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 Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: It is not clear how a probe mounting structure structurally relates to other elements of the claim e.g. with a test circuit board, probes, and/or a probe mounting plate. Appropriate correction is required.
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 14-17 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 14 recites the limitation "the insulating sealing plate" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Dependent claims 15-17 are also rejected.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 11-12 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 214174472 U) in view of Yan et al. (CN 218412422 U, hereafter Yan).
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses “The utility model claims a probe disc for wafer high voltage test, relating to the technical field of point measuring machine. The utility model comprises a probe disk body, a probe unit, a locating pin and a horizontal adjusting seat; the upper end disk body is annularly and equidistantly provided with multiple nitrogen holes; the periphery of each nitrogen hole is uniformly provided with a plurality of probe units; the nitrogen hole is inserted with a nitrogen gas pipe. The utility model is provided with a plurality of probe units on the probe disc body capable of forming an electric contact and a plurality of wafer core particles for testing, greatly reducing the time of the mechanical movement in the wafer testing process, by setting a nitrogen gas pipe; the nitrogen gas through the nitrogen gas pipe can be uniformly distributed air pipe is conveyed to the space between the probe disc and the wafer; all the probe of the multi-needle probe disc has the protection function of high pressure ignition, obviously reduces and eliminates the probability of high voltage ignition discharge of the multi-needle probe disc when the diode high voltage test; The time consumption of replacing the probe disc can be reduced by setting the locating pin.” Want at fig, 1-5 disclose a probe mounting structure for a wafer-level reliability test, comprising a probe mounting plate 1, wherein: the probe mounting plate is provided with a plurality of mounting holes [holes for probes 202/203 in 1] penetrating through a thickness direction [fig. 5] of the probe mounting plate; a volume of each mounting hole of the plurality of mounting holes is smaller than a preset value [to pass the probe] and the mounting hole is used to install a corresponding probe; two ends of each probe [ends are shown at fig. 2 and 4] are respectively connected to a corresponding first pad on a test circuit board 3 and a corresponding die of a wafer under test 6. Wang is silent about two sides of the probe mounting plate are in contact with the test circuit board and the wafer under test respectively, such that each of the plurality of mounting holes forms a sealed chamber; and the plurality of mounting holes is filled with high-pressure gas to ensure that the wafer under test does not spark during high-voltage testing. Yan at fig. 2 discloses probes are sealed in a nitrogen filled holes [“the probe on the nitrogen sensor is inserted into the chamber 2 through the probe mounting hole 3, ensuring it does not shake, until finishing the test. … A nitrogen oxygen sensor gas distribution fixture, comprising a bottom plate, the bottom plate is provided with a plurality of detachable chambers, each of the chambers is hollow, and is top part with a probe mounting hole, … one side of the chamber is provided with a press mounting mechanism.” Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Wang using the teaching of Yan to seal the probe in the hole using sealing, in order to obtain advantages that Yan have to offer i.e. the probe mounting hole is adapted with a silica gel sealing ring, using silica gel sealing ring sealing, good elasticity, and the sealing surface can be better jointed, reducing the leakage amount of the gas, improving the precision of the test; the conduit is a rubber hose, it has good flexibility, strong extensibility, low price and saves cost.
Regarding claim 2, Wang at fig. 1 and 4-5 discloses the probe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: the preset value is configured according to a shape or a volume of the probes [same shape as shown] .
Regarding claim 3, Wang at fig. 1 and 4-5 discloses the probe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: a shape of the plurality of mounting holes matches a shape of the probes.
Regarding claim 4, Wang at fig. 4-5 discloses the probe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: the high-pressure gas is filled into the plurality of mounting holes through gas inlets 7 connected to the plurality of mounting holes. Yan also discloses inlets 4 for each hole 3.
Regarding claim 5, Wang at fig. 4-5 discloses the probe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: a vent hole 7 connected to each of the plurality of mounting holes is provided on the test circuit board 3.
Regarding claim 6, Wang discloses the probe mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: the high-pressure gas is an arc-extinguishing gas [nitrogen, see “probe disc is uniformly distributed with nitrogen hole; the probe disc point measuring wafer, nitrogen air hole is filled with nitrogen; preventing fire phenomenon generated by multiple probes and wafer point measurement in the area range, avoiding damaging the core grain”].
Regarding claim 11, as best understood by the Examiner, the combination of Wang and Yan at rejection of claim 1 above discloses a wafer-level reliability test system, comprising a test machine [implicit to high voltage test i.e. measuring machine], a test circuit board, probes, and a probe mounting structure [4-5 with 1 of Wang] including a probe mounting plate, wherein: the probe mounting plate is provided with a plurality of mounting holes penetrating through a thickness direction of the probe mounting plate; a volume of each mounting hole of the plurality of mounting holes is smaller than a preset value and the mounting hole is used to install one corresponding probe; two ends of each probe are respectively connected to a corresponding first pad on the test circuit board and a corresponding die of a wafer under test; two sides of the probe mounting plate are in contact with the test circuit board and the wafer under test respectively, such that each of the plurality of mounting holes forms a sealed chamber; the plurality of mounting holes is filled with high-pressure gas to ensure that the wafer under test does not spark during high-voltage testing; the test machine is used to provide high-voltage power for testing; the test circuit board also includes a plurality of second pads [pads of 3 for high voltage test of Wang] , wherein each of the plurality of second pads is connected to one corresponding first pad through circuits on the test circuit board [for high voltage test of Wang], and each of the plurality of second pads is also connected to the test machine for receiving the high-voltage power from the test machine [pads of 3 for high voltage test of Wang]; and the wafer under test is also connected to the test machine to form a test loop [high voltage test of Wang] and the test machine is also used to determine test results [implicit to testing process of “measuring machine”] of the wafer under test based on current in the test loop.
Regarding claim 12, as best understood by the Examiner, the combination of Wang and Yan at rejection of claim 5 above discloses wafer-level reliability test system according to claim 11, wherein: the test circuit board is also provided with a plurality of vent holes, wherein each of the plurality of vent holes is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of mounting holes such that the high-pressure gas is able to be introduced into the plurality of mounting holes through the plurality of vent holes.
Regarding claim 18, as best understood by the Examiner, the combination of Wang and Yan discloses the wafer-level reliability test system according to claim 11. They are silent about wherein: the probes are spring probes. Use of spring probes for wafer testing is old and well known in the art because spring loaded design offer advantages of high durability, space savings, low resistance, stable contact force for reliable testing. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use spring probes for the probes of the modified Wang, in order to obtain advantages such as high durability, space savings, low resistance, stable contact force for reliable testing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10, 13 and 19-20 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: No prior art has been found that meets the limitations of claim 7 calling for a probe mounting structure for a wafer-level reliability test, comprising: a soft insulating sealing plate, wherein: two sides of the soft insulating sealing plate are respectively attached to the wafer under test and a side of the probe mounting plate away from the test circuit board; and the insulating sealing plate is provided with the plurality of through holes, and the plurality of through holes has a one-to-one correspondence to the plurality of mounting holes, such that one end of one probe passes through a corresponding one of the plurality of through holes and is in contact with a corresponding die of the wafer under test. Dependent claims 8-10 are also allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: No prior art has been found that meets the limitations of claim 13 calling for a wafer-level reliability test system, further including: a cover plate, wherein: the cover plate is attached to a side of the test circuit board away from the probe mounting plate; the cover plate is provided with a sunken platform on a side of the cover plate close to the test circuit board; the sunken platform is connected with all the plurality of vent holes; and the cover plate is also provided with an air inlet hole and an air outlet hole connected with the sunken platform, respectively used to charge or discharge of the high-pressure gas.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: No prior art has been found that meets the limitations of claim 19 calling for a wafer-level reliability test system, wherein: the probe mounting structure further includes a soft insulating sealing plate two sides of the soft insulating sealing plate are respectively attached to the wafer under test and a side of the probe mounting plate away from the test circuit board; and the insulating sealing plate is provided with a plurality of through holes, and the plurality of through holes has a one-to-one correspondence to the plurality of mounting holes, such that one end of one probe passes through a corresponding one of the plurality of through holes and is in contact with a corresponding die of the wafer under test. Dependent claim 20 is also allowed.
Claims 14-17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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: No prior art has been found that meets the limitations of claim 14 calling for a wafer-level reliability test system, further including: a heating module for providing heat; and a heat sink disposed between the heating module and a side of the wafer under test away from the insulating sealing plate, wherein the heat sink is configured to conduct the heat of the heating module to the wafer under test. Dependent claims 15-17 are also allowed.
Conclusion
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/PARESH PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
December 13, 2025