DETAILED ACTION
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 Amendment
Acknowledgment is made that applicant's Amendment, filed on January 06th, 2026, has been entered.
Upon entrance of the Amendment, claims 1 and 17 were amended. Claims 1-33 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 6, 8-9, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takamoto (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0178680).
Regarding to claim 1, Takamoto teaches a chip bonding system for bonding a chip to a substrate, comprising:
a dicing device to, by dicing a dicing substrate stuck on a sheet, generate a plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet with chips adjacent to each other in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the dicing substrate (Fig. 2B, [0134], lines 1-6, dicing substrate 5 stuck on sheet 2, generate a plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet with chips adjacent to each other in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the dicing substrate);
an activation treatment device to activate bonding surfaces of respective ones of the plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet with chips adjacent to each other in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions, to bond each of the plurality of chips to the substrate (Figs. 1-2, [0023]-[0026], sheet 2 of dicing tape comprises adhesive layer 21 and protective layer 22; [0014], lines 1-4, the protective layer received surface activation treatment to bond each of the plurality of chips to the substrate); and
a chip bonding device to, after the bonding surfaces are activated by the activation treatment device, by bringing one chip picked out of the plurality of chips, the plurality of chips being stuck on the sheet while being separated from one another, into contact with the substrate, bond the one chip to the substrate (Figs. 3C-3D; [0136], lines 1-6; [0137], lines 1-5, bringing one chip picked out of the plurality of chips 5, the plurality of chips being stuck on the sheet 2 while being separated from one another, into contact with the substrate 6, bond the one chip to the substrate by bumps 51).
Regarding to claim 2, Takamoto teaches sheet stretching device to, after the bonding surfaces are activated by the activation treatment device, by stretching the sheet on which the plurality of chips, the plurality of chips being in a state in which chips adjacent to each other are in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions, is stuck, bring the plurality of chips into a state of being separated from each other ([0135], lines 1-7).
Regarding to claim 3, Takamoto teaches a cutting blade to cut the dicing substrate; and a blade driver to, by moving the cutting blade along planned division lines located at circumferences of portions corresponding to the plurality of chips and forming cut trenches, generate a plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet with chips adjacent to each other joined to each other via remaining uncut portions in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the dicing substrate (Fig. 3B).
Regarding to claim 6, Takamoto teaches a sheet support to support the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck while being in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions (Fig. 2B, element 3); and a plasma generator to, by generating plasma on a side of the sheet, the sheet being supported by the sheet support, on which the plurality of chips is stuck, activate bonding surfaces of respective ones of the plurality of chips ([0015], lines 1-5).
Regarding to claim 8, Takamoto teaches the sheet stretching device includes: a frame holder to hold a first ring-shaped frame holding the sheet; a first frame support to support a second ring-shaped frame that has an outside dimension smaller than an inside dimension of the first ring-shaped frame; and a frame position changer to stretch the sheet in a radial manner from a central portion of the first ring-shaped frame and bring the plurality of chips into a state of being separated from one another by relatively moving at least one of the first ring-shaped frame and the second ring-shaped frame with respect to the other while making the second ring-shaped frame in contact with an opposite side to a side of the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck, and subsequently, by a third ring-shaped frame being fitted onto an outer periphery of the second ring-shaped frame in such a manner as to sandwich the sheet, maintain the sheet in a state of being held by the second ring-shaped frame and the third ring-shaped frame ([0135], lines 1-10).
Regarding to claim 9, Takamoto teaches a cleaning device to, before the chip is bonded to the substrate by the chip bonding device, clean bonding surfaces of the plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet while being separated from one another (inherently, wafer is cleaned by cleaning device before a process, as common practice in semiconductor fab).
Regarding to claim 16, Takamoto teaches a chip transportation device to, while holding an opposite side to the bonding surface side of the one chip, transport the one chip to a handover position at which the chip transportation device hands over the one chip to the chip bonding device (Fig. 3C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-33 are allowed.
Claims 4-5, 7, and 10-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding to claim 4, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a laser processing head driver to, by moving the laser processing head along planned division lines located at circumferences of portions corresponding to the plurality of chips while maintaining distance between the laser processing head and the dicing substrate in such a manner that a converging point of the laser light is located inside the dicing substrate, generate a plurality of chips that is stuck on the sheet with chips adjacent to each other joined to each other via property altered spots, the property altered spots being formed inside the dicing substrate, in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the dicing substrate” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1 and the rest of limitations recited in claim 4.
Regarding to claim 5, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the activation treatment device includes a sheet support to support the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck while being in contact with each other or joined to each other at portions; and a cover to, with the sheet supported by the sheet support, cover the sheet excluding a portion of the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck from a side of the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1.
Regarding to claim 7, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “the activation treatment device includes a particle beam source to, by irradiating a side of the sheet, the sheet being supported by the sheet support, on which the plurality of chips is stuck with a particle beam, activate bonding surfaces of respective ones of the plurality of chips” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1 and the rest of limitations recited in claim 7.
Regarding to claim 10, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a sheet holder to suck and hold the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck while being separated from one another and that is held by the second ring-shaped frame and the third ring-shaped frame; and a cleaning head to, by spraying water on a side of the sheet on which the plurality of chips is stuck with the sheet sucked and held by the sheet holder, clean bonding surfaces of the plurality of chips” in combination with the limitations recited in claims 1-2 and 8.
Regarding to claim 13, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a substrate holder to hold the substrate 1n such an attitude that a mounting surface of the substrate faces vertically downward; a head to support one chip among the plurality of chips in such an attitude that a bonding surface of the one chip faces vertically upward; and a relative position changer to, by bringing the head relatively close to the substrate holder, bond the one chip to the substrate” in combination with the limitations recited in claim 1.
Regarding to claim 17, the prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious the claimed limitations including “a stretching step of, by stretching the sheet on which the plurality of chips, the plurality of chips having the bonding surfaces activated in the activation step, is stuck, bringing the plurality of chips into a state of being separated from one another” in combination with the rest of limitations recited in claim 17.
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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/VU A VU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897