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 § 102
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, 5-7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 11,594,443 to Kim et al.
Regarding claim 1, Kim et al disclose a substrate bonding apparatus (see Fig. 1), comprising: a first bonding chuck (100) including a first base (110), a deformable plate (120) on the first base and configured to support a first substrate (S1), and a lower pressurer (190) under the first base and configured to apply pressure to a bottom surface of the deformable plate; a second bonding chuck (200) vertically spaced apart from the first bonding chuck (100), the second bonding chuck including a second base (210) configured to fix an outer portion of a second substrate (S2), and an upper pressurer (290) configured to apply pressure to a top surface of the second substrate (S2); wherein, the deformable plate (120) includes an outer portion surrounding a center portion, a bottom surface of the outer portion of the deformable plate is adhered to the first base and is deformable in a vertical direction by the lower pressure (150), a thickness of the deformable plate in the vertical direction at a center portion of the deformable plate is different from a thickness of the deformable plate in the vertical direction at an outer portion of the deformable plate (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Kim et al disclose the lower pressurer includes: a lower center pressing member at a center(141) of the first base and configured to apply pressure to a center portion of the first substrate; and at least one lower outer pressing member (144/145) at a periphery of the lower center pressing member and configured to apply pressure to a peripheral portion of the first substrate (S2, see Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 3, Kim et al disclose the at least one lower outer pressing member includes a plurality of lower outer pressing members, respective horizontal distances from the plurality of lower outer pressing members to the lower center pressing member are substantially the same, and center angles between adjacent ones of the plurality of lower outer pressing members are substantially the same (see Fig. 3B).
Regarding claims 5-7, Kim et al disclose a top surface of the deformable plate (120) is flat (see Fig. 1); the bottom surface of the deformable plate has a stepped structure including a step in the vertical direction and a thickness of the deformable plate in the vertical direction continuously varies in directions from the center portion of the deformable plate toward the outer portion of the deformable plate (see Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 9, Kim et al disclose the first base includes a protrusion protruding (170) in the vertical direction from a top surface of the first base toward the deformable plate, the protrusion being in an outer portion of the first base and in contact with the deformable plate (see Fig. 8A).
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 4 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al in view of U.S. Patent 12,027,401 to Jo et al.
Regarding claims 4, 13 and 18, Kim et al disclose a substrate bonding apparatus, comprising: a first and second bonding chucks (see rejection of claims 1 and 9); a driver (150) coupled to a lower portion of the first bonding chuck and configured to adjust a position of the first bonding chuck (110) except for an imager above an upper portion of the second bonding chuck, the imager being configured to obtain alignment images of the first substrate and the second substrate. Jo et al teach the substrate bonding apparatus having an imager (300) above an upper portion of the second bonding chuck (200, see Fig. 2) for detecting and compensating alignment error (see Abstract). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Kim et al by utilizing an imager as taught by Jo et al for detecting and compensating alignment errors between bonding substrates.
Regarding claims 10 and 19, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have a different thicknesses of the deformable plate in the center portion and outer portion, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105, USPQ 233.
Regarding claims 14-17 and 20, see rejection of claims 3 and 9 above.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al in view of U.S. Patent Application 2010/0097738 to Kang et al
Kim et al do not disclose the first base includes a recess, the recess extending from a top surface of the first base to a predetermined depth in the vertical direction. Kang et al teach the base (150) includes a recess, the recess extending from a top surface of the first base to a predetermined depth in the vertical direction (see Fig. 3) that holding a deformable plate (152) for preventing a void from being formed between bonding substrate (see Abstract). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention Kim et al by utilizing a base having a recess as taught by Kang et al for preventing a formation of void between bonding substrates.
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al in view of U.S. Patent 10,763,243 to Kim et al (hereafter ‘243).
Kim et al do not disclose the structure of claims 11 and 12, ‘243 teaches a substrate bonding apparatus having the lower pressurer includes a pressing pin (320) contacting the bottom surface of the deformable plate (W1/2) and an actuator (34) coupled to the pressing pin (320), and the thickness of the outer portion of the deformable plate in the vertical direction is less than the thickness of the center portion of the deformable plate in the vertical direction (see Fig. 3C) for minimizing horizontal deviation between bonding substrate (see Col. 7, lines 15-19). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention Kim et al by utilizing a plurality of pressing pins as taught by ‘243 for minimizing horizontal deviation between bonding substrates.
Conclusion
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/DN/ /DONGHAI D NGUYEN/September 19, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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