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 .
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 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.
Status of the application
This office Action is in response to Applicant's Application filled on 07/16/2026. Claims 1-17 are pending for this examination.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on 04/24/2024.
Oath/Declaration
The oath or declaration filed on 04/24/2024 is acceptable.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without travers of species V, [Fig 8] with claims 10-11 and 15-17, in the “Response to Election / Restriction Filed” filed on 07/16/2026 is acknowledged. This office action considers claims 1-17 are thus pending for prosecution of which, non-elected claims 1-9 and 12-14 are withdrawn, and elected claims 10-11 and 15-17 are examined on their merits.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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.
Claims 10 and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KIM (US 2022/0375742 A1; hereafter KIM).
PNG
media_image1.png
736
557
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 10, KIM discloses a substrate processing method, comprising:
forming a film (Fig [7-10], damage layer 15c ,Para [ 0109]), on a non-bonding surface (lower portion 15C, construed as non- bonding surface) of a second substrate (Fig [7-10], support wafer 15, Para [ 0108]), which has a bonding surface ( upper surface 15a) bonded to a first substrate (wafer 11, Para [ 0108]) to be thinned (Fig [ 7-10], Para [ 0107-0112, 0127]) and the non-bonding surface (Fig [7-10], lower portion 15C, construed as non- bonding surface) opposite to the bonding surface (Fig [7-10], upper surface 15a), wherein the film (Fig [7-10], damage layer 15c ,Para [ 0109]) is formed on a portion of the non-bonding surface (lower portion 15C, construed as non- bonding surface), or the film is formed thicker on a portion of the non-bonding surface than on another portion thereof, based on a thickness distribution of the second substrate.
Regarding Claim 15, KIM discloses the substrate processing method of Claim 10, further comprising:
KIM further discloses thinning, the first substrate (Fig [7-10], wafer 11, Para [ 0108]) previously bonded to the second substrate in a state that with the film ( damage layer 15c ,Para [ 0109]) is formed on a portion of the non-bonding surface of the second substrate (Fig [7, 10], support wafer 15, Para [ 0107-0110, 0121]).
Regarding Claim 16, KIM discloses the substrate processing method of Claim 15, further comprising:
KIM further discloses removing the film after the thinning of the first substrate (Fig [7-10], Para [0107-0112], steps S12 to S14.).
PNG
media_image2.png
730
608
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding Claim 17, KIM discloses a substrate processing method including thinning, in a combined substrate ( Fig [7-10], bonded wafer 17, [wafer 11 and support wafer 15], Para [ 0107]) including a first substrate (wafer 11, Para [ 0108]) and a second substrate (Fig [7-10], support wafer 15, Para [ 0108]) which is bonded to the first substrate (wafer 11, Para [ 0108]), the second substrate (Fig [7-10], support wafer 15, Para [ 0108]) having a bonding surface ( upper surface 15a) bonded to the first substrate (wafer 11, Para [ 0108]) and a non- bonding surface (lower portion 15C, construed as non- bonding surface) opposite to the bonding surface ( upper surface 15a), the first substrate (wafer 11, Para [ 0108]) of the combined substrate ( Fig [7-10], bonded wafer 17, [wafer 11 and support wafer 15], Para [ 0107]), the substrate processing method ( Fig [7-10]) comprising:
attracting the combined substrate ( Fig [7-10], bonded wafer 17, [wafer 11 and support wafer 15], Para [ 0107])to a substrate holder (frame body 6a, Para [ 0073]) via a film (Fig [7-10], damage layer 15c ,Para [ 0109]) formed on a portion of the non-bonding surface of the second substrate (Fig [7-10], support wafer 15, Para [ 0108]), or a film formed thicker on a portion of the non- bonding surface than on another portion thereof; and
grinding the first substrate (wafer 11, Para [0099, 0108]) of the combined substrate (Fig [7-10], bonded wafer 17, [wafer 11 and support wafer 15], Para [0107]) attracted to the substrate holder (frame body 6a, Para [ 0073]) by a grindstone (Fig 9A, cutting apparatus 2, Para [ 0099]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 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 following are the Examiner's Reasons for Allowance:
The prior art fails to disclose and would not have rendered obvious:
Regarding Claim 11, The substrate processing method of claim 10, wherein the second substrate has, on the bonding surface thereof, multiple streets arranged in a square grid pattern, and devices formed in device areas partitioned by the multiple streets, and when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the bonding surface, the film is formed in the square grid pattern along the multiple streets, the film is formed thicker on the multiple streets than in the device areas, the film is formed in an island shape in each device area, or the film is formed thicker in each device area than on the multiple streets.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOIN M RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5002. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julio Maldonado can be reached at 571-272-1864. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MOIN M RAHMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
Prosecution Insights