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
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kodama (US PG Pub No. 20220277962).
In regards to claim 1, Kodama discloses
a grinding method of a workpiece (substrate 10, fig. 5, 6 and 8), comprising:
a holding step of holding the workpiece (substrate 10, fig. 5, 6 and 8) on a holding surface (holding surface 611 of chuck 61A; [0088]) of a chuck table (rotary table 60, fig. 5, 6 and 8);
[0088] The first substrate chuck 61A has a substrate holding surface 611 for holding the substrate 10 thereon. The substrate holding surface 611 holds the substrate 10 from below. The substrate 10 has a shape concentric with the substrate holding surface 611, and is attracted to the substrate holding surface 611.
a grinding step of, after the holding step,
[0076] The first processing unit 63 has a first operating unit 65 to which a first processing tool 64 is mounted. The first processing tool 64 is configured to process the first main surface 11 of the substrate 10 held by the first substrate chuck 61A (61B).
[0081] The first elevating unit 66 lowers the first operating unit 65 and the first processing tool 64. The first processing tool 64 is lowered while being rotated, comes into contact with the top surface of the substrate 10 being rotated, and grinds the entire top surface of the substrate 10.
measuring a thickness of the workpiece in a non-contact region (first side of the substrate) other than a contact region between the workpiece and grinding stones (whetstones 642; [0077]) while grinding the workpiece with a grinding wheel (grinding wheel 641; [0077]) including the grinding stones (whetstones 642; [0077]); and
[0100] As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate processing apparatus 56 has a first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A configured to measure the plate thickness of the substrate 10 ground by the first processing unit 63 at multiple points of the substrate 10 in the diametrical direction thereof. The first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A includes a first plate thickness detector 751A, such as a non-contact type laser sensor, which is configured to detect the plate thickness of the substrate 10 ground by the first processing unit 63.
[0103] The control device 9 includes a first tilt angle correcting unit 95 configured to correct the tilt angle of the rotation axis R2 of the first substrate chuck 61A (61B) based on the plate thickness distribution of the substrate 10 in the diametrical direction which has been measured by the first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A…
a measurement step of, after the grinding step, relatively moving and separating the workpiece and the grinding stones (whetstones 642; [0077]) from each other, and
[0119] … At the first position A1, the carry-in/carry-out of the substrate 10 by the third transfer device 51 is performed, and, also, the attachment/detachment of the substrate 10 to/from the first substrate chuck 61A (61B) is performed…
measuring the thickness of the workpiece in the contact region (backside of the substrate) during or after the relative movement (from the first position A1) of the workpiece and the grinding stones (whetstones 642; [0077]).
[0126]:..Further, at the second position A2, the grinding of the second main surface 12 of the substrate 10 held by the second substrate chuck 62A is performed. Also, at the fourth position A4, the cleaning of the substrate 10, the measurement of the plate thickness of the substrate 10, the correction of the tilt angle of the rotation axis R2 of the second substrate chuck 62B, the carry-out of the substrate 10, the cleaning of the second substrate chuck 62B, and the carry-in of the new substrate 10 are performed.
In regards to claim 2, Kodama discloses
the grinding method according to claim 1, wherein, in the grinding step and the measurement step, the thickness of the workpiece (substrate 10, fig. 5, 6 and 8) is measured at three or more points of different distances from a center of the workpiece, and
[0100] As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate processing apparatus 56 has a first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A configured to measure the plate thickness of the substrate 10 ground by the first processing unit 63 at multiple points of the substrate 10 in the diametrical direction thereof.
the grinding method further includes
a tilt adjustment step ([0103]) of, after the measurement step, adjusting a relative tilt between the holding surface (holding surface 611 of chuck 61A; [0088]) and the grinding wheel (grinding wheel 641; [0077]) based on the thicknesses of the workpiece (substrate 10, fig. 5, 6 and 8) measured in the grinding step and the measurement step.
[0103] The control device 9 includes a first tilt angle correcting unit 95 configured to correct the tilt angle of the rotation axis R2 of the first substrate chuck 61A (61B) based on the plate thickness distribution of the substrate 10 in the diametrical direction which has been measured by the first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A. Since the first tilt angle correcting unit 95 corrects the tilt angle of the rotation axis R2 of the first substrate chuck 61A (61B) based on the plate thickness distribution of the substrate 10 processed by the first processing unit 63, plate thickness distributions after the current processing can be uniformed. In addition, if the plate thickness distribution measured by the first plate thickness distribution measuring unit 75A falls within a tolerance range, the correction of the tilt angle is not performed.
In regards to claim 3, Kodama discloses
the grinding method according to claim 2, wherein the grinding step, the measurement step, and the tilt adjustment step are each performed a plurality of times ([0111-0119]) to grind the workpiece (substrate 10, fig. 5, 6 and 8).
[0114] Subsequently, the substrate 10 is processed by the first processing unit 63 at the third position A3….Thereafter… the substrate 10 is moved from the third position A3 to the first position A1 together with the first substrate chuck 61A.
[0115]…the substrate 10 is transferred from the first substrate chuck 61A to the third transfer device 51 at the first position A1…
[0116] Next, the substrate 10 is delivered from the third transfer device 51 onto the second substrate chuck 62A at, for example, the fourth position A4 shown in FIG. 9A, and is held on the second substrate chuck 62A…
[0117] Subsequently, the substrate 10 is processed by the second processing unit 67 at the second position A2. The second main surface 12, which is the top surface of the substrate 10, is processed…
[0119] Now, processings performed at the first position A1, the second position A2, the third position A3 and the fourth position A4 will be described with reference to FIG. 10.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON KHALIL HAWKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-5446. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 8-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Keller can be reached at (571) 272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON KHALIL HAWKINS/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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