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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the application filed on 08/30/2024. Claims 1-4 are currently pending and have been examined.
Claim Interpretation
Note: Whenever the claims indicated inclusive (and) or alternative (or) limitations, only the alternative limitations were examined unless stated different in the rejection. Similarly, whenever the claims indicated optional limitations (e.g. “optionally"), the claim limitations were considered to be a preference and not a requirement unless stated different in the claim rejection.
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iizuka et al (US PGPUB No. 2019/0006212) in view of Kim et al (US PGPUB No. 2022/0219354) and in further view of Park et al (Korean Patent Publication No. KR20130044891) as evidenced by the machine translation of Park, hereinafter referred to as Iizuka, Kim, and Park, respectively.
Regarding claim 1, Iizuka discloses a method of manufacturing a wafer from a workpiece [Iizuka, page 1, pp 0006 and figs 12A, 170] that has a first surface [Iizuka, figs 12A, 172], a second surface positioned opposite the first surface [Iizuka, figs 12A, 174], and a side surface joined to an outer peripheral edge of the first surface and an outer peripheral edge of the second surface [Iizuka, figs 12A, 180], the method comprising:
a first grinding step of grinding the first surface of the workpiece while holding the workpiece on a first holding table [Iizuka, page 2, pp 0034, 4 which has grinding means 16, grinds the top surface of the workpiece and page 9, pp 0069, 172 is planarized] such that the second surface faces the first holding table and the first surface is exposed [Iizuka, fig 3, 170 is held by table 14 by bottom surface 174 such that the top surface 172 is exposed];
after the first grinding step, a second grinding step of grinding the second surface of the workpiece [Iizuka, page 9, pp 0069, 174 is planarized];
after the second grinding step, a peel-off layer [Iizuka, figs 14A-15B, 190] forming step of forming in the workpiece a peel-off layer that includes modified layers and cracks developed from the modified layers [Iizuka, page 10, pp 0075, 186 and 188], by positioning a focused spot of a laser beam having a wavelength transmittable through the workpiece in the workpiece at a predetermined depth corresponding to a thickness of the wafer to be manufactured from the workpiece [Iizuka, fig 14A, 62] and moving the focused spot and the workpiece relatively to each other in a predetermined direction perpendicular to a thicknesswise direction of the workpiece [Iizuka, page 10 , pp 0075, and figs 14A-14B, 186 and 188 are formed by LB at the FP]; and
after the peel-off layer forming step, a peeling step of peeling off the wafer from the workpiece along the peel-off layer that acts as peel-off initiating points [Iizuka, page 11, pp’s 0086-0087].
Iizuka does not explicitly disclose the first and second surfaces (of the ingot workpiece) containing warpage; and holding the workpiece on the first holding table by gripping and securing the side surface of the workpiece with at least two fixing members of the first holding table without holding the second surface under suction on the first holding table.
Regarding the first and second surfaces (of the ingot workpiece) containing warpage, Kim teaches a method of manufacturing a wafer from a workpiece that has a first surface [Kim, page 1, pp 0012, wafer from the ingot], a second surface positioned opposite the first surface, and a side surface joined to an outer peripheral edge of the first surface and an outer peripheral edge of the second surface [Kim, fig 2, 100, which has top surface 110 and bottom surface 120 and side surface of the main body 121], the first and second surfaces containing warpage [Hirata, fig 2, showing 100 has warpage and page 1, pp 0012, teaching that the ingot to produce wafers has warpage], wherein the method comprising a measuring step of measuring bending in an ingot [Kim, page 1, pp 0012].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to have modified the method of Iizuka to work upon an ingot with warpage as taught by Kim because the object of Iizuka is to produce a wafer from an ingot automatically [Iizuka, page 1, pp 0006, summarized] such that it becomes necessary to work with real workpieces, which means knowing and understanding the flaws in the workpieces, including bending or warpage, and therefore by combining the methods of Iizuka and Kim, in that Iizuka also includes a step of measuring the bending of an ingot that contains warpage, so that the object of Iizuka can be achieved with a wide range of workpieces and not merely ideal workpieces.
Regarding holding the workpiece, Park teaches a method of clamping a workpiece [Park, abstract, ingot] that has a first surface, a second surface positioned opposite the first surface, and a side surface joined to an outer peripheral edge of the first surface and an outer peripheral edge of the second surface [Park, fig 7, showing 1 has a top surface, bottom surface and side surface between the top and bottom surface], the method comprising:
holding the workpiece on a first holding table [Park, fig 7, 1 is held in place by 110], such that the second surface faces the first holding table and the first surface is exposed [Park, figs 2 and 7, showing that the bottom surface is face down and the top surface is exposed], by gripping and securing the side surface of the workpiece with at least two fixing members of the first holding table without holding the second surface under suction on the first holding table [Park, fig 7, showing that 1 is gripped by 130 on the side surface and fig 2, showing at least two grippers 130].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have substituted the first holding table of Iizuka for the first holding table as taught by Park because this clamping arrangement ensures that the ingot does not detach or shake and is fully secured [Park, pages 3-4, pp 0005, summarized], and further allows for the processing of an ingot of various diameters using a single device and ensuring that the center of the ingot is aligned [Park, page 7, pp 0027, summarized].
Regarding claim 2, Iizuka as modified further discloses the method of manufacturing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the second grinding step includes holding the first surface that has been ground in the first grinding step under suction on a holding surface of a second holding table such that the second surface is exposed [Iizuka, page 9, pp 0069, 174 is planarized and page 2, pp’s 0034-0035 teaching that there are multiple tables, where between these two paragraphs, it is understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that both sides of the ingot are planarized and that at least a table includes the suction to hold the ingot].
Regarding claim 3, Iizuka as modified further discloses the method of manufacturing a wafer according to claim 1, wherein the first surface that is exposed in the first grinding step has protruding warpage [Kim, fig 2, showing the ingot has warpage or bending 111], and the first grinding step includes reducing the warpage of the first surface by grinding the first surface [Iizuka, page 2, pp 0034, 4 which has grinding means 16, grinds the top surface of the workpiece and page 9, pp 0069, 172 is planarized and in the combination, 16 of Iizuka grinds the top surface of Kim 110 to reduce 111].
Regarding claim 4, Iizuka as modified further discloses the method of manufacturing a wafer according to claim 1, further comprising: before the peel-off layer forming step, a planarizing step of reducing surface roughness of one, to be irradiated with the laser beam in the peel-off layer forming step, of the first surface that has been ground in the first grinding step or the second surface that has been ground in the second grinding step [Iizuka, page 16, pp 0111 and page 17, claim 1, teaching that the grinding unit is used for both grinding and planarizing and this happens all before the peel-off layer forming step].
Conclusion
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/ROBERT F NEIBAUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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