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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/15/2025 directed to the newly amended claims have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. See below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mohamed et al. (US 20140123454 A1) in view of Celia et al. (US 20160126213 A1) in view of Rowe (2012, Hydrostatic, Aerostatic and Hybrid Bearing Design).
Claim 1. Mohamed discloses a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device, comprising:
a stage, having a mounting surface on which a substrate is mounted; a bonding head, having a holding surface sucking and holding a chip, movable relative to the stage in a plane direction and a normal direction of the stage (Mohamed ¶20-21);
a copying mechanism (ie. second joint of the adjustable pick-up head, which includes a swivel tip with a hemispherical (spherical) surface. A corresponding cavity in the collet head forming a ball and socket joint. This allows 3d swing and adjustment to “copy” a price surface positioning of a substrate/device.), having a first spherical surface and a second spherical surface provided swingably with respect to the first spherical surface, mounted on the stage or the bonding head, wherein the copying mechanism causes a facing surface being the mounting surface or the holding surface and connected to the second spherical surface to swing with respect to a reference surface facing the facing surface and being the holding surface or the mounting surface, and is switchable between a free state in which swinging of the facing surface is enabled and a locked state in which swinging of the facing surface is restricted (Mohamed ¶36-43).
Mohomed may be silent upon, a controller, is configured to execute adjustment processing once or more times and adjusting the facing surface to be parallel to the reference surface, wherein in the adjustment processing, the facing surface is caused to directly or indirectly abut against the reference surface after the copying mechanism is set to the locked state, then the copying mechanism is switched to the free state and the facing surface is directly or indirectly pressed against the reference surface, and then the copying mechanism is switched to the locked state.
At the time of the invention automation of spherical swivel joints were known in the art of robotic apparatus for semiconductor device manufacturing/handling. For support see Celia et al. Paragraph 26 & 93 of Celia describes a automated spherical air bearing controllable to be locked and unlocked to precisely orient a apparatus head. As further stated in paragraph 128, such system is Pick and place bonding systems such as described in Mohomed. Further Celia teaches such bearings are controlled by a controller that enables and disables the aerostatic bearing, effectively furning it on and off. A controller performing/configured for this function would be expected in such system utilizing aerostatic bearings. The is because a control mechanism I necessary to mange the operational states of this type of bearing. Thus, the controller will be “configured to” provide normal operation to the bearing.
For additional support see Rowe Chapter 13: Spherical Bearings from the book Hydrostatic, Aerostatic and Hybrid Bearing Design.
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As understood in the art, aerostatic bearings are particularly good for such described uses as the bearings are self aligning and tolerate tilt and misalignment. Thus they are well known “copying mechanisms”, as when used as the joint in a pick-up head would simply align to the proper orientation with negligible friction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the manual spherical swivel orientation joint of Mohomed with a advanced high precision automated spherical air bearing swivel joint for the same purpose, since applying a known technique (i.e automation) to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results (i.e. high precision automated orientation of a pick and place bonding head) is considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art (KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S.-, 82 USPQ2d 1385). See also MPEP ¶2144.04 III.
Regarding the further limitations of:
wherein the copying mechanism comprises a fixed member, a movable member movable with respect to the fixed member, and a holder, the fixed member and the movable member constitute a spherical aerostatic bearing an upper end of the fixed member is fixed to an upper part of the bonding head, a bottom surface of the fixed member is a concave hemispherical surface with an air passage formed thereon, the air passage penetrates from a side surface of the fixed member to the bottom surface, an air pipe connects the air passage, and a copying mechanism drive part is connected to the side surface of the fixed member
This language as best understood, describes the generic structure of a aerostatic bearing. See Rowe Aerostatic and Hybrid Bearing Design for general aerostatic bearing design as understood in the art at the time of the invention. As shown in the figures found on page 276 hemispherical aerostatic bearings were a known capable type of bearing for the purpose of copying/matching angles for alignment. As taught in the references text book a conventional bearing has a fixed member and a movable member that floats on gas that is fed into the hemispherical interface thorough one or more orifices to create a near frictionless joint. As taught in chapter 13.1, such bearings allow for precise alignment.
As such, the modification as suggested above to substitute a hemispherical aerostatic bearing for the bearing in Mohmode, would result in wherein the copying mechanism comprises a fixed member, a movable member movable with respect to the fixed member, and a holder, the fixed member and the movable member constitute a spherical aerostatic bearing an upper end of the fixed member is fixed to an upper part of the bonding head, a bottom surface of the fixed member is a concave hemispherical surface with an air passage formed thereon, the air passage penetrates from a side surface of the fixed member to the bottom surface, an air pipe connects the air passage, and a copying mechanism drive part is connected to the side surface of the fixed member, as the recited language as best understood simple describes the art recognized structure of a hemispherical aerostatic bearing regularly used in the art for standard bearing in order to improve accuracy by reducing friction in sensitive processes.
Claim 2. Mohomed in view of Celia in view of Rowe teach a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller repeats the adjustment processing until a pressing position being an axial position of the bonding head when the facing surface is pressed against the reference surface in the adjustment processing reaches a specified reference value (The operational/functional language recited is not understood to provide any further structural distinction over the combination of cited art as applied to claim 1.).
Claim 3. Mohomed in view of Celia in view of Rowe teach a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller stores an axial position of the bonding head when the facing surface is pressed against the reference surface as a pressing position; the controller repeats the adjustment processing until a change amount between the pressing position obtained by a previous pressing and the pressing position obtained by a current pressing reaches a specified reference value (The operational/functional language recited is not understood to provide any further structural distinction over the combination of cited art as applied to claim 1.).
Claim 4. Mohomed in view of Celia in view of Rowe teach a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the copying mechanism is mounted on the stage (Mohamed figs. 1-5); the controller (Celia – automation of a spherical air bearing joint of head orientation.) presses the holding surface being the reference surface against an intersection of the mounting surface being the facing surface and a normal of the mounting surface passing through a swing center of the copying mechanism in the adjustment processing (The operational/functional language recited is not understood to provide any further structural distinction over the combination of cited art as applied to claim 1.).
Claim 5. Mohomed in view of Celia in view of Rowe teach a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller also executes initial processing prior to the adjustment processing; the controller causes the facing surface to directly or indirectly abut against the reference surface after setting the copying mechanism to the free state, then directly or indirectly presses the facing surface against the reference surface, and then switches the copying mechanism to the locked state in the initial processing (The operational/functional language recited is not understood to provide any further structural distinction over the combination of cited art as applied to claim 1.).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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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JARRETT J. STARK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2822
5/27/2025
//JARRETT J STARK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898