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 .
Examiner’s note:
"Ceric ammonium nitrate" aka "CAN" aka "Diammonium cerium(IV) nitrate" aka "Ammonium cerium(IV) nitrate" aka "Cerium ammonium nitrate", per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceric_ammonium_nitrate, and https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/substance/ammoniumceriumivnitrate5482216774213, and https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ceric-ammonium-nitrate.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20250197675 A1 (Nakagai).
Regarding claim 1, Nakagai discloses:
A polishing method for a gallium nitride wafer (para 0095: object to be polished is gallium nitride), comprising:
a holding step of holding a first surface side of the gallium nitride wafer by a holding table (e.g. para 0103 describes holding);
and a polishing step of polishing the gallium nitride wafer while supplying a polishing liquid to an area between a polishing pad and the gallium nitride wafer in a state in which the polishing pad is in contact with a second surface located on a side opposite to the first surface side of the gallium nitride wafer held by the holding table (e.g. para 0103 describes polishing),
wherein the polishing liquid contains dissolved therein permanganate (abstract: “The polishing composition includes water, sodium permanganate”) and a water-soluble ionic compound including one of or both nitrate ions (0029: “The polishing composition disclosed herein contains a transition metal salt C”, then para 0033 identifies the type of salt in the transition metal salt C may include nitrate ion) and cerium(IV) ions (0026 "Other than sodium permanganate, the polishing composition disclosed herein may or may not contain other oxidant(s). Specific examples of compounds possibly selected as the other oxidant(s) include... cerium ammonium nitrate").
Regarding claim 2, Nakagai discloses:
the permanganate is sodium permanganate (abstract: “The polishing composition includes water, sodium permanganate”),
and the water-soluble ionic compound is diammonium cerium(IV) nitrate (0026 "Other than sodium permanganate, the polishing composition disclosed herein may or may not contain other oxidant(s). Specific examples of compounds possibly selected as the other oxidant(s) include... cerium ammonium nitrate").
Conclusion
The following prior art, made of record and not relied upon, is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20170342298 A1 - cited for teaching polishing a gallium-nitride substrate wherein the polishing solution 17 may comprise permanganate or cerium ammonium nitrate.
US 20220033684 A1 - cited for teaching polishing via a pad and work table.
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/Art Golik/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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