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
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hirata (US-20160305042-A1) in view of Tokuda et al. (WO-2019146478-A1 referred as Tokuda) and Kurita (US-20100304552-A1).
Regarding claim 1. Hirata discloses a manufacturing method of a gallium nitride substrate from a gallium nitride ingot having a first surface and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface ([0046], figure 4 and 7, the gallium nitride substrate #21 is seen from a gallium nitride ingot #11 (separated seen in figure 6a-6b) having a first surface #11a/13 and a second surface opposite of the first surface #11a/13. The material of the ingot is disclosed in [claim 3] as GaN), the method comprising:
a holding step of holding the gallium nitride ingot ([claim 1], [0032], figure 4, a holding step of simply holding the gallium nitride ingot #11 is seen on the base #26),
a peeling layer forming step of forming a peeling layer at a depth, which corresponds to a thickness of the gallium nitride substrate to be manufactured, by relatively moving the gallium nitride ingot and a focal point of a laser beam of a wavelength, which transmits through gallium nitride , along a direction of a crystal orientation of the gallium nitride ingot ([0033], figure 5, a peeling layer forming step of forming a peeling layer at a depth #D1 which corresponds to the thickness of the gallium nitride substrate #21 thickness. This is done by relatively moving the gallium nitride ingot #11 and a focal point of the laser beam with a certain wavelength to transmit through the ingot #11 along a direction of the crystal orientation) with the focal point positioned inside the gallium nitride ingot from the first surface (figure 4-5, as seen with the focal point positioned inside the gallium nitride ingot #11 from the first surface #11a); and
a peeling step of peeling the gallium nitride substrate from the gallium nitride ingot using the peeling layer as a start point ([0045], figure 6a-6b-7, a peeling step of peeling the gallium nitride substrate #21 from the gallium nitride ingot #11 using the peeling layer as a starting point is illustrated).
Hirata lacks representing the directed plane of which the GaN substrate would be cut out to be by the formula ((1) <1 1
2
-
0>); and wherein the peeling layer forming step is set such that the laser beam is split to form a plurality of focal points and straight lines connecting the individual split focal points each extend along a direction parallel to the direction of the crystal orientation represented by the below-described formula ((1) <1 1
2
-
0>).
Tokuda discloses representing the directed plane of which the GaN substrate would be cut out to be by the formula (1)( <1 1 -2 0>) ([page 2, paragraph 4 of Machine Translation], a variation of the crystal plane for the main surface of the GaN substrate may be a nonpolar surface represented as {1, 1, −2, 0} using an area index).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hirata with the teaching of Tokuda to arrive at the crystal plane of <1 1
2
-
0> because the direction of the x-axis being -2 or
2
-
would yield the same result regardless of changing the direction from negative to positive in order to reduce the total GaN material being used in manufacturing, lessen the total weight of the device, and to increase versatility of the substrate.
Hirata as modified by Tokuda still lacks wherein the peeling layer forming step is set such that the laser beam is split to form a plurality of focal points and straight lines connecting the individual split focal points each extend along a direction parallel to the direction of the crystal orientation.
Kurita discloses wherein the peeling layer forming step is set such that the laser beam is split to form a plurality of focal points and straight lines connecting the individual split focal points each extend along a direction parallel to the direction of the crystal orientation ([0139], figure 6a-6b, the peeling layer forming step would include the laser beam being split into a plurality of focal points and straight lines in the direction of the crystal orientation #U).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Hirata to include the laser beam being split to form a plurality of focal points and straight lines as taught by Kurita in order to increase the manufacturing speed, provide cuts with precision, and reduce stress of having just one focal point.
Regarding claim 2. Hirata as modified discloses wherein, in the peeling layer forming step, at least one of the straight lines connecting the individual split focal points is set so as to intersect a direction along which the gallium nitride ingot and the focal points are relatively moved and extend along the direction parallel to the direction of the crystal orientation represented by the formula (1) (Hirata discloses [0033-0034], figure 4, in the combination of the art, the peeling layer forming step contains one straight line connecting the individual split focal points #17/19 to intersect a direction along the gallium nitride ingot #11. And as seen in figure 5, wherein the focal points #17/19 are relatively moved and extend along the direction parallel to the direction, which with the teaching of Tokuda is rendered obvious as to the relationship with the formula – see above rejection to claim 1).
Regarding claim 3. Hirata as modified discloses wherein, in the peeling layer forming step, a relative moving speed between the gallium nitride ingot and the focal points is set such that straight lines connecting adjacent processing marks formed by relatively moving the gallium nitride ingot and the focal points are each formed along the direction of the crystal orientation represented by the formula (1) ([0034], figure 5, the peeling layer forming step includes a relative moving speed between the gallium nitride ingot #11 and the focal points #17/19, as described, along the axis, which would result in adjacent processing marks due to the relative moving of the gallium nitride ingot #11. All of which are within the plane with the assist of the formula rendered obvious by Tokuda).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure includes Nomoto (US-20230398640-A1) and Iga (US-20230234169-A1) for the peeling forming step, holding step, and laser beams.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB R MARIN whose telephone number is (571)272-5887. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 8:30am - 5:00pm ET.
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/JACOB RAUL MARIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/JEFF W NATALINI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2818