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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-3 in the reply filed on 8/14/2026 is acknowledged.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted elements are: claim 1 teaches a striation height (X) value of -15 mm. In physical terms, height is a positive quantity measured from a reference plane (e.g., the wafer’s flat surface). A “negative” height would imply the striation is below that reference, which is not possible in standard wafer geometry. If the “negative” value is due to a sign convention (e.g. a chosen coordinate direction in arbitrarily chosen measurement), claim must define the chosen coordinate system.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uto (20110056428).
Regarding claim 1, Uto teaches an semiconductor wafer of 200 mm in diameter (par. 32 teaches a range of wafer diameter which includes this value) cut from a single-crystal silicon (par. 10) that is doped with phosphorus (par. 49)
the semiconductor wafer having a resistivity (Y) () and a striation height (X) (see fig. 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B and par. 13 and par. 34-40), wherein Y is at least
Y = -1.588 x 10-6 X3 + 1.331 x 10-4X2 - 1.195 x 10-2 X + 7.649x 10-1 (please see equations seen in par. 13 and 40 which includes but is not limited to the equation above, specifically when the range of height striation, taught in Uto, is used above)
for X in a range of -15 mm to 30 mm (par. 63 teaches a range that coincides with this range), the semiconductor wafer being further characterized by an edge and a center (please see fig. 1A-1D wherein wafers have a rim and a center) wherein a plurality of striation angles from the edge to the center forms the striation height (X) at the center (please see fig. 1A-1D which shows angles, specifically fig. 1D), and each of the plurality of striation angles is a positive value (please see fig. 1D which shows the striation angles on the positive axis).
Regarding claim 2, Uto teaches an semiconductor wafer of 300 mm in diameter (par. 32 teaches a range of wafer diameter which includes this value) cut from a single-crystal silicon that is doped with phosphorous (par. 10 and 49), the semiconductor wafer having a resistivity (Y) of 0.8 m Q-cm or less (par. 13, 40 and 63) and striation height (X) of 13 mm or greater (par. 13 and par. 34-40), the semiconductor wafer being further characterized by an edge and a center (please see fig. 1A-1D wherein wafers have a rim and a center) wherein a plurality of striation angles from the edge to the center forms the striation height (X) at the center (please see fig. 1A-1D which shows angles, specifically fig. 1D), and each of the plurality of striation angles is a positive value (please see fig. 1D which shows the striation angles on the positive axis).
Regarding claim 3, Uto teaches an semiconductor wafer of claim 2, wherein the resistivity (Y) is at least Y= 1.556 x 10-6X3 + 1.439 x 10-4X2 - 1.469 x 10-2X+ 9.700 x 10-1 (please see equations seen in par. 13 and 40 which includes but is not limited to the equation above, specifically when the range of height striation, taught in Uto, is used above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CALEB E HENRY whose telephone number is (571)270-5370. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CALEB E HENRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818
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