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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the application filed on 05/13/2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
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 1-5 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al (US PGPUB No. 2015/0224623) in view of Ide (US PGPUB No. 2003/0008600), hereinafter referred to as Xu and Ide, respectively.
Regarding claim 1, Xu discloses a polishing process apparatus [Xu, fig 1, 22], comprising:
a carrier [Xu, fig 1, 60 and 70] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Xu, fig 1, 70 holds wafer 10];
a polishing pad on a lower portion of the carrier [Xu, fig 1, 30];
a plurality of temperature sensors on the carrier [Xu, page 3, pp 0034, 64 and can be positioned inside of the carrier head]; and
a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Xu, fig 1, 40 and 90], and
the controller is configured to determine an end point in time of a polishing process, using temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors [Xu, page 5, pp’s 0054, 0057-0058, and 0061, teaching that the temperatures are measured and used to corroborate a polishing end point time].
Xu does not explicitly disclose wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are configured in a row in a radial direction, parallel to an upper surface of the polishing head and extending outwardly from a rotation axis of the polishing head.
Ide teaches a polishing process apparatus [Ide, fig 2, 1], comprising:
a carrier [Ide, fig 2, 20] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Ide, fig 2, 21 holds wafer 2];
a polishing pad on a lower portion of the carrier [Ide, fig 2, 12];
a plurality of temperature sensors on the carrier [Ide, fig 3A, 26]; and
a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Ide, page 4, pp 0074, 31],
wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are configured in a row in a radial direction [Ide, fig 3B, showing 26 are in a row in a radial direction], parallel to an upper surface of the polishing head [Ide, fig 3A, 26 are parallel to the surface of 21] and extending outwardly from a rotation axis of the polishing head [Ide, fig 3B, showing 26 extends outwardly from the center of 20].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the carrier of Xu to include the temperature sensor configuration as taught by Ide because having the temperature sensors allows for the polishing device to compensate for local temperature fluctuations and to therefore improve flatness of the polished object [Ide, page 2, pp’s 0036-0038, summarized].
Regarding claims 2-3, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are configured to measure a temperature of a rear surface of the polishing object in contact with the polishing head [Ide, page 4, pp’s 0071 and 0075-0076, teaching the temperature sensors 26 measure the neighborhoods and the areas and the film thickness data, which means that 26 measures the surface of the polishing object in contact with the polishing head] (clm 2); and
wherein the polishing object includes a plurality of regions [Ide, fig 3B, the polishing regions are in the same area as the sensors 26 and page 5, pp 0099], and the controller is configured: to determine a temperature of each of the plurality of regions of the polishing object [Xu, page 3, pp 0034, and Ide, page 4, pp’s 0075-0076], using the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors; to calculate respective temperature change data for each of the plurality of regions based on the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors [Xu, page 5, pp 0058]; and to determine the end point in time of the polishing process based on the respective temperature change data [Xu, page 5, pp 0061] (clm 3).
Regarding claim 4, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 3, wherein a number of the plurality of regions of the polishing object is equal to a number of the plurality of temperature sensors [Ide, fig 3B, the number of 26 corresponds to the number of measurements].
Regarding claim 5, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of regions of the polishing object has a concentric circle shape with respect to the rotation axis [Ide, fig 3B, sections b1, b2, b3 and b4].
Regarding claim 16, Xu discloses a polishing process apparatus [Xu, fig 1, 22], comprising:
a carrier [Xu, fig 1, 60 and 70] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Xu, fig 1, 70 holds wafer 10];
a polishing pad on a lower portion of the carrier [Xu, fig 1, 30];
a plurality of temperature sensors on the carrier [Xu, page 3, pp 0034, 64 and can be positioned inside of the carrier head]; and
a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Xu, fig 1, 40 and 90], and
the controller is configured to receive the temperatures from the plurality of temperature sensors and derive temperature data, to calculate temperature change data using the temperature data, and to determine an end point in time of a polishing process using the temperature change data [Xu, page 5, pp’s 0054, 0057-0058, and 0061, teaching that the temperatures are measured and used to corroborate a polishing end point time].
Xu does not explicitly disclose wherein the polishing object includes a plurality of regions, and the plurality of temperature sensors are configured to respectively measure temperatures corresponding to the plurality of regions of the polishing object, different from each other, while a polishing process is performed.
Ide teaches a polishing process apparatus [Ide, fig 2, 1], comprising:
a carrier [Ide, fig 2, 20] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Ide, fig 2, 21 holds wafer 2];
a polishing pad on a lower portion of the carrier [Ide, fig 2, 12];
a plurality of temperature sensors on the carrier [Ide, fig 3A, 26]; and
a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Ide, page 4, pp 0074, 31],
wherein the polishing object includes a plurality of regions [Ide, fig 3B, the polishing regions are in the same area as the sensors 26 and page 5, pp 0099],
the plurality of temperature sensors are configured to respectively measure temperatures corresponding to the plurality of regions of the polishing object, different from each other, while a polishing process is performed [Ide, fig 3B, 26 measures b1, b2, b3 and b4, which are different and page 4, pp 0075].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the carrier of Xu to include the temperature sensor configuration to measure the corresponding plurality of regions as taught by Ide because having the temperature sensors allows for the polishing device to compensate for local temperature fluctuations and to therefore improve flatness of the polished object [Ide, page 2, pp’s 0036-0038, summarized].
Regarding claim 17, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 16, wherein the temperature data includes temperatures detected at different points in time with respect to each of the plurality of regions of the polishing object [Xu, page 5, pp 0057, real time temperature T(t)].
Regarding claims 18-19, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 16, wherein the temperature change data includes amounts of temperature change respectively detected in the plurality of regions of the polishing object during a predetermined period of time [Xu, page 5, pp 0058] (clm 18); and
wherein the controller is configured to calculate the temperature change data by differentiating the temperature data with respect to time [Xu, page 5, pp 0059-0061] (clm 19).
Regarding claim 20, Xu as modified further discloses the polishing process apparatus of claim 16, wherein the end point in time of the polishing process is a latest point in time, among points in time when amounts of temperature change of the plurality of regions of the polishing object respectively converge to zero [Xu, fig 5, EP/ A0], after a point in time at which the amounts of temperature change of the plurality of regions of the polishing object respectively have a maximum value [Xu, fig 5, the curve of A(t,T), 606].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-15 are allowed.
Claims 6-7 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.
Regarding claim 6, Ide (US PGPUB No. 2003/0008600) teaches the width of each of the plurality of regions is constant [Ide, showing the spacing between b1, b2, b3 and b4, or the radius increases linearly, or at a steady rate, such that there is no change in the distance in the radius between b1, b2, b3, or b4].
Therefore, the prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “wherein a width of each of the plurality of regions decreases as a distance from the rotation axis increases” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim.
Claim 7 would be allowed as being dependent on claim 6.
Regarding claim 8, Ide (US PGPUB No. 2003/0008600) discloses a polishing process apparatus [Ide, fig 2, 1], comprising: a carrier [Ide, fig 2, 20] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Ide, fig 2, 21 hold substrate 2], a drive shaft configured to rotate the polishing head [Ide, fig 2, 22], and a temperature sensor mounting portion connected to the drive shaft [Ide, fig 3A, 23 is connected to 22 through at least intermediate members]; a plurality of temperature sensors on the temperature sensor mounting portion [Ide, fig 3A, 26 are on 23]; and a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Ide, page 4, pp 0074, 31], wherein the polishing head has a first radius from a central axis of the polishing head [Ide, fig 3B, showing 20 has a diameter and thus also a radius]; the plurality of temperature sensors are configured along an arc having a second radius from the central axis of the polishing head [Ide, fig 3B, each 26 is along the arc of b4], and the second radius has a value less than that of the first radius (emphasis added) [Ide, fig 3B, the arc of b4 is inside of 20 and is less than that the radius of 20].
Xu et al (US PGPUB No. 2015/0224623) teaches a polishing process apparatus [Xu, fig 1, 22], comprising: a carrier [Xu, fig 1, 60 and 70] including a polishing head configured to receive a polishing object [Xu, fig 1, 70 holds wafer 10], a drive shaft configured to rotate the polishing head [Xu, fig 1, 74 rotates 70]; a plurality of temperature sensors on the outside of the carrier [Xu, fig 1, 64 showing that 64 is outside the head and page 3, pp 0034 teaching a plurality of temperature sensors are used]; and a controller configured to control the carrier, the polishing pad, and the plurality of temperature sensors [Xu, fig 1, 40 and 90], wherein the polishing head has a first radius from a central axis of the polishing head [Xu, fig 1, 70 has a diameter, which also means that 70 has a radius]; the plurality of sensors are located outside of the carrier [Xu, page 3, pp 0034, teaching a plurality of sensors 64 and fig 1 showing 64 is outside of 70].
However, the prior art considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious “the plurality of temperature sensors are configured along an arc having a second radius from the central axis of the polishing head, and the second radius has a value greater than that of the first radius” together in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim and in the independent claim. Xu is silent regarding the placement of the sensors outside the carrier and in what arrangement, and even in the combination of Xu and Ide there would no teaching that the sensors are placed on an arc that has a radius greater than that of the carrier radius.
Claims 9-15 are allowed as being dependent on claim 8.
Conclusion
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/ROBERT F NEIBAUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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