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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/2/2024. The submission 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 § 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 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki (US 20210291316 A1), hereinafter Suzuki, in view of Suzuki et al. (US 20190006185 A1), hereinafter Suzuki ‘185, and further in view of Sekiya (US 20080045015 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki teaches (reproduced in annotated Figs. below) a grinding method of a wafer (workpiece 11) having a circular disc shape (as shown in annotated Fig. 2 below) by grinding a region on an inside relative to an outer circumferential edge of the wafer in a radial direction of the wafer (as shown in annotated Figs. 4A and 4B below) to form a thin plate part (central portion 11b2 of the reverse side 11b of workpiece 11) and a ring-shaped reinforcing (ring-shaped stiffening portion 11c1) that surrounds an outer circumferential part of the thin plate part in the wafer, the grinding method comprising:
a holding step of holding the wafer by a chuck table (chuck table 6) rotatable around a rotating shaft (output shaft 8) disposed to pass through a center of the chuck table in a radial direction (“The output shaft 8 is coupled to the lower surface of the chuck table 6. When the first rotary actuator is energized, it rotates the output shaft 8 about its central axis, rotating the chuck table 6 about its central axis, i.e., the central axis of the output shaft 8,” [0020], Suzuki; as shown in annotated Fig. 3B below);
a first grinding step of forming the ring-shaped reinforcing part by lowering a grinding wheel (grinding wheel 18) relative to the chuck table to bring the grinding wheel close to the wafer and grinding the wafer by bottom surfaces of a plurality of grinding abrasive stones (grindstones 18c) after the holding step (“Then, the stepping motor 12e is energized to move the grinding wheel 18 and the chuck table 6 relatively to each other in a direction parallel to the output shaft 8 in order to bring the grinding wheel 18 and the chuck table 6 closer to each other. For example, the grinding unit 14 is grounding-fed downwardly along the Z-axis direction at a speed of 1.0 μm/second. The grindstones 18c of the grinding wheel 18 are brought into grinding contact with the reverse side 11b of the workpiece 11, thereby grinding the reverse side 11b (an oblique grinding step S30),” [0033], Suzuki; as shown in annotated Figs. 3B and 4A below) the grinding wheel including a circular annular base (wheel base 18a) and the plurality of grinding abrasive stones disposed along a circumferential direction of the base on one surface side of the base (“The wheel base 18a has a lower surface, i.e., a surface, 18b on which a plurality of grindstones 18c each shaped as a block, i.e., a grinding stone part, are disposed in an annular pattern referred to as a segment array. Alternatively, a single annular grindstone, i.e., a grinding stone part, rather than the plurality of grindstones 18c may be disposed on the lower surface of the wheel base 18a in a pattern referred to as a continuous array. The wheel base 18a and the grindstones 18c are jointly included in a grinding wheel 18,” [0027], Suzuki; as shown in annotated Figs. 3B and 4A below), an outer diameter defined by the plurality of grinding abrasive stones (as shown in annotated Figs. 3B and 4A below) in a case in which the grinding wheel is rotated around a spindle (spindle 14e) disposed at a central part of the base in a radial direction (“When the second rotary actuator is energized, it rotates the spindle 14e about its central axis, rotating the grinding wheel 18 about the central axis of the spindle 14e as the second rotational shaft,” [0027], Suzuki) being smaller than an outer diameter of the wafer (as shown in annotated Fig. 3B and 4A below);
a second grinding step of grinding an inner circumferential side surface of the ring-shaped reinforcing part (“According to the present embodiment, the grindstones 18c do not grind an outer circumferential portion 11b.sub.1 of the reverse side 11b that corresponds to the outer circumferential surplus region 17b but grind a central portion 11b.sub.2 of the reverse side 11b that corresponds to the device region 17a thicknesswise across the workpiece 11. FIG. 4A is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of the grinding wheel 18, the workpiece unit 21, and the chuck table 6 at the time the grinding wheel 18 is grinding the workpiece 11,” [0034]; as shown in annotated Figs. 4A and 4B) by the plurality of grinding abrasive stones by moving the grinding wheel relative to the wafer toward an outside of the wafer in the radial direction after the holding step (“FIG. 4B is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly in cross section, of a portion of the assembly illustrated in FIG. 4A in the vicinity of the boundary between the ground portion 11c.sub.2 and the ring-shaped stiffening portion 11c.sub.1. In the oblique grinding step S30, the spindle 14e is tilted the predetermined angle θ with respect to the output shaft 8. Therefore, the grindstones 18c grind the reverse side lib while the grindstones 18c are having their outer side surfaces spaced from an inner circumferential edge of the upper surface of the ring-shaped stiffening portion 11c.sub.1, i.e., the outer circumferential portion 11b.sub.1 of the reverse side lib,” [0035], Suzuki; as shown in annotated Fig. 4B below);
a first separation step of separating the outer circumferential side surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones from the inner circumferential side surface of the ring-shaped reinforcing part (as shown in annotated Fig. 5 below) by moving the grinding wheel relative to the wafer toward the inside of the wafer in the radial direction after the first grinding step and the second grinding step (“Note that, in FIG. 5, the grindstones 18c that are tilted in the oblique grinding step S30 are indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines, whereas the grindstones 18c whose tilt is eliminated in the tilt changing and grinding step S40 are indicated by the solid lines.” [0038], Suzuki; as shown in annotated Fig. 5 below).
Suzuki does not teach a second grinding step of grinding an inner circumferential side surface of the ring-shaped reinforcing part by outer circumferential side surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones and a second separation step of separating the bottom surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones from a top surface of the thin plate part by raising the grinding wheel relative to the chuck table after the first grinding step and the second grinding step.
However, Suzuki ‘185 does teach a wafer processing method including a second grinding step of grinding an inner circumferential side surface of the ring-shaped reinforcing part by outer circumferential side surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones (“Accordingly, when the back side 1b of the wafer 1 is ground by the abrasive members 30 of the grinding unit 12 to thereby form the recess 17 on the back side 1b, the side surface (inner circumferential surface) of the recess 17 can be formed into a taper surface 15 (see FIG. 4B),” [0030], Suzuki ‘185; as shown in annotated Fig. 4B below).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Suzuki to incorporate the teachings of Suzuki ‘185 to provide wherein the second grinding step includes grinding via the outer circumferential side surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones by incorporating the grinding stone shape configuration. Doing so would have been a simple substitution (MPEP 2143) of one known grinding stone shape configuration for another known grinding stone shape configuration to obtain the predictable results of providing a grinding wheel to grind the workpiece. Additionally, doing so would allow the device to continue to function as intended and grind the workpiece.
Suzuki, as modified, does not teach a second separation step of separating the bottom surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones from a top surface of the thin plate part by raising the grinding wheel relative to the chuck table after the first grinding step and the second grinding step.
However, Sekiya does teach a method of etching a wafer, a second separation step of separating the bottom surfaces of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones from a top surface of the thin plate part (as shown in annotated Fig. 3B below) by raising the grinding wheel relative to the chuck table after the first grinding step and the second grinding step (“When the region, corresponding to the device forming region 4, of the back side of the wafer 1 is ground and thinned to an objective thickness (for example, about 200 to 100 .mu.m, or about 50 .mu.m), the grinding unit 40 is raised to separate the grindstones 47 from the wafer 1, and the rotation of the chuck table 30 is stopped. On the back side of the wafer 1, a recessed part 1A is formed, by the grinding, in the region corresponding to the device forming region 4 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Simultaneously, an annular projected part 5A projected to the back side with the original thickness left is formed in the region of the back side of the wafer 1. Thus, the wafer 1 as a whole is processed to have a recessed sectional shape,” [0034], Sekiya).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Suzuki, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Sekiya to raise the grinding stones after the grinding process to prevent damage to the wafer during the unloading process ([0034], Sekiya).
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Regarding claim 2, Suzuki, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, wherein the first grinding step and the second grinding step are simultaneously ended (when the oblique grinding step S30 shown in annotated Figs. 4A and 4B (of Suzuki) end and transition to the tilting changing and grinding step S40, the first grinding step and second grinding steps are simultaneously ended).
Regarding claim 4, Suzuki, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of grinding abrasive stones is a rough grinding abrasive stone (“The structure, process, and other details according to the present embodiment may be changed or modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, the grinding method according to the present embodiment is applicable to both rough grinding and finishing grinding,” [0042], Suzuki).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki (US 20210291316 A1), hereinafter Suzuki, in view of Suzuki et al. (US 20190006185 A1), hereinafter Suzuki ‘185, additionally in view of Sekiya (US 20080045015 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kago et al. (US 20230001533 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Suzuki, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1.
Suzuki, as modified, does not teach the first separation step and the second separation step are simultaneously started.
However, Kago teaches a grinding apparatus for grinding a workpiece which does teach the first separation step and the second separation step are simultaneously started (“Thereafter, the grinding control unit 52 drives the X-axis drive motor 11 and the Z-axis drive motor 8 to return the grindstone T at the rapid feed rate to its home position and drives the air cylinder 38 to retract the detector 39 to its home position (step S16),” [0065], Kago).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Suzuki, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Kago to simultaneously start the first and second separation steps as to save time during the grinding process ([0065], Kago).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Matsuzawa et al. (US 20210057260 A1) teaches a processing method for a wafer.
Sudo (US 20210237225 A1) teaches a grinding apparatus that grinds a workpiece.
Kishimoto (US 6656818 B1) teaches a manufacturing process for a semiconductor wafer.
Kishimoto (WO 0122484) teaches a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer similar to the claimed invention.
Mizushima (WO 2005070619) teaches a method of grinding a wafer and a wafer similar to the claimed invention.
Fujii (CN 113352204) teaches a processing method of a wafer similar to the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ISHAQ M ISHAQ whose telephone number is (571)270-0696. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Posigian can be reached at 313-446-6546. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/I.M.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MICHAEL A GUMP/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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