DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-10 are pending in the present application.
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 submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/9/2026 was filed. 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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 6, it is unclear how the phrase “the wafer abuts an edge of the wafer” is intended. However, the Examiner believes that this was a typographical error and should read as “the retaining box abuts an edge of the wafer”. Therefore, for the purpose of examination, the Examiner has read the phrase as “the retaining box abuts an edge of the wafer”.
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, 4-6, 8, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baba (JP 2002-151577 A, hereinafter Baba) in view of Wong et al. (WO 2023/212180 A1, hereinafter Wong).
Regarding claim 1, Baba teaches a wafer aligner (see Abstract; see also Fig. 1, wafer aligner M includes all elements shown), comprising: a platform (see Fig. 1, platform 1); a lifting gripper (see Fig. 1, lifting grippers 20), disposed on the platform to be lifted up or lowered down (see translation page 4, para. 4, lifting grippers 20 provided vertical movement relative to the platform 1); a rotating gripper, disposed on the platform to be rotated (see Fig. 1 and 2, rotating grippers 10 disposed on the platform 1), wherein the lifting gripper and the rotating gripper are coaxial and alternately disposed with each other relative to the platform (see Fig 1 and 2, lifting grippers 20 and rotating grippers 10 coaxial as shown relative to the platform 1); a notch detection system, disposed next to the platform (see Fig. 1 and translation page 4, para. 4, notch detection system 9); and a control module, electrically connected to the lifting gripper, the rotating gripper, and the notch detection system (see translation page 4, para. 4 and page 7, para. 4, control unit (not shown) controls the lifting gripper 20, rotating grippers 10, and notch detection system 9 and thus considered electrically connected), wherein the control module drives the lifting gripper to lift up relative to the platform, so that the wafer is transferred between the lifting gripper and the rotating gripper, and wherein when the wafer is located on the rotating gripper, the control module drives the rotating gripper to rotate relative to the platform, and drives the notch detection system to detect a change in a relative distance along an edge of the wafer to determine a position of a notch of the wafer (see translation page 6, para. 16 through page 8, para. 5, discussion of movement and transfer of wafters W via lifting gripper 20, rotating grippers 10, and notch detection system 9).
Baba fails to teach that the notch detection system is a rangefinder.
Wong teaches a notch detection system that includes a rangefinder (see Abstract; see also Fig. 5A, displacement sensor (rangefinder) 506a; see also [0059], displacement sensor may exceed a negative threshold and thus interpret the measurement as a location of the notch).
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, to modify the device of Baba with the displacement sensor or rangefinder of Wong. This would allow for the system to detect not only the location of the notch, but also any deformation of the wafer itself as described by Wong (see Abstract).
Regarding claim 2, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claim 1.
Furthermore, Bab teaches a position detector disposed next to the platform and electrically connected to the control module, wherein the control module determines whether the wafer is located on the lifting gripper or on the rotating gripper by the position detector (see Fig. 4 and translation page 6, para. 12, presence/absence detector 7 may be included to determine whether the wafer is located on the lifting gripper as described).
Regarding claim 4, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claim 1.
Furthermore, Bab teaches that the platform has a center shaft (see Fig. 1 and 3, center shaft 3), a plurality of first gripper units of the lifting gripper are symmetrically disposed relative to the center shaft (see Fig. 1 and 3, symmetrically disposed lifting grippers 20 include plurality of gripper units 22, wherein every other unit 22 may be considered the first gripper units), and a plurality of second gripper units of the rotating gripper are symmetrically disposed relative to the center shaft, and the first gripper units and the second gripper units are staggered with each other (see Fig. 1 and 3, symmetrically disposed lifting grippers 20 include plurality of gripper units 22, wherein every other unit 22 that are not the first gripper units may be considered the second gripper units staggered with the first gripper units as shown).
Regarding claim 5, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claims 1 and 4.
Furthermore, Baba teaches that a distance of the first gripper unit relative to the center shaft is equal to a distance of the second gripper unit relative to the center shaft (see Fig. 1 and 3, symmetrically disposed lifting grippers 20 include plurality of gripper units 22, wherein alternating first and second gripper units 22 are equidistant to the center shaft 3 as shown).
Regarding claim 6, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claims 1 and 4.
Furthermore, Baba teaches that the first gripper unit and the second gripper unit include a retaining box and a rubbing sheet respectively, the retaining box has an inclined guide surface (see Fig. 6, each gripper 22 includes retaining box including inclined guide surface 22b and rubbing sheet 1), the rubbing sheet is disposed on the retaining box (see Fig. 6, rubbing sheet 1 disposed on retaining box including inclined guide surface 22b as shown), and the retaining box abuts an edge of the wafer and is guided by the inclined guide surface, so that the wafer falls into the retaining box and is in contact with the rubbing sheet (see Fig. 5 and 6, retaining box including inclined guide surface 22b and rubbing sheet 1 guide the edge of the wafer via the inclined guide surface such that the wafer W falls into the retaining box and is in contact with the rubbing sheet 1 as shown).
Regarding claim 8, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claim 1.
Furthermore, Baba teaches that the rotating gripper is located between a stroke of the lifting gripper relative to the platform at a height of the platform (see Fig. 10, rotating gripper 10 within stroke of lifting grippers 20 as shown).
Regarding claim 9, Baba as modified by Wong above teaches all of the limitations of claim 1.
Furthermore, Baba teaches that the rotating gripper comprises a rotating base and a plurality of second gripper units, the rotating base is disposed on the platform to be rotated along a center shaft of the platform, and the plurality of second gripper units are disposed on the rotating base to rotate with the rotating base relative to the platform (see Fig. 3, rotating gripper 10 includes plurality of gripper units 11 disposed on rotating base 4 disposed on the platform 1, the rotating base 4 rotates along the center shaft of the platform as shown).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 7, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claims 3, 7, and 10, Baba in view of Wong above represents the best art of record. However, Baba in view of Wong above fails to encompass all of the limitations of dependent claims 3, 7, and 10.
Specifically, Baba in view of Wong above fails to critically teach that the position detector comprises a first detection unit and a second detection unit electrically connected to the control module respectively, wherein the first detection unit is located next to the lifting gripper, and the second detection unit is located above the rotating gripper (claim 3); wherein the first gripper unit comprises a retaining box and a telescopic member, the telescopic member is disposed on a lateral surface of the platform, a telescopic direction of the telescopic member is parallel to the center shaft, the retaining box is disposed on the telescopic member to be lifted up or lowered down according to a telescopic movement of the telescopic member and relative to the platform (claim 7); further comprising an posture sensor electrically connected to the control module, wherein the posture sensor comprises a light-emitting unit and a receiving unit, the light-emitting unit is disposed next to one of the plurality of first gripper units, the receiving unit is disposed next to another one of the plurality of first gripper units, the light-emitting unit provides a beam for projection to the receiving unit, and the control module determines a posture of the wafer on the rotating gripper based on whether the receiving unit receives the beam (claim 10). .
Hence the best prior art or record fails to teach the invention as set forth in dependent claim 3, 7, and 10 and the examiner can find no teachings for a wafer aligner as particularly claimed and including the above limitations, nor reasons within the cited prior art or on his own to combine the elements of these references other than the applicant's own reasoning to fully encompass the current pending claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHANIEL T WOODWARD whose telephone number is (571)270-0704. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura Martin can be reached at (571) 272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHANIEL T WOODWARD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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