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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/20/2026 has been entered.
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) 9-14 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bishop (U.S. Patent No. 6,091,488) in view of Zhao et al. (U.S. Patent No. 6,608,676 B1) further in view of Liu et al. (CN 212432985 U, where the examiner has provided a machine translation hereinwith for citations).
As to claim 9, Bishop discloses and shows in figures 6-7(a), 10 and 11, a device of inspecting a surface of an interconnect structure, the device comprising:
an excitation light source (laser 1 or 2) for generating an excitation light beam (col. 3, ll. 38-41; col. 6, l. 59 thru col. 7, l. 7);
a light shape adjustment module (items 1, 3 and 5, where the examiner is interpreting the structures of Bishop as structural equivalents for performing the same function) for adjusting the excitation light beam to cause the excitation light beam to form an elongated light spot (i.e. slit light as the result of light going through a common cylindrical lens) having a long axis and a short axis on a surface of the interconnect structure, and cause excitation lights for forming the elongated light spot to propagate along directions perpendicular to the long axis of the elongated light spot, wherein the interconnect structure comprises a metal layer (i.e. conductor lines) and a dielectric layer (i.e. resist layer) having fluorescence characteristics (col. 4, ll. 5-8; col. 6, ll. 22-32, col. 7, 52-58, the examiner notes that the manner in which light interacts with the interconnect structure is merely intended use, as nothing about the light shape module is further limited by saying how light is intended to be used on the sample under test which could obviously can be rotated or positioned in any manner, and based on the particular metal lines which commonly go in a plurality of directions are perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the light line);
a sensor (TDI CCD Camera) for receiving a plurality of fluorescent signals generated from the dielectric layer upon excitation thereof by the elongated light spot (col. 7, ll. 1-7); and
a controller (i.e. computer disclosed but not shown) for determining a portion of a planar pattern of the metal layer according to the fluorescence signals (i.e. determining if a defect has occurred in the pattern analyzed by the system) (col. 8, ll. 40-42).
a first lens (shown via rectangles that cause light convergence in figures 7 and 10 but not explicitly labeled, said lenses are more explicitly shown in figure 11) receiving the collimated light beam that is incident onto the first lens (modified below is the light being a collimated beam via Zhao) along an optical axis of the first lens (where explicitly the light is shown as parallel and directly along the center of the rectangle lens disclosed); and an objective lens (3), wherein the first lens and the objective lens further shape the collimated light beam into the elongated light spot (i.e. slit as explicitly disclosed) for being incident on the surface of the interconnect structure (col. 6, ll. 27-32)
a beamsplitter (shown and labeled via arrow and text “reflects laser, passes fluorescence”, also disclosed as a beamsplitter) for reflecting the excitation lights that have passed through the first lens (col. 7, ll. 36-44)
Bishop does not explicitly disclose a device, wherein the light shape adjustment module comprises: a light shaping system for shaping the excitation light beam into a collimated light beam, and the collimated light beam has a rectangular cross section.
However, Zhao does disclose and show in figure 1 and in (col. 4, ll. 24-29) the use of a collimated light beam as that is rectangular in cross section (explicitly shown in figure 1). Zhao does not explicitly disclose how the light becomes collimated, however the examiner takes office notice that a collimating lens is the most fundamental, obvious and clear way to make a common collimated light beam.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bishop wherein the light shape adjustment module comprises a light shaping system for shaping the excitation light beam into a collimated light beam, and the collimated light beam has a rectangular cross section in order to provide the advantage increased efficiency in using collimated in contrast with divergent light obviously one can maintain the highest possible flux to relay to the sample under test to increase the SNR for defect analysis.
Bishop in view of Zhao does not explicitly disclose where the object lens is
disposed between the beamsplitter and the interconnect structure for directing the excitation light reflecting off the beamsplitter onto the interconnect structure and directing the plurality of fluorescent signals emitted from the interconnect structure to the beamsplitter or wherein an angle defined between a surface of the beamsplitter and an optical axis of the first lens is 45 degrees, the optical axis of the first lens is perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective lens, and the beamsplitter further allows the plurality of fluorescent signals generated by the interconnect structure to pass through and reach the sensor, such that an optical path of the excitation lights incident to the interconnect structure and an optical path of the plurality of fluorescent signals emitted from the interconnect structure to the sensor share a partial common path provided by the objective lens and the beamsplitter.
However, Liu does disclose and show in figures 2 and 3 and in (page 5, ll. 3-16; page 7, ll. 19-24) the use of an extremely common optical configuration in all of optical measuring an testing. Specifically using a common beam splitter (42) at a 45 degree angle relative to an optical axis of an objective lens (41). To relay light down to the sample from the sources and then receive return light and pass it through to the detectors. The examiner notes that Liu even does so in a fluorescence based detection scheme with line light shown in figure 3 as (201). Where the lens is further explicitly shown as optical downstream from the splitter (i.e. between the splitter and the sample 80).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bishop in view of Zhao where the object lens is disposed between the beamsplitter and the interconnect structure for directing the excitation light reflecting off the beamsplitter onto the interconnect structure and directing the plurality of fluorescent signals emitted from the interconnect structure to the beamsplitter or wherein an angle defined between a surface of the beamsplitter and an optical axis of the first lens is 45 degrees, the optical axis of the first lens is perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective lens, and the beamsplitter further allows the plurality of fluorescent signals generated by the interconnect structure to pass through and reach the sensor, such that an optical path of the excitation lights incident to the interconnect structure and an optical path of the plurality of fluorescent signals emitted from the interconnect structure to the sensor share a partial common path provided by the objective lens and the beamsplitter in order to provide the advantage of increased accuracy in placing an objective lens after the beam splitter as is extremely well-known again in not only fluorescence but all optical measuring and testing one can converge light on a sample and collect return light in the most efficient manner. For example this is the basic concept us in essentially all microscopes.
As to claim 10, Bishop discloses a device, wherein the light shape adjustment module causes the excitation lights for forming the elongated light spot to propagate along directions perpendicular to an extension direction of the short axis (col. 4, ll. 5-8; col. 6, ll. 22-32, col. 7, 52-58; where the examiner finds this to be the implicit result of using a cylindrical lens, specifically that some light travels in a direction perpendicular to the short axis extension in order for light to propagate towards a sample, if light were travelling all in a direction parallel to the short axis extension light would exit the system and not travel along the central optical axis of the cylindrical lens).
As to claim 11, Bishop discloses a device, wherein the light shape adjustment module causes propagation directions of the excitation lights for forming the elongated light spot toward the surface of the interconnect structure to form an angle on a plane of incidence including the short axis (col. 6, ll. 59-67; i.e. the 45 degree angle explicitly disclosed and shown and the result of the “light shape adjustment module” relaying light down to the sample).
As to claim 12, Bishop does disclose the use of line based illumination, but fails to clearly show or exactly detail the dimensions of said line.
Bishop therefore does not explicitly disclose a device, wherein a length of the long axis of the elongated light spot is at least five times a length of the short axis of the elongated light spot.
However, Zhao does disclose and show in figure 2 and in (col. 4, ll. 24-29) a similar wafer inspection system that uses a similar focused line light, and as explicitly shown in figure 2, the line 20 has a geometric configuration where the length direction (long axis) is 5x the width (i.e. short axis).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bishop a device, wherein a length of the long axis of the elongated light spot is at least five times a length of the short axis of the elongated light spot in order to provide the advantage of expected results and increased efficiency in making a wide line obviously one can inspect a larger area of the wafer under test in an efficient manner, where clearly a common rectangular construction is 5x the length relative to the width.
As to claim 13, Bishop discloses a device, wherein the metal layer comprises a wiring having a line width less than or equal to 20 μm (col. 7, 44-52; where the examiner is interpreting the claim to be non-limiting beyond the prior art need be capable of working with the noted sample, since the prior art has shown the same claimed structure it is being interpreted as capable of said use, for further clarification please see MPEP 2115).
As to claim 14, Bishop discloses a device, wherein the sensor comprises a line scanner (as disclosed the pixel array is 1024x96 pixels, which is being interpreted in being geometrically a rectangle, also being a line) (col. 8, ll. 15-19).
As to claim 17, Bishop does not explicitly disclose a device, wherein the light shape adjustment module further comprises a first filter disposed between the light shaping system and the first lens, and penetrable by excitation lights with a wavelength falling within a specific range.
However, Bishop does disclose and show in figure 7 and in (col. 7, ll. 31-35) the use of a fluorescent filter further in the light path. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to an additional fluorescence filter in between the light shaping system and the first lens, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bishop wherein the light shape adjustment module further comprises a first filter disposed between the light shaping system and the first lens, and penetrable by excitation lights with a wavelength falling within a specific range in order to provide the advantage of expected results and increase accuracy, in further filtering the light down to just the light used for fluorescence measurement obviously one can remove more potential noise from the optical system in removing unwanted wavelengths from reaching the sample under test, yielding again a higher SNR at the detector measurement surface.
As to claim 18, Bishop discloses and shows a device, wherein the first lens is capable of converging light rays (Fig. 7 and 11, explicitly show where the lenses as cited by the examiner are converging the light).
As to claim 19, Bishop disclose and shows in figure 7 a device, further comprising a second filter (fluorescence filter labeled as such in the figure noted) disposed between the interconnect structure and the sensor, and penetrable by the fluorescence signals generated from the dielectric layer upon excitation thereof by the elongated light spot (col. 7, ll. 41-35).
As to claim 20, Bishop as modified by Zhao discloses a device, wherein a length of the long axis of the elongated light spot equals a product of a length of a long axis of the cross section of the collimated light beam, a reciprocal of a focal length of the first lens, and a focal length of the objective lens (col. 6, ll. 22-32, this limitation is found to be not limiting beyond the prior art need to be capable of this result (which is being interpreted as such in the instant rejection), as applicant has failed to structurally distinguish anything for the system, other than claim an intended result of said system already claimed).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 9-14 and 17-20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL P LAPAGE whose telephone number is (571)270-3833. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tarifur Chowdhury can be reached at 571-272-2287. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael P LaPage/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2877
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