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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/29/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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)(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, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a0(1) as being anticipated by Yokomori (Pub. No.: US 20090166351 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yokomori teaches a heat treatment apparatus (FIG. 1(a) & 1(b), substrate heating apparatus 1) for irradiating a substrate (FIG, 1(a), wafer (substrate) 3) with a flash of light to heat the substrate (paragraph [0018], “actually heating a substrate, such as semiconductor wafers, using a flash lamp”), comprising:
a chamber for receiving a substrate therein (FIG. 1(a) or 1(b), camber containing wafer 3 and plate 2);
a holder (FIG. 1(a) or 1(b), plate 2) for holding said substrate in said chamber (paragraph [0062], “the semiconductor wafer 3 arranged on the hot plate 2 “);
a plurality of flash lamps (FIG. 1(a), 1(b), 5) for irradiating said substrate held by said holder with a flash of light (paragraph [0062], “the semiconductor wafer 3 arranged on the hot plate 2 and the light irradiating part 4 where a plurality of flash lamps 5 are arranged on the surface side of the semiconductor wafer 3”;
a discharge circuit (FIG. 3, IGBT element 25 and a gate circuit 28) for passing current of 4,000 amps or less through said plurality of flash lamps (FIG. 5-8, 2000A or less) to cause said plurality of flash lamps to emit light (FIG. 3 and paragraph [0058], “IGBT element 25”); and
a controller for controlling said discharge circuit (paragraph [0054], “a gate circuit 28 is placed in the IGBT element 25 and controls the current flowing into the flash lamp 5 by switching on and off the gate 251 in accordance with a gate signal 281 to be input externally”),
said discharge circuit including a one element set (FIG. 3, IGBT element 25 and a gate circuit 28, so set of 2) for N parallel-connected flash lamps (FIG. 3, 3 or more flash lamps), where N is an integer no less than 2 (FIG. 3, 3 or more),
wherein said one element set includes a single switching element (FIG. 3, IGBT element 25) for controlling current flowing through said N flash lamps (paragraph [0054], “a gate circuit 28 is placed in the IGBT element 25 and controls the current flowing into the flash lamp 5 by switching on and off the gate 251 in accordance with a gate signal 281 to be input externally”), and further includes a single coil, a single capacitor, and a single diode driving said N parallel-connected flash lamps (FIG. 3, coil 23, capacitor 26 and diode 27).
Regarding claim 7, Yokomori further teaches said switching element is an IGBT (FIG. 3, IGBT element 25).
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 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokomori as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Fuse et al. (Pub. No.: US 20120244725 A1), hereafter Fuse.
Regarding claim 5, Yokomori teaches limitations of claim 3 but does not disclose said switching element is a thyristor.
Fuse taches said switching element is a thyristor (paragraph [0143], “GTO (Gate Turn Off) thyristor).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yokomori in view of Fuse to incorporate GTO thyristor as it is suitable for handling large power as a switching element because the emission of light from the flash lamps FL consumes considerably high power (Fuse, paragraph [0143]).
Regarding claim 6, Yokomori as modified above further teaches said thyristor is a GTO thyristor or a GCT thyristor (paragraph [0143], “GTO (Gate Turn Off) thyristor).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/06/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding amended claim 1, Applicant argues that, “Yokomori fails to teach providing one switching element, one coil, one capacitor, and one diode for each of N flash lamps”).
Examiner respectfully disagrees, as Yokomary teaches a single coil, a single capacitor, and a single diode driving said N parallel-connected flash lamps (FIG. 3, coil 23, capacitor 26 and diode 27). Here phrase “each of N flash lamps” do not exist in claim language.
For above mentioned reason claims 1 and 7 as amended of the present invention are anticipated by Yokomori and claims 5 and 6 are obvious from Yokomori and Fuse, et al,.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SYED M KAISER whose telephone number is (571)272-9612. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 a.m.-6 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah Riyami can be reached at 571-270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SYED M KAISER/Examiner, Art Unit 2831
/ABDULLAH A RIYAMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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