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
Claims 1 and 16-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, lines 2-3, “a test object” should be changed to ---a device under test--- ; line 7, “a device under test” should be changed to --- the device under test---; line 8,” the test object” should be changed to ---the device under test---.
In claim 16, line 3, “in a test object” should be deleted.
In claim 17, line 3, “in a test object” should be deleted
In claim 18, line 3, “in a test object ” should be deleted
In claim 19, line 2, “a test object” should be “a device under test”; lines 3,5-6, “the test object” should be “the device under test”.
In claim 20, line 5, “on a test object” should be “on the device under test”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3,9-11 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi (Pat# 11,796,400).
As to claim 1, Kobayashi discloses A temperature control apparatus as shown in figure 4 , comprising: a mounting unit (31) including a mounting surface on which a device under test (W) is mounted, wherein a plurality of devices (D) are formed on the device under test (W) ; a plurality of heaters (41) , each of which is provided for each of a plurality of zones into which the mounting surface is divided, configured to heat corresponding one of the plurality of zones; a device temperature acquiring unit (35) configured to acquire device temperature data according to a temperature measurement value in a device (D) formed on the wafer (w) ; and a temperature control unit (30) configured to control two or more heaters (41) corresponding to two or more zones on each of which at least part of the device under test is mounted so as to close a gap between the temperature indicated by the device temperature data and a first target temperature. It is noted that in figure 4, Kobayashi does not explicitly mention about “a temperature measurement value in a device under test connected to a probe for an operation test among the plurality of devices of the test object. However, Kobayashi teaches that the wafer (W) is connected to probes (12a) of the probe card (12) as shown in Figure 2. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the wafer connected to the probes for the purpose of performing the test on the wafer (W). Furthermore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to recognize that the temperature value of the device (D) would be considered as the temperature of the device under test (W) since the temperature control unit (30) uses the temperature of the device (D) for adjusting the heaters (41) providing heat to the entire device under test (W).
As to claim 2, it appears that the temperature control unit (3) is able to set a temperature of each zone on which at least part of the device under test is mounted at different temperatures and adjust a temperature of the device under test.
As to claim 3, it appears that the temperature control unit (30) controls each of the two or more heaters (41) corresponding to each of the two or more zones depending on an area of the device under test overlapped with each of the two or more zones.
AS to claims 9-11, it appears that the plurality of zones in the device of Kobayashi are arranged in a grid shape on the mounting surface.
AS to claims 13-15, Kobayashi discloses a temperature control apparatus as mentioned in claims 1-3 but Kobayashi does not explicitly mention about a size of each of the plurality of zones is different from a size of each of the plurality of devices. However, the size of the zones would be considered as an obvious design choice since the size of the zone depending on the size of the device formed on the device under test and the size of the zone does not change the structure and operation of the temperature control apparatus (see In Gardner v. TEC Syst., Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 830, 225 USPQ 232 (1984)).
As to claim 16, Kobayashi discloses a test apparatus as shown in figures 2 and 4, comprising: a probe apparatus configured to connect at least one probe (12a) to at least one terminal of a device under test (W) on which a plurality of devices (D) (as shown in figure 4) are formed; the temperature control apparatus as mentioned in claim 1; and a test unit (4) configured to perform an operation test of the device under test by using the at least one probe (12a).
As to claim 17, Kobayashi discloses a test apparatus as shown in figures 2 and 4, comprising: a probe apparatus (12) configured to connect at least one probe (12a) to at least one terminal of a device under test to be a target of an operation test in a test object in a board shape on which a plurality of devices (D) are formed; the temperature control apparatus as mentioned in claims 1-2; and a test unit (4) configured to perform an operation test of the device under test by using the at least one probe (12a)
As to claim 18, Kobayashi discloses a test apparatus as shown in figures 2 and 4,, comprising: a probe apparatus (12) as shown in figure 2 configured to connect at least one probe (12a) to at least one terminal of a device under test (W) to be a target of an operation test in a test object in a board shape on which a plurality of devices (D) are formed as shown in figure 4; the temperature control apparatus as mentioned in claims 1-3; and a test unit (4) configured to perform an operation test of the device under test (W) by using the at least one probe (12a).
AS to claim 19, Kobayashi discloses an apparatus as shown in figures 2 and 4 for performing a temperature control method comprising the steps of mounting a test object (W) in a board shape on a mounting surface of a mounting unit (31) , wherein a plurality of devices (D) are formed on the test object (W) as shown in figure 4; acquiring device temperature data according to a temperature measurement value in a device under test by using device temperature acquiring unit (35) and controlling, among a plurality of heaters(41) each of which is provided for each of a plurality of zones into which the mounting surface is divided and configured to heat corresponding one of the plurality of zones , two or more of the plurality of heaters(41) corresponding to two or more of the plurality of zones on each of which at least part of the device under test is mounted so as to close a gap between a temperature indicated by the device temperature data and a first target temperature. It is noted that in figure 4, Kobayashi does not explicitly mention about “a temperature measurement value in a device under test connected to a probe for an operation test among the plurality of devices of the test object. However, Kobayashi teaches that the wafer (W) is connected to probes (12a) of the probe card (12) as shown in Figure 2. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the wafer connected to the probes for the purpose of performing the test on the wafer (W). Furthermore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to recognize that the temperature value of the device (D) would be considered as the temperature of the device under test (W) since the temperature control unit (30) uses the temperature of the device (D) for adjusting the heaters (41) providing heat to the entire device under test (W).
As to claim 20, Kobayashi discloses a test apparatus as shown in figures 2 and 4 includes a device temperature acquiring unit (35) configured to acquire device temperature data according to a temperature measurement value in a device under test (W) mounted on a mounting surface of a mounting unit ; and a temperature control unit (30) configured to control, among a plurality of heaters (41) each of which is provided for each of a plurality of zones into which the mounting surface is divided and configured to heat corresponding one of the plurality of zones, two or more of the plurality of heaters (41) corresponding to two or more of the plurality of zones on each of which at least part of the device under test (W) is mounted, to close a gap between a temperature indicated by the device temperature data and a first target temperature. It is noted that in figure 4, Kobayashi does not explicitly mention about “a device under test connected to a probe for an operation test among the plurality of devices of the test object. However, Kobayashi teaches that the wafer (W) is connected to probes (12a) of the probe card (12) as shown in Figure 2. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the wafer connected to the probes for the purpose of performing the test on the wafer (W). Furthermore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to recognize that the temperature value of the device (D) would be considered as the temperature of the device under test (W) since the temperature control unit (30) uses the temperature of the device (D) for adjusting the heaters (41) providing heat to the entire device under test (W).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-8 and 12 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 prior art does not disclose a zone temperature acquiring unit configured to acquire zone temperature data according to a temperature measurement value corresponding to at least one other zone on which the device under test is not mounted among the plurality of zones, wherein the temperature control unit is configured to control at least one other heater corresponding to the at least one other zone so as to close a gap between a temperature indicated by the zone temperature data and a second target temperature as recited in claims 4-6. Claims 7-8 and 12 depend from objected claim 4, they are also objected to.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kasai et al (pat# 11,762,011) disclose Temperature Adjustment Method For Mounting Base, Inspection Device, And Mounting Base.
Lou et a; (Pat# 11,754,619) disclose Probing Apparatus With Temperature-Adjusting Mechanism.
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/VINH P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858