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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitations "the" in several first instance to structure/feature, starting at “the etching spacing” and going on to include “the single crystal silicon wafer”, “the step angle “, “the motor”, the spiral line”, the spiral through-groove”, ”the first base plate”, “the length/radian dimension” and so on.
Claim 3 depending to claim 1 recites “an arc light source” (line 2), however claim 1 recites “the arc light source” (line 31), and goes on to recite introductively several more structures that were already provided in claim parent claim 1. Additionally claim 3 recites components of introduced features without introduction, for example line 25 recites “the upper surface of the single crystal silicon wafer”, while the silicon wafer was introduced the “upper surface” thereof should still be introduced, as exampled “a upper surface of the single crystal silicon wafer”.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claims 1-3 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential steps, such omission amounting to a gap between the steps. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted steps are: how the second base plate relates to the first base plate in passing light between arc shaped light source to workpiece, claim 1 teaches light passing through the spiral groove of the first base plate to create the light beam incident the objective lens, however it is unclear how the light is created to a beam through the spiral groove because the claim is silent regarding the structure of the second plate having an aligned groove to the spiral grove of the first base plate.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: In regards to claim 1, Newly cited prior arts Hazelton (US 6,437,463) teaches the use of a primary positioning system for coarse movement and a separate secondary positioning system for fine movement during processing of silicon wafer features and the known use of mask/blocking features to light beams to enhance accuracy of processing:
“(4) Wafer 1008 is supported by and scanned using the wafer positioning stage system 1. The fine stage 11 is limited in travel to about 400 microns total stroke in each of the X and Y directions. The fine stage 11 is in turn supported by a lower or coarse stage 111 (FIGS. 2, 10). The lower stage 111 has a much longer stroke and is used for coarse positioning. stage 11 which is coarsely positionable by a lower stage 111 that incorporates a planar motor having a planar base 112,112' upon which translates a movable portion 114,114' of the planar motor. The fine stage 11 is mounted to an arrangement of coils 114 when the fine stage 11 translates over a magnetic array in the planar base 112 of the lower stage 111. Alternatively, the fine stage 1 is mounted to an arrangement of magnets 114' when the fine stage 11 translates over a coil array in the planar base 112' of the lower stage 111.
(5) The fine stage 11 interfaces the lower stage 111 through the movable portion 114,114' of the planar motor (FIG. 2), for small and precise movements in the X, Y and Theta Z (rotation in the X-Y plane) directions. The fine stage 11 includes a wafer chuck 2 (FIG. 3) on which a wafer can be mounted for precise positioning. Mirrors 4 are mounted on the fine stage 11 and aligned with the X and Y axes. The mirrors 4 provide reflective reference surfaces off of which laser light is reflected to determine a precise X-Y position of the fine stage 11 using a laser interferometer system (not shown).” (column 7-8, lines 66-25).
“(35) At least one pair of electromagnetic actuators may couple the fine stage to the coarse stage for control in at least one of the degrees of freedom with respect to the coarse stage. Both actuators of the pair of electromagnetic actuators may be mounted adjacent a single side of the fine stage. Both actuators of the pair may be mounted on the coarse stage in close opposition to one another, and a pair of corresponding targets may be mounted on the fine stage adjacent one another and within a predefined gap defined by the mounted electromagnetic actuators.
(36) The lithography system further comprises a mask pattern positioned between the illumination system and fine stage, and a lens system positioned between the mask pattern and the fine stage.” (column 5, lines 38-51).
However Hazelton is silent regarding a method of laser etching a workpiece of a single silicone wafer creating a MEMs probe having the combination of a light source having an arc shape that is above a first and second base plate that are configured to maskingly pass a light beam therethrough to an objective lens there below, the objective lens passing a resulting light on optical axis to the workpiece mounted to a stage that is movable up/down, left/right, clockwise/counter,
the first base plate mask being a passthrough design of a spiral plate groove there through and is rotated by a gear driven by a motor, the rotation being at step angles corelated to an equationally controlled traversal of the light beam to the objective lens and therefor the objective lens having resulting light on optical axis traversal along the workpiece, wherein the equational controlled traversal relation of the step angle includes dependence to a distance from the second base plate to the objective lens and a distance from an upper surface of the workpiece to a center of the objective lens.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Accordingly claims 2 and 3 in dependence to claim 1 would be allowable pending corrections complying with all formal requirements.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Spencer H Kirkwood whose telephone number is (469)295-9113. The examiner can normally be reached 12:00 am - 9:00 pm Eastern.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Crabb can be reached at 571-270-5059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Spencer H. Kirkwood/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/STEVEN W CRABB/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Prosecution Insights