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 § 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 1-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka et al. [US 5,811,211 A] in view of Fehkuhrer [US 2019/0109034 A1] and further in view of Tsurui et al. [KR 2015/0005522 A].
Regarding claims 1, 12 and 20, Tanaka et al. discloses a panel edge patterning system (Figs. 2, 13, 15, 28) for imaging an edge region of a substrate panel (Figs. 7, 17, 22-24), the panel edge patterning system comprising:
a clamp assembly configured to clamp the substrate panel (Col. 39 lines 7-22); and
an illumination mask assembly (Col. 6 lines 38-45, see also Fig. 5) coupled to the clamp assembly and configured to expose at least one edge region of a plurality of edge regions of the substrate panel (as shown in Figs. 2, 7, 13, 15, 17, 22-24 and 28), a mask assembly including at least one opening through which light from the light array passes to image the at least one edge region of the substrate panel (as shown in Fig. 5, see also Col. 6 lines 37-44 and Col. 13 line 66-Col. 14 line 5).
Tanaka et al does not explicitly teach wherein the illumination mask assembly comprises a light array including a plurality of light sources.
However, Fehkuhrer discloses wherein an array of UV light sources (Fig. 2b, item 10’) are preferably individually controlled to expose the peripheral region (8), (paragraph [0086]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide an array of UV light sources, as taught by Fehkuhrer in the system of system of Tanaka et al because such a modification provides a suitable alternative light source for exposing the peripheral region with better control (paragraph [0086] of Fehkuhrer).
Tanaka et al as modified does not explicitly teach wherein the clamp assembly is configured to clamp at least one edge of the substrate panel.
However, Tsurui et al. discloses an exposure apparatus configured with a clamping mechanism (30) between two positions for pinchingly supporting the edge of substrate mounted in stage (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, clamp bars 31a-31d, see also paragraph [0030], [0041] and [0050]-[0057]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a clamp assembly configured to clamp at least one edge of the substrate panel, as taught by Tsurui et al. in the system of Tanaka et al as modified because such a modification is a suitable alternative clamping assembly for a substrate panel wherein the deterioration of the quality of mark for position alignment of substrate can be prevented (Tsurui et al.).
Regarding claim 2, Tanaka et al. as modified discloses wherein the clamp assembly includes a flange that extends above the substrate panel, and wherein the light array is coupled to the flange; and the mask assembly is coupled to an underside of the light array (Figs. 2, 13, 15, 28, see also Col. 19 lines 20 – Col. 20 lines 37 of Tanaka et al. and paragraph [0086] and Fig. 2b of Fehkuhrer).
Regarding claims 3 and 15, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein the mask assembly is selected from a group of mask assemblies (Col. 9 lines 24-43).
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein a proximity of the mask assembly relative to the substrate panel is adjustable (as shown in Fig. 28, see also Col. 22 lines 57-67).
Regarding claims 5-7, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein the mask assembly includes a metallic material, wherein the mask assembly includes a non-metallic material, wherein the non-metallic material includes glass (Col. 13 line 66 – Col. 14 line 5).
Regarding claims 8-10 and 17-19, Tanaka et al. as modified discloses wherein the illumination mask assembly further includes a diffuser coupled between the light array and the mask assembly, wherein the light array includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein a wavelength of the plurality of light emitting diodes is configurable to correspond with a photoresist material on the substrate panel (Figs. 2, 13, 15, 28, see also Col. 19 lines 20 – Col. 20 lines 37 of Tanaka et al. and paragraph [0086] and Fig. 2b of Fehkuhrer).
Regarding claim 11, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein the at least one edge region of the substrate panel includes at least one dummy pattern defined in a layer of the substrate panel (as shown in Figs. 2, 7, 13, 15, 17, 22-24 and 28).
Regarding claim 13, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein the at least one other region was previously exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light (Col. 6 lines 46-54).
Regarding claim 14, Tanaka et al. discloses exposing a plurality of edge regions of the substrate panel (as shown in Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 21, Tanaka et al. as modified discloses further comprising: a controller communicatively coupled to the illumination mask assembly, the controller configured to selectively turn on and off individual light sources of the plurality of light sources based on which region of the substrate panel to be exposed and which region is not to be exposed (Figs. 26 and 27 of Tanaka et al. and paragraph [0086] and Fig. 2b of Fehkuhrer).
Regarding claim 22, Tanaka et al. discloses wherein the illumination mask assembly is configured to image a dummy pattern on the at least one edge region to improve current density prior to a plating process (as shown in Figs. 7, 17, 22 and 23).
Regarding claim 23, Tanaka et al. as modified discloses wherein the light array is a first light array configured to illuminate a first side of the substrate panel, the panel edge patterning system further comprising: a second light array configured to illuminate a second side of the substrate panel (Figs. 2, 13, 15, 28, see also Col. 19 lines 20 – Col. 20 lines 37 of Tanaka et al. and paragraph [0086] and Fig. 2b of Fehkuhrer).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-23 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
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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/DEORAM PERSAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882