UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`i
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
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`NOTICE OF ALLOWANCE AND FEE(S) DUE
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`42532
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`7590
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`06/30/2015
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`PROSKAUER ROSE LLP
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`BosToN.MAo211o
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`MCCORMACK, JASONL
`
`2881
`
`DATE MAILED: 06/30/2015
`
`IEEHEENEIIIllfifiiflfilllIIIIIIEEENNEMEEEIIIIIIIHERfifiifiifillfififififififlfill
`14/448,258
`07/31/2014
`Donald K. Smith
`EGQ—005CP3C2
`8145
`TITLE OF INVENTION: LASER—DRIVEN LIGHT SOURCE
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`APPLN. TYPE
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`PART B - FEE(S) TRANSMITTAL
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`ll
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`suffiScé%1]tEp§]sEt]a:ge(f((i)r first glass mailbin an Envelope
`a
`resse
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`e
`a1
`top
`a
`ress a ove, or
`e1ng
`acs1m1 e
`transmitted to the USPTO (571) 273-2885, on the date indicated below.
`(Depositofs name)
`(Signature)
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`(Date)
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`APPLICATION NO.
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`FILING DATE
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`F {ST NAMED INVENTOR
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`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`CONFIRMATION NO.
`
`07/31/2014
`14/448,258
`TITLE OF INVENTION: LASER—DRIVEN LIGHT SOURCE
`
`Donald K. Smith
`
`EGQ-005CP3C2
`
`8145
`
`APPLN. TYPE
`
`ENTITY STATUS
`
`ISSUE FEE DUE
`
`PUBLICATION FEE DUE
`
`PREV. PAID ISSUE FEE
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`TOTAL FEE(S) DUE
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`DATE DUE
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`nonprovisional
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`SMALL
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`$480
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`$0
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`$480
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`09/30/2015
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`EXAMINER
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`ART UNIT
`
`CLASS-SUB CLASS
`
`MCCORMACK, JASON L
`
`2881
`
`250-503100
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`1. Change of correspondence address or indication of "Fee Address" (37
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`Page 2 of 3
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`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`iii
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
`
`APPLICATION NO.
`
`FILING DATE
`
`F {ST NAMED INVENTOR
`
`ATTORNEY DOCKET NO.
`
`CONFIRMATION NO.
`
`14/448,258
`
`07/31/2014
`
`Donald K. Smith
`
`EGQ—005CP3C2
`
`8145
`
`42532
`
`7590
`
`06/30/2015
`
`PROSKAUER ROSE LLP
`ONE INTERNATIONAL PLACE
`BOSTON, MA 02110
`
`MCCORMACK, JASONL
`
`2881
`
`DATE MAILED: 06/3 0/2015
`
`Determination of Patent Term Adjustment under 35 U.S.C. 154 (b)
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`The Office has discontinued providing a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) calculation with the Notice of Allowance.
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`Section 1(h)(2) of the AIA Technical Corrections Act amended 35 U.S.C. 154(b)(3)(B)(i)
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`PToL—85 (Rev. 02/11)
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`

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`OMB Clearance and PRA Burden Statement for PTOL-85 Part B
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`iv
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`

`
`Notice of Allowability
`
`Application No.
`14/448,258
`hf/>A<g'(*)1:qr'<;/TCCORMACK
`
`App|icant(s)
`SMITH, DONALD K.
`gtsynit
`’F‘:{;,<;‘,;S,‘,,',""°"‘°"°
`No
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address--
`All claims being allowable, PROSECUTION ON THE MERITS IS (OR REMAINS) CLOSED in this application.
`If not included
`herewith (or previously mailed), a Notice of Allowance (PTOL—85) or other appropriate communication will be mailed in due course. THIS
`NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY IS NOT A GRANT OF PATENT RIGHTS. This application is subject to withdrawal from issue at the initiative
`of the Office or upon petition by the applicant. See 37 CFR 1.313 and MPEP 1308.
`
`1. IX This communication is responsive to 6/15/2015.
`
`D A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
`
`2. I:l An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`
`; the restriction
`
`3. IX The allowed cIaim(s) is/are 1-25. As a result of the allowed cIaim(s), you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution
`in.
`Highway program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`hit’ :/'/wwwusrto. ov/ atents/'init events/'
`I1/ir1ciex.'s' or send an inquiry to r'PHfeedback us today.
`
`4. I:l Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)—(d) or (f).
`
`Certified copies:
`
`a) I:l All
`
`b) D Some
`
`*c) I:I None of the:
`
`1. El Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`
`2. I:I Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`
`3. El Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this national stage application from the
`International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`
`* Certified copies not received:
`
`Applicant has THREE MONTHS FROM THE “MAILING DATE” of this communication to file a reply complying with the requirements
`noted below. Failure to timely comply will result in ABANDONMENT of this application.
`THIS THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS NOT EXTENDABLE.
`
`5. I] CORRECTED DRAWINGS ( as “replacement sheets”) must be submitted.
`
`I:I
`
`including changes required by the attached Examiner’s Amendment / Comment or in the Office action of
`Paper No./Mail Date
`Identifying indicia such as the application number (see 37 CFR 1.84(c)) should be written on the drawings in the front (not the back) of
`each sheet. Replacement sheet(s) should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d).
`
`6. I] DEPOSIT OF and/or INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the
`attached Examiner’s comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.
`
`Attachment(s)
`1. IX] Notice of References Cited (PTO—892)
`
`2. IX] Information Disclosure Statements (PTO/SB/08),
`Paper No./Mail Date See Continuation Sheet
`3. I] Examiner’s Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit
`of Biological Material
`4. I] Interview Summary (PTO—413),
`Paper No./Mail Date
`
`/NICOLE IPPOLITO/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881
`
`5. El Examiner’s Amendment/Comment
`
`6. IX Examiner’s Statement of Reasons for Allowance
`
`7. I:I Other
`
`.
`
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`PTOL-37 (Rev. 08-13)
`
`Notice of Allowability
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20150624
`
`

`
`Continuation Sheet (PTOL-37)
`
`vi
`
`Application No. 14/448,258
`
`Continuation of Attachment(s) 2. Information Disclosure Statements (PTO/SB/08), Paper No./Mail Date: 6/15/2015, 3/30/2015, 3/11/2015,
`2/11/2015,1/15/2015.
`
`

`
`Application/Control Number: 14/448,258
`
`Page 2
`
`Art Unit: 2881
`
`1.
`
`The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent
`
`provisions.
`
`DETAILED ACTION
`
`Response to Arguments
`
`2.
`
`Applicant’s arguments see pages 6-10, filed 6/15/2015, with respect to the
`
`amendments to claims 1, 8, and 15, and the filing of the terminal disclaimer have been
`
`fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claims 1-20 have been
`
`withdrawn.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1-25 are allowed.
`
`Allowable Subject Matter
`
`Regarding independent claims 1, 8, and 15; Hertz et al. U.S. PGPUB No.
`
`2002/0044629 discloses a plasma-based light source “a plasma P emitting the desired
`
`X-ray and EUV radiation” [0033], comprising: a pressurized chamber (3) “it is necessary
`
`to provide a suitable gas atmosphere in the low-pressure chamber” [0005] configured to
`
`contain an ionized gas; a laser for providing a beam of laser energy to the ionized gas
`
`within the chamber to maintain a plasma “The energy beam is preferably a beam of
`
`electromagnetic radiation, such as laser radiation, which interacts with the jet and heats
`
`it to a plasma-forming temperature” [0024], the beam configured to maintain the plasma
`
`in an elongated forma having a plasma length that is greater than that of a plasma
`
`diameter “an elongated laser focus might be formed over a certain length of the jet, for
`
`example by means of one or more cylinder lenses (not shown) in combination with one
`
`or more spherical lenses, resulting in an elongated EUV emitting plasma” [0042] (the
`
`

`
`Application/Control Number: 14/448,258
`
`Page 3
`
`Art Unit: 2881
`
`Oxford English Dictionary defines “elongate” as “long in relation to width” thereby
`
`establishing that an “elongated” plasma is defined by having a length greater than its
`
`width); and a tool optically coupled to the chamber for collecting light generated by the
`
`plasma “A method and an apparatus is designed to produce X-ray or EUV radiation for
`
`use in lithography, microscopy, materials science, or medical diagnostics” [Abstract].
`
`However, Hertz discloses that gas is urged under high pressure into the chamber [0034]
`
`but does not explicitly disclose that the chamber is maintained above 10 atmospheres
`
`during operation and does not disclose the wavelength of the laser 1.
`
`Manning U.S. PGPUB No. 2006/0152128 discloses a lamp with “inner pressure
`
`to about 10 or 11 atm... The higher gas pressure essentially contained the expansion of
`
`the plasma during operation, confining the arc discharge” [0028] having “A sparker
`
`electrode 124 is positioned inside the envelope for generating a preionization of the gas,
`
`in order to obtain a more uniform discharge. The discharge across the arc gap can
`
`generate light that is reflected by a mirror assembly 126 positioned relative to the arc
`
`gap and/or transmitted through the light transmitting window 106” [0004]. The generated
`
`light has “a spectrum on the order of about 190 nm to about 4000 nm” [0018]. However,
`
`Manning does not disclose at least one substantially continuous laser for providing
`
`energy within a wavelength range from about 700 nm to 2000 nm to the ionized gas to
`
`sustain a plasma within the chamber to produce a plasma-generated light having
`
`wavelengths greater than 50 nm.
`
`Cross et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,780,608 discloses that “Recently, free-standing
`
`continuous discharges have been produced by focusing the output of a sufficiently
`
`

`
`Application/Control Number: 14/448,258
`
`Page 4
`
`Art Unit: 2881
`
`powerful cw-CO2 laser into inert gases, molecular gases and mixtures thereof at
`
`atmospheric pressures or above... Although cw-laser radiation can maintain the
`
`continuous optical discharge, the output power of such light sources is generally
`
`insufficient to initiate the discharge. Consequently, such plasmas can be initiated using
`
`conventional electrode sparks or by the spark produced by a focused laser pulse
`
`superimposed on the focal volume of the cw-laser beam used to maintain the plasma”
`
`[col. 1; lines 30-52]. However, Cross is concerned with producing ions and does not
`
`describe that light is produced by the plasma, Cross therefore does not disclose
`
`producing light having a wavelength of at least 50 nm (and does not explicitly describe
`
`the claimed pressure, laser wavelength, or plasma-generated light wavelength values).
`
`One of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention would not have
`
`combined Manning and Cross since they belong to different fields of endeavor; namely,
`
`Manning uses a plasma to generate light in a light source, while Cross uses a plasma to
`
`generate ions. Further, if Manning and Cross were combined, the references still fail to
`
`disclose at least one substantially continuous laser for providing energy within a
`
`wavelength range from about 700 nm to 2000 nm to the ionized gas to sustain a plasma
`
`within the chamber to produce a plasma-generated light having wavelengths greater
`
`than 50 nm (Cross does not disclose the wavelength of the disclosed laser, and does
`
`not disclose that the laser sustains the plasma for producing light, and therefore cannot
`
`disclose that light having wavelengths greater than 50 nm can be produced by a plasma
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`sustained by a laser).
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/448,258
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`The prior art fails to disclose at least one substantially continuous laser for
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`providing energy within a wavelength range from about 700 nm to 2000 nm to an
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`ionized gas to sustain a plasma within a chamber having greater than atmospheric
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`pressure to produce a plasma-generated light having wavelengths greater than 50 nm,
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`as claimed in independent claim 1, with similar limitations in independent claims 8 and
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`15.
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`Regarding dependent claims 2—7,9-14, and 16-25; these claims are allowable at
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`least for their dependence, either directly or indirectly upon independent claims 1, 8,
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`and 15.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to JASON MCCORMACK whose telephone number is
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`(571)270-1489. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday — Thursday 7:00am
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`— 3:00pm.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Robert Kim can be reached on (571)272-2293. The fax phone number for
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`the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 14/448,258
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
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`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should
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`you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`/JASON MCCORMACK/
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2881
`/NICOLE IPPOLITO/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881