DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
The Applicant's amendment filed on January 23, 2026 was received. Claim 27 was amended. Claims 15-26 and 36-48 were canceled. No claim was added.
The text of those sections of Title 35. U.S.C. code not included in this action can be found in the prior Office Action Issued September 24, 2025.
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.
Claims 27-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baggett (US10128084) in view of Aderhold (US20200032386), Snow (US5221142) and Kobayashi (US20030023402).
Regarding claim 27, Baggett teaches a method of maintaining temperature of a workpiece during an implantation of ions in an ion implantation system (abstract), wherein the ion implantation system has an ion implanter 101 (ion implanter) and a processing station 106/142A/142B (figure 1, column 5 lines 25-40, column 6 lines 18-25). Baggett teaches to implant ions from an ion beam into the workpiece while heating the wafer at a first temperature within a processing chamber 106 of the ion implanter (column 11 lines 10-25, column 5 lines 25-40, figures 1-2, column 3 lines 45-50) (implanting a wafer with ions from an ion beam while maintain the wafer at a first predetermined temperature within a processing chamber of ion implanter).
Baggett does not explicitly teach to position the wafer in the processing station prior to or after implanting the wafer with ions for heating or cooling the wafer, wherein the processing station is a different chamber than the processing chamber of the ion implanter. However, Aderhold teaches a thermal treatment chamber (abstract) and discloses post ion implantation annealing is performed in a separated chamber that subjects the substate to heating to relief the stress induced in the substrate during the implantation and further modify the film (paragraph 0004). Aderhold teaches to heat the wafer at the thermal processing chamber (processing station), wherein the processing station part of a processing system (paragraphs 0004 and 0019) and Baggett also teaches other processing stations 142A/142B (figure 1) (positioning the wafer in the processing station after implanting the wafer with ions, wherein the processing station is different chamber than the processing chamber of the ion implanter; heating the wafer at eh processing station). Aderhold teaches to use the temperature sensor 117 to control the heating of the substrate to the desired annealing temperature (paragraphs 0004-0005, 0025 and 0031), thus, the current annealing temperature would statisfy the predetermined conditions (target substrate temperature for ion implantation) when the annealing process is finished; and the heating of the wafer is expected to be stopped and the wafer is expected to be removed from the processing station after the annealing is finished.
Baggett in view of Aderhold teach to control the temperature of the substrate based on the real-time measurement/determination of the current temperature (paragraph 0025 of Aderhold) but does not explicitly teaches the temperature is determined by the measured thickness. However, Snow teaches a method of determining the temperature of a wafer during processing by measuring the physical change in a dimension of the wafer and determine (abstract, column 1 lines 40-65, column 2 lines 35-65). Snow discloses the computer will determine the change in temperature (difference in the first temperature and the current temperature) using the with coefficient of thermal expansion of the wafter material and the differences in dimension of the wafer, the temperature (current temperature) can then be used as a control signal to power supply in heating to control the amount of power applied to the heating element (column 3 line 60 to column 4 line 5). While Snow teaches in the example that the dimension is diameter, however, Snow general teaching is directed to a dimension, which is known to be diameter and thickness for a wafer. Thus, Snow teaches the change in thickness is used to calculate the change in temperature. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to control the temperature of the substrate based on the real-time measurement/determination of the current temperature using the changes in wafer dimension as suggested by Snow in the method of Baggett in view of Aderhold because Snow teaches such method can accurately determine the actual wafer temperature without embedding a thermocouple or dependence on the wafer emissive properties and the heating temperature of the wafer can be accurately controlled (column 1 lines 25-40, column 3 line 60 to column 4 line 5).
Baggett in view of Aderhold and Snow does not explicitly teach to use the top capacitive senor and bottom capacitive sensor to determine the thickness of the wafer. However, Kobayashi teaches a method for evaluating a wafer configuration (abstract). Kobayashi teaches the thickness of the wafer is measured with upper and lower capacitance sensors arranged such that the wafer is head between them, and measuring the thickness of the wafer by measuring the distances between the sensors and upper and lower surface of the wafer (first and second distances, determining a current thickness of the wafer based on the first distance and the second distance), respectively (paragraph 0078 and figure 7). While Kobayashi explicitly includes the predefined distance (at which the sensors are positioned) are being used to determine the current thickness of the substrate, but such distance is obviously being considered as it would not be able to calculate the thickness of the wafer with only the first and second distances. Since the Baggett in view of Aderhold and Snow desire to determine the real-time temperature based on the thickness of the wafer, it would be obvious that the thickness measurement method as disclosed by Kobayashi would be conducted inside of the processing station in Baggett. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to measure the thickness (current thickness) of the wafer using the capacitive sensors as suggested by Kobayashi in the method of Baggett in view of Aderhold and Snow because Kobayashi teaches such system can be used to measure the thickness of a semiconductor wafer (paragraph 0090 and 0078), which is the same as Baggett (see column 1 lines 12-30).
Regarding claim 28, Aderhold teaches to keep controlling the wafer temperature to maintain the desired anneal temperature and control the temperature of the substrate based on the real-time measurement/determination of the current temperature (paragraphs 0025), thus, the combination of the reference teaches to continues to heat the wafer to maintain the substrate at the desired ion implantation when the determined current temperature of the wafer does not satisfying the predetermined temperature.
Regarding claim 29, Aderhold teaches to control the temperature of the substrate based on the real-time measurement/determination of the current temperature (paragraph 0025) and Snow teaches the temperature is determined by measuring a dimension (thickness), and Kobayashi teaches the thickness is determined by measuring the first and second thickness, thus, the combination of references teaches the first and second distances are determined while heating the wafer.
Regarding claim 30, Snow teaches the signal provide the change in dimension (current dimension - predetermined dimension = change in dimension), and using the change in dimension to calculate the change in temperature (current temperature - predetermined temperature) with the coefficient of thermal expansion of the wafer material, silicon (linear thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the wafer) to determine the current temperature (column 2 lines 40 to column 3 line 15, column 3 lines 52 to column 4 line 5). Thus, Snow teaches to determination of the current temperature of the wafer is further based on a predetermined wafer thickness corresponding to a second predetermined temperature and a linear thermal expansion coefficient of a material of the wafer.
Regarding claim 31, Snow teaches the signal provide the change in dimension (current dimension – first reference dimension), and using the change in dimension to calculate the change in temperature (current temperature – first reference temperature) with the coefficient of thermal expansion of the wafer material, silicon (linear thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the wafer) to determine the current temperature (column 2 lines 40 to column 3 line 15, column 3 lines 52 to column 4 line 5). Thus, Snow teaches to determine the current temperature of the wafer based on the reference thickness and a linear thermal expansion coefficient of a material of the wafer.
Kobayashi teaches the thickness of the wafer is measured with a upper and lower capacitance sensors arranged such that the wafer is head between them, and measuring the thickness of the wafer by measuring the distances between the sensors and upper and lower surface of the wafer (first and second reference distances, determining a reference thickness of the wafer based on the first reference distance and the second reference distance), respectively (paragraph 0078 and figure 7). While Kobayashi explicitly includes the predefined distance (at which the sensors are positioned) are being used to determine the current thickness of the substrate, but such distance is obviously being considered as it would not be able to calculate the thickness of the wafer with only the first and second distances. Since the Baggett in view of Snow desire to determine the real-time temperature based on the thickness of the wafer, wherein the wafer is heated / cool various times (see Baggett7 lines 50-60), it would be obvious that the thickness measurement method as disclosed by Kobayashi would be conducted inside of the processing station in Baggett and before at least one cycle or heating/cooling (prior to heating/cooling the wafer)
Regarding claim 32, Aderhold teaches the processing station is a post implantation station (paragraphs 0004-0005 and 0019). The limitation does not specify what is the third predetermined temperature, thus, the determine current temperature is considered to be greater than or equal to an arbitrary third predetermined temperature.
Regarding claim 33, Baggett teaches the heating can be conducted before the exposure of the workpiece to the ion beam (column 5 lines 60-65) and Aderhold further teaches the thermal processing chamber can be used in other processing chamber (paragraph 0019), which includes process before the ion implantation; thus, the combination of references teaches the processing station can be a pre-implantation station. Baggett teaches the substrate is being heated to the first predetermined temperature before the ion implantation (column 11 lines 12-25), thus, the current temperature is less than or equal to the first predetermined temperature.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 27-33 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Ferrara (US20180197761, paragraph 0043).
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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/N.V.L/Examiner, Art Unit 1717
/Dah-Wei D. Yuan/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1717
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