REMARKS
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`The above amendmentis made in response to the Office Action of September 12,
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`2024. The Examiner’s reconsideration is respectfully requested in view of the above
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`amendmentandthe following remarks.
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`Claim 1 has been amendedin this submission. The present amendmentintroduces no
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`new matter, as support is found throughoutthe originally filed specification, claims, and
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`drawings. Claims 1-10 are pendingin the present application upon entry of the above
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`amendment.
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`Claim 1 are independent.
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`Rejections of Claims under 35 U.S.C. §103
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`On pages 2 to 7 the Office Action rejects claims 1, 2 and 4-10 under 35 U.S.C. §103
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`as allegedly being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 5,762,751 to Bleck et al. (hereinafter,
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`“Bleck”) in view of U.S. Pat. Pub. 2018/0243882 to Lee (hereinafter, “Lee”) and JP
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`2001007069 to Sotozaki et al. (hereinafter, “Sotozaki”) and rejects claim 3 under 35 U.S.C.
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`§103 as allegedly being unpatentable over Bleck, Lee and Sotozaki as applied to claim 1
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`above,in further view of U.S. Patent No. 5,357,991 to Bergmanet al. (hereinafter,
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`“Bergman”). These rejections are respectfully traversed.
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`In order for an obviousness rejection to be proper, the Examiner must meet the
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`burden of establishing that all elements of the invention are disclosed in the priorart; that the
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`prior art relied upon, coupled with knowledge generally available in the art at the time of the
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`invention, must contain some suggestion or incentive that would have motivated the skilled
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`artisan to modify a reference or combined references; and that the proposed modification of
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`the prior art must have had a reasonable expectation of success, determined from the vantage
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`point of the skilled artisan at the time the invention was made. In re Fine, 5 U.S.P.Q.2d 1596
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`2
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`1598 (Fed. Cir. 1988); In re Wilson, 165 U.S.P.Q. 494, 496 (C.C.P.A. 1970); Amgenv.
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`Chugai Pharmaceuticals Co., 927 U.S.P.Q.2d, 1016, 1023 (Fed. Cir. 1996). See MPEP 2143.
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`Applicant respectfully traverses these rejections because the cited references, either alone or
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`AJU-0021-ZS
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`5
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`
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`in combination, do not teach or disclose every element of the claimed invention as provided in
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`the above amendedclaims.
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`Applicant has amended independentclaim 1 to include, infer alia, the following:
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`mounting a wafer part on a chucktable;
`loading a ring cover unit on the chucktable to restrain the wafer part to
`the chucktable;
`spraying, by a spray suction arm module, a processing solution onto
`the wafer part and suctioning, by the spray suction arm module, foreign
`materials floating on the processing solution;
`unloading the ring cover unit from the chuck table; and
`spraying, by a spray arm module, a cleaning solution onto the wafer
`part to clean the waferpart,
`wherein:
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`the spray suction arm module includesa second spray nozzle unit
`and a second suction nozzle unit,
`the second spray nozzle unit is disposed at a predetermined height
`from the processing solution to spray the processing solution onto the
`wafer part mounted on the chuck table, and
`the second suction nozzle unit is immersed in the processing
`solution to suction the processing solution and the foreign materials
`accommodatedin the chuck table. [Emphasis added]
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`These elements are not disclosed, taught or suggested by the asserted combinations of
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`Bleck, Lee, Sotozaki and/or Bergman.
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`Bleck is directed to semiconductor processing which provides face protection for the
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`semiconductor wafers or other semiconductor pieces being processed, including a wafer
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`holder 130, a processing base 30, a main processor deck 11 and a processing head 20.
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`The Office Action relies upon Lee, Sotozaki and/or Bergman to remedy the
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`deficiencies of Bleck. Lee is directed to a dressing apparatus for dressing a polishing pad and
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`to a wafer polishing apparatus, including a cleaning liquid spray unit 170 and a suction unit
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`180.
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`Sotozaki is directed to a substrate cleaning apparatus used for cleaning a substrate,
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`including a liquid jet cleaning unit 30 and a nozzle 31.
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`AJU-0021-ZS
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`6
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`
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`Bergmanis directed to processing equipment for semiconductor wafers, including a
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`movable wafer support head 312.
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`However, Applicant contends, neither Bleck, Lee, Sotozaki nor Bergman disclose,
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`teach or suggestall elements of the claimed invention including the features of wherein:
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`the spray suction arm module includesa second spray nozzle unit and a second suction
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`nozzle unit, the second spray nozzle unit is disposed at a predetermined height from the
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`processing solution to spray the processing solution onto the wafer part mounted on the
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`chuck table, and the second suction nozzle unit is immersedin the processingsolution to
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`suction the processing solution and the foreign materials accommodatedin the chuck
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`table, as amended andclaimed.
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`The amendedclaim 1 of the present invention is characterized in that, as disclosed, the
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`spray suction arm module 420 includes a second spray nozzle unit 423 and a second suction
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`nozzle unit 426, the second spray nozzle unit 423 is disposed at a predetermined height from
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`the processing solution to spray the processing solution onto the wafer part 10 mounted on the
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`chuck table, and the second suction nozzle unit 426 is immersed in the processing solution to
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`suction the processing solution and the foreign materials accommodated in the chucktable.
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`Therefore, according to the present invention, the spray suction arm module 420 may
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`continuously perform the spray of the processing solution and the suction of the foreign
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`materials at the same time or may intermittently perform the suction of foreign materials while
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`continuously spraying the processing solution.
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`Since the spray suction arm module 420
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`suctions the foreign materials while spraying the processing solution, it is possible to prevent
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`the wafer part 10 from being damaged or contaminated by sludge. Accordingly,it is possible
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`to considerably reduce a defect rate of the wafer part 10.
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`On the contrary, neither Bleck, Lee, Sotozaki nor Bergman anticipate, disclose or
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`suggest the elements of claim 1. Further, Bleck, Lee, Sotozaki and/or Bergman do not suggest
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`the structural configuration of claim 1, and do not exhibit the same advantageouseffects as
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`obtained by claim 1 of the present invention.
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`Arguments with respect to the dependent claims are not provided in detail herein for
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`brevity and because those claims are believed to be allowable at least because they depend on
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`an independent claim that has already been shownto be allowable.
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`AJU-0021-ZS
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`7
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`Accordingly, it is respectfully submitted that claims 2-10 depend from allowable claim
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`1 and are therefore believed to be allowable at least by virtue of allowance from an allowable
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`base claim. Favorable reconsideration and withdrawalofthe rejections are respectfully
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`requested.
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`Forat least the forgoing reasons, Applicant respectfully requests that the rejections
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`under 35 U.S.C. §103 be withdrawn.
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`Conclusion
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`In view of the foregoing amendments and remarks, Applicant respectfully submits that
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`this application is in condition for allowance. Accordingly, it is respectfully requested that this
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`application be allowed and a Notice of Allowanceissued.
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`If the Examinerbelieves that a telephone conference with Applicant’s attorneys would
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`be advantageousto the disposition of this case, the examineris cordially requested to
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`telephone the undersigned.
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`In the event the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks deems additional fees to be
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`due in connection with this application, Applicant’s attorney hereby authorizes that such fee
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`be charged to Deposit Account No. 50-5622.
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`Date: December 12, 2024
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`By:
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`/Emmeline S. Park/
`Emmeline S. Park
`USPTO Reg. No.: 75,731
`Sean A. Pryor
`/Sean A.Pryor/
`USPTO Reg. No.: 48,103
`Jae Y. Park
`/Jae Y. Park/
`USPTO Reg. No.: 62,629
`Customer No. 82,727
`Attorneys for Applicant(s)
`Kile Park Reed & Houtteman PLLC
`
`1101 30th Street NW
`Suite 500
`Washington, DC 20007
`Tel. No.: 202-792-5184
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`Fax No.: 202-670-5937
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`AJU-0021-ZS
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`8
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