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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 9-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0356394 (Wallace).
Regarding claim 1, Wallace disclose a layered detection method, comprising:
generating a terahertz emission electromagnetic wave (Fig. 7, via 104, T1), and emitting the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave at any angle to a solid material (102);
detecting a plurality of terahertz emission electromagnetic waves reflected or transmitted after the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave is incident on the solid material and passes through an entire thickness of the solid material in a first direction (Fig. 7, via 104, R1 and R2);
measuring and analyzing a plurality of characteristic signals according to the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave and the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves, to distinguish the solid material along the first direction into a plurality of parallel layers, and determine a plurality of characteristics of the plurality of layers (Fig. 7, R1 and R2); and
determining at least one defect information of each layer of the plurality of layers according to the plurality of characteristics of the plurality of layers [0070].
Regarding claim 2, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, wherein a frequency of the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave is between 1011Hz and 1013Hz ([0043] and [0068]).
Regarding claim 3, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of characteristic signals comprise an electric field intensity, an electric field frequency and an electric field phase of each of the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves [0079].
Regarding claim 4, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of characteristic signals further comprise at least one spectral electric field between the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves, and each spectral electric field comprises an electric field amplitude, an electric field phase, and an electric field polarization (Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 5, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least one of an electrical coefficient and an optical coefficient of each of the plurality of layers (Fig. 7, [0067]).
Regarding claim 6, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 5, wherein the electrical coefficient is at least one of a conductivity, a resistivity, a doping concentration, a dielectric constant and a charge carrier mobility, and the optical coefficient is at least one of an absorptance, a refractive index, a reflectivity and a transmittance (Fig. 7, [0067]).
Regarding claim 9, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, wherein the at least one detect information is at least one information of material inhomogeneity, bubbles or porosity, uneven mixing of multiple materials, residual stress, crystal dislocation, uneven doping concentration [0074].
Regarding claim 10, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, wherein the first direction is normal to at least one interface between the plurality of layers (Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 11, Wallace disclose a layered detection system, comprising:
a terahertz electromagnetic wave generator (104), configured to generate a terahertz emission electromagnetic wave, and emit the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave at any angle to a solid material (Fig. 7);
a terahertz electromagnetic wave receiver (104), configured to detect a plurality of terahertz emission electromagnetic waves reflected or transmitted after the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave is incident on the solid material and passes through an entire thickness of the solid material in a first direction (Fig. 7); and
a detection device, coupled to the terahertz electromagnetic wave generator and the terahertz electromagnetic wave receiver, configured to measure and analyze a plurality of characteristic signals according to the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave and the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves (Fig. 7), to distinguish the solid material along the first direction into a plurality of parallel layers (Fig. 7), and determine a plurality of characteristics of the plurality of layers ([0068]-[0070]), and to determine at least one defect information of each layer of the plurality of layers according to the plurality of characteristics of the plurality of layers ([0068]-[0070]).
Regarding claim 12, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein a frequency of the terahertz emission electromagnetic wave is between 1011Hz and 1013Hz ([0043] and [0068]).
Regarding claim 13, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of characteristic signals comprise an electric field intensity, an electric field frequency and an electric field phase of each of the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves ([0068]-[0070]).
Regarding claim 14, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of characteristic signals further comprise at least one spectral electric field between the plurality of terahertz reception electromagnetic waves, and each spectral electric field comprises an electric field amplitude, an electric field phase, and an electric field polarization (Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 15, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of characteristics comprise at least one of an electrical coefficient and an optical coefficient of each of the plurality of layers (Fig. 7, [0067]).
Regarding claim 16, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 15, wherein the electrical coefficient is at least one of a conductivity, a resistivity, a doping concentration, a dielectric constant and a charge carrier mobility, and the optical coefficient is at least one of an absorptance, a refractive index, a reflectivity and a transmittance (Fig. 7, [0067]).
Regarding claim 17, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein the solid material is selected from one or more of a semiconductor wafer, a ceramic material, and a polymer material. Please note that the “the solid material” is drawn to a material worked upon by the apparatus, which does not limit apparatus claims. See MPEP 2115.
Regarding claim 18, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor wafer is at least one of a silicon wafer (Si), a germanium wafer (Ge), a silicon carbide (SiC), a gallium arsenide (GaAs), a gallium nitride (GaN), a gallium phosphide (GaP), a cadmium sulfide (CdS), an indium phosphide (InP), a zinc oxide (ZnO), a gallium oxide (Ga2O3), and an aluminum nitride (AlN). Please note that the “the semiconductor wafer” is drawn to a material worked upon by the apparatus, which does not limit apparatus claims. See MPEP 2115.
Regarding claim 19, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein the at least one detect information is at least one information of material inhomogeneity, bubbles or porosity, uneven mixing of multiple materials, residual stress, crystal dislocation, uneven doping concentration [0074].
Regarding claim 20, Wallace disclose the layered detection system of claim 11, wherein the first direction is normal to at least one interface between the plurality of layers (Fig 7).
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.
Claim(s) 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0356394 (Wallace).
Regarding claim 7, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the solid material is selected from one or more of a semiconductor wafer, a ceramic material, and a polymer material.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use the known technique disclosed by Wallace on to a known product in the same way to yield predictable results. See MPEP 2143.
Regarding claim 8, Wallace disclose the layered detection method of claim 7, wherein the semiconductor wafer is at least one of a silicon wafer (Si), a germanium wafer (Ge), a silicon carbide (SiC), a gallium arsenide (GaAs), a gallium nitride (GaN), a gallium phosphide (GaP), a cadmium sulfide (CdS), an indium phosphide (InP), a zinc oxide (ZnO), a gallium oxide (Ga2O3), and an aluminum nitride (AlN) (Fig. 7, as made obvious above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANI FOX whose telephone number is (571)272-3513. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5.
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/DANI FOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884
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