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 Election/Restrictions
1 Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-7 in the reply filed on 1/8/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
2. The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
3. Claims 1-4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugihara et al. (JP 2015-095579, English translation provided with IDS 9/14/2023).
Re claim 1, Sughihara teaches, under BRI, Figs. 1, 3, 12, 15 & 23-25, [0025, 0036, 0044, 0056-0058, 0061-0067, 0093-0097, 0114, 0117], a bonding apparatus, comprising:
-a first holder (140) configured to hold a first substrate (WU);
-a second holder (141), allowed to be disposed at a position facing the first holder (140), having an attraction surface partitioned into multiple regions (e.g., pins 11 & suction areas 193 between support parts 192) configured to attract a second substrate (WL);
-an attracting pressure generator (196) configured to generate attracting pressures (e.g., suction pressure) in the multiple regions (191, 193) individually;
-a pushing member (180) configured to press a central portion of the first substrate (WU) toward the second substrate (WL) to bond the first substrate to the second substrate; and
-a controller (e.g., control unit 70) configured to control the attracting pressure generator (196) and the pushing member (181),
wherein the controller (70) attracts the second substrate (WL) with a beginning attracting pressure distribution set (e.g., by adjust suction pressure) on the multiple regions (191, 193), when a pressurization of the first substrate (WU) by the pushing member (180) is begun (e.g., 180 is lowered, Figs. 23-25),
a time point when the pressurization by the pushing member (180) is begun (e.g., when 181 is lowered) and a contact end point at which an entire bonding surface of the first substrate (WU) and an entire bonding surface of the second substrate (WL) come into contact with each other (e.g., joining between wafers completed) (Figs. 23-25), and
a process attracting pressure distribution (e.g., atmosphere pressure in pressure areas) is created by changing at least one attracting pressure of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions (191, 193) in the begging attracting pressure distribution (e.g., pressure of pump 196 is adjusted, Figs. 23-25).
PNG
media_image1.png
460
441
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
212
387
media_image2.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image3.png
200
365
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Sugihara does not explicitly teach the controller performs a control of performing a switchover from the beginning attracting pressure distribution to the progress attracting pressure distribution between the time point when the pressurization by the pushing member is begun and the contact end point.
Sugihara does teach the controller (70) “controlling the processing of the wafers & the operation of the drive system” [0036]; and the time point when the pressurization by pushing member (180) is begun and the contact end (Figs. 23-26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ & modify the teaching as taught by Sugihara to obtain the controller performing a control of performing a switchover from the beginning attracting pressure distribution to a progress attracting pressure distribution between a time point when the pressurization by the pushing member is begun and a contact end as claimed, because the use of controller is known & widely used in bonding wafer process, and it aids in improving/enhancing the throughput of the wafer bonding process.
Re claim 2, Sugihara teaches, Figs. 12 & 23-26, [0096-0101], wherein a timing of performing the switchover from the beginning attracting pressure distribution to the progress attracting pressure distribution is a timing after a bonding between a center of the first substrate (WU) and a center of the second substrate (WL) is performed (Fig. 23), a progress of the bonding is performed from the centers of the first substrate (WU) and the second substrate (WL) toward outer peripheries thereof (Fig. 24-25) , and then the progress of the bonding is temporarily stopped (e.g., when joining completed) (Fig. 26).
Re claim 3, Sugihara teaches, Figs. 23-26, [0096-0101], wherein the progress of the bonding is temporarily stopped by attracting, after the time point when the pressurization is begun, the outer periphery of the first substrate (WL) with the first holder (140), and the timing of performing the switchover from the beginning attracting pressure distribution to the progress attracting pressure distribution is a time before the first holder (140) releases the attracting of the outer periphery of the first substrate (WL).
Re claim 4, Sugihara teaches, Figs. 23 & 34, wherein the attraction surface has a circular central region (C2), an annular intermediate region (C1) disposed outside and adjacent to the central region (C2), and an annular outer region (190) disposed outside and adjacent to the intermediate region (C1), and a boundary point between a bonding portion and a separation portion in the first substrate (WU) and the second substrate (WL) at a time when the switchover from the beginning attracting pressure distribution to the progress attracting pressure distribution is performed is located in the intermediate region (C1).
Re claim 7, Sugihara teaches the attracting pressures on the multiple regions (191, 193 between 192) (Fig. 12), but does not explicitly teach wherein, in the beginning attracting pressure distribution, first parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions are made to be weaker than second parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions, and in the progress attracting pressure distribution, the first parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions are set to be strong.
Sugihara does teach the use of the controller (70) [0036] and suction pressure of the vacuum pump (196) can be adjusted [0114, 0017].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to employ & modify the teaching as taught by Sugihara to obtain in the beginning attracting pressure distribution, first parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions are made to be weaker than second parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions, and in the progress attracting pressure distribution, the first parts of the attracting pressures on the multiple regions are set to be strong as claimed, because it aids in facilitating & improving the throughput of the bonding process.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 5 & 6 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.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUY T.V. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7431. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 7AM-4PM, alternative Friday off.
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, EVA MONTALVO can be reached at (571) 270-3829. 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.
/DUY T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 2/22/26