing method and the step of heating the wafer in the drying chamber after drying the wafer (para. 234).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Lee to include the step of after drying the wafer, heating the wafer in the drying chamber. The motivation to combine is to form a film on the wafer (if desired) as part of the wafer processing (Kamada, para. 224). Moreover, since the drying chamber housing of Lee already has a heater, a person skilled in the art would have been motivated to perform the drying and heating steps in the same chamber. This compact setup would be especially beneficial if space were limited.

Choi teaches a wafer processing method comprising the step of removing a developing solution on the wafer from a surface of the wafer using a drying fluid (para. 58). It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Lee wherein the solution to be removed from the wafer is a developing solution. The motivation to combine is so that wafer treatment apparatus of Lee can be used for various processes (e.g., photolithography; see para. 3 of Choi) that utilize a developing solution.

Regarding claim 15, Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, wherein the drying of the wafer in the drying chamber housing further comprises heating an internal portion of the drying chamber housing (para. 38).

Regarding claim 16, modified Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, wherein the heating of the wafer comprises heating the wafer to a temperature of 90° C. to 110° C (Kamada, para. 41).

Regarding claim 17, Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, further comprising lowering a pressure in the drying chamber housing, after the drying of the wafer (para. 51).

Regarding claim 21, modified Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, wherein the heating the wafer is performed while the wafer remains in the drying chamber housing after the drying of the wafer (see rejection of claim 13).

Regarding claim 22, modified Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, wherein the heating the wafer comprises, while the wafer remains in the drying chamber housing after the drying of the wafer:
lowering a pressure in the drying chamber housing (Lee discloses, in para. 56, the step of returning the chamber to atmospheric pressure after drying to exhaust the drying fluid, Kamada teaches, in para. 226, the step of lowering the pressure to below atmospheric pressure),
supplying a gas into the drying chamber housing (para. 229), and
heating the wafer in the drying chamber housing (para. 229).

Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20130145640 A1) in view of Kamada (US 20200048515 A1) and Choi (US 20200081347 A1), as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Nakagawa (JP 2751849 B2).
Regarding claim 14, Lee discloses the wafer processing method of claim 13, wherein the removing of the developing solution from the wafer using the drying fluid comprises: pushing out the developing solution from the surface of the wafer using pressure from the drying fluid (Figs. 4-6 and para. 55) EXCEPT reacting the developing solution with the drying fluid.
Nakagawa teaches that an alkaline developing solution for use in semiconductor manufacturing reacts with carbon dioxide (English translation, pg. 3, “After being sent…”). Therefore, the supercritical CO2, as taught by Lee, would react with an alkaline developing solution. Moreover, it would have been obvious to use an alkaline developing solution since it is a known developing solution for use in semiconductor manufacturing.

Claim(s) 18, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20130145640 A1) in view of Kamada (US 20200048515 A1) and Choi (US 20200081347 A1), as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Kim (KR 20200074307 A).
Regarding claims 18, 19, Lee fails to disclose the wafer processing method of claim 13, further comprising cooling the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating of the wafer (as recited in claim 18), or
the wafer processing method of claim 18, wherein the cooling of the wafer comprises flowing a cooling fluid through a cooling conduit, which is inserted in a cooling plate below the wafer to cool the wafer (as recited in claim 19).
However, Kim teaches a wafer processing method comprising:
cooling (S03) the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating (S01) of the wafer (English translation, pg. 8); and
wherein the cooling of the wafer comprises flowing a cooling fluid through a cooling conduit (372), which is inserted in a cooling plate (310) below the wafer (W) to cool the wafer (English translation, pg. 8).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Lee to include the step of cooling the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating of the wafer, wherein the cooling of the wafer comprises flowing a cooling fluid through a cooling conduit, which is inserted in a cooling plate below the wafer to cool the wafer. The motivation to combine is to prevent degradation of the wafer due to the heat, and so that the temperature of the wafer can be brought back down for further processing.

Claim(s) 18, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US 20130145640 A1) in view of Kamada (US 20200048515 A1) and Choi (US 20200081347 A1), as applied to claim 13, and further in view of Chae (KR 20130064493 A).
Regarding claims 18, 20, Lee fails to disclose the wafer processing method of claim 13, further comprising cooling the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating of the wafer (as recited in claim 18), or
the wafer processing method of claim 18, wherein the cooling of the wafer further comprises supplying an inactive gas into the drying chamber housing using a gas supplying part (as recited in claim 20).
However, Chae teaches a wafer processing method, comprising the step of: cooling the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating of the wafer (see Background Art), and
wherein the cooling of the wafer further comprises supplying an inactive gas into the chamber housing using a gas supplying part (English translation, pg. 5).
It would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art at the time of effective filing of the application to modify Lee to include the step of cooling the wafer in the drying chamber housing, after the heating of the wafer, wherein the cooling of the wafer further comprises supplying an inactive gas into the drying chamber housing using a gas supplying part. The motivation to combine is to prevent degradation of the wafer due to the heat, and so that the temperature of the wafer can be brought back down for further processing.

Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but they do not apply to any of the current rejections.

Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JASON LAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762