Notice of Aiiowabiiity
`
`Application No.
`131024.027
`'J5;\‘g'g)‘|'&“;:CCORMACK
`
`Applicantlsl
`SMITH ET AL.
`3;;-'""
`
`,‘§§;§,‘§}'§’§;‘“°“‘°"°
`No
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`-- The MAHJNG 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.
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`1.
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`This communication is responsive to 4/12/2013.
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`D A declaration(s);‘affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) wasiwere filed on
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`2. I:I 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.
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`; the restriction
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`3.
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`The allowed claimls) isfare 1-8 and 56-74. As a result of the allowed claimis), you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent
`Prosecution Highway program at a participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information,
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`
`
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`please see hit
`:r'.«‘v.rww.Lis ‘-to. ow‘ atentsfinit events!
`hr’ins:iex.'s' or send an inquiry to PPHieeclé9ack§5)us;;to.ocv.
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`4. I:I Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 1 19(a)-(d) or (f).
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`Certified copies:
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`a) D All
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`b) I:I Some
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`"c} I:I None of the:
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`1. El Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2. El Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. j
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`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}).
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`" Certified copies not received:
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`Interim copies:
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`a) El All
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`b) El Some
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`c) E] None of the:
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`Interim copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`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.
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`5. D CORRECTED DRAWINGS ( as “replacement sheets") must be submitted.
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`I:I
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`including changes required by the attached Examiner's Amendment 1' Comment or in the Office action of
`Paper No.iMail Date
`Identilying indicia such as the application number {see 37 CFR 1 .B4{c}) should be written on the drawings in the from (not the back) of
`each sheet. Replacement shee1(s} should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d}.
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`6. El DEPOSIT OF andior INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the
`attached Examiner’s comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.
`
`Attachmentts)
`1. E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`2. D Information Disclosure Statements (PTOISBIOB),
`Paper No.r‘Mai| Date
`3. I:I Examiners Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit
`of Biological Material
`4. E Interview Summary (PTO-413),
`Paper No.l'Mai| Date 4/29/2013.
`
`MASON MCCORMACKI
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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`5. E Examiner‘s AmendmentiComment
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`6.
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`Examiners Statement of Reasons for Allowance
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`7. El Other
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`.
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`Page 1
`Page 1
`US Patenl and Trademark Olfice
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`PTOL—3?' (Rev. 03-13}
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`Notice of Allowability
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`Part of Paper No.iMail Date 20130429
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`ASML 1213
`ASML 1213
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13fO24,02?'
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`EXAMlNER’S AMENDMENT
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`1.
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`An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes
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`and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided
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`by 37 CFR 1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be
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`submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
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`Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in a telephone interview
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`with app|icant’s representative Gerald Worth on 4/29l2013.
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`The application has been amended as follows:
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`Claim 58. A method for producing light comprising: providing a light source
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`comprising a pressurized chamber having a gas disposed therein; an ignition source
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`comprising electrodes for exciting the gas, the excited gas having at least one strong
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`absorption line at an infrared wavelength; and at least one laser fer—previding configured
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`to provide energy to the excited gas at a wavelength near within 10 nm of a strong
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`absorption line of the excited gas within the chamber to sustain a plasma and produce a
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`high-brightness a_n at least substantially continuous, plasma-generated light; exciting
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`with the ignition source the gas within the chamber; tuning the laser to a first wavelength
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`to provide energy to the excited gas in the chamber to produce the l=iigh—brigl=i+ness light,
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`the excited gas absorbing energy near the first wavelength; and tuning the laser to a
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`second wavelength to provide energy to the excited gas in the chamber to maintain the
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`high-brightness light, the excited gas absorbing energy near the second wavelength.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13fO24,02?'
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`Claim 67. A light source comprising: a pressurized chamber having a gas
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`disposed therein; an ignition source comprising electrodes for exciting the gas, the
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`excited gas having at least one strong absorption line at an infrared wavelength; and at
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`least one laser fespreviding configured to provide energy to the excited gas at a
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`wavelength near within 10 nm of a strong absorption line of the excited gas within the
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`chamber to sustain a plasma and produce a—high—bFigl=i¥i=iess Q at least substantially
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`continuous, plasma-generated light, wherein the chamber has one or more walls and
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`the at least one laser provides energy to the gas within the chamber to produce a
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`plasma that generates a lig ht emitted through the walls of the chamber, the light source
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`further comprising: a dichroic mirror directed toward the plasma, the dichroic mirror
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`selectively reflecting at least one wavelength of light such that the light generated by the
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`plasma is not substantially reflected toward the at least one laser.
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`Claim 68. A light source comprising: a pressurized chamber having a gas
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`disposed therein; an ignition source comprising electrodes for exciting the gas, the gas
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`having at least one strong absorption line at an infrared wavelength; and at least one
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`laser fer—previeling configured to provide energy to the excited gas at a wavelength near
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`within 10 nm of a strong absorption line of the excited gas within the chamber to sustain
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`a plasma and produce a-high—bi=ig-h-tness Q at least substantially continuous, plasma-
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`generated light; the at least one laser provides energy to the excited gas within the
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`chamber to produce the high—brigh-tness light having a first spectrum, the light source
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13xo24,o27
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`further comprising; an optical element disposed within the path of the high-brightness
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`light to modify the first spectrum of the hig-h—bFigl=i$I=iess Iig ht to a second spectrum.
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`2.
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`The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
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`Cheymol et al. U.S. PGPUB No. 2006/039435 and Kusunose U.S. PGPUB No.
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`200220080834 discloses irradiating Xenon gas with an infrared laser (see explanation in
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`Final Office Action 12/12/2012). However, as discussed in the interview 3/13/2013,
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`these light sources utilize an extremely high—powered drive laser source to create a
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`short pulse of ultraviolet light from a plasma. The high power nature of the drive laser
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`prohibits the formation of sustained plasma (see, for example, [0002] of Kusunose).
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`Further, while Cheymol and Kusunose disclose an infrared laser irradiating a gas having
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`at least one strong absorption line in the infrared, there is no explicit teaching that the
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`wavelength is selected to be within 10 nm of the strong absorption line of the excited
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`gas.
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`Conrad 4,152,625 discloses that a high powered infrared laser [col. 1; line 56]
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`can be used to “maintain [a] plasma” [Abstract] where the laser may be irradiating
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`xenon gas [col. 2; line 6]. Also there are electrodes “providing electrical discharge” [col.
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`2; line 26]. However, there is no disclosure of selecting a wavelength to be within 10 nm
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`of the strong absorption line of an excited gas.
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`Further, a search of the prior art did not reveal an explicit teaching of the claimed
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`wavelength or of a motivation to optimize a laser's wavelength to within 10 nm of the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13fO24,02?'
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`strong absorption line of an excited gas for the purpose of generating a sustained
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`plasma.
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`Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later
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`than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably
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`accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on
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`Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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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 )2‘/O-1 489. 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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`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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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a
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`system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 13fO24,02?'
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`Page 6
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`Art Unit: 2881
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`IJASON MCCORIVIACKI
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`Examiner, Art Unit 2881
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`!ROBERT KIIW
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`Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2881