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 § 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.
Claims 1-20 are 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.
Claims 1, 11, and 17 recite the limitation "it." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
Claims 5 and 16 recite the limitation "the wafer." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
Claims 6, 9, and 10 recite the limitation "the side of the second SC processing bath." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the side of the second HQDR processing bath." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 9-12, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2023/0098810) in view of Kamikawa (US 6,164,297).
Regarding claim 1, Suzuki discloses a wafer cleaning system comprising: a processing bath group including a first Standard Clean (SC) processing bath, a first Hot Quick Dump Rinse (HQDR) processing bath, and a second SC processing bath, which are disposed side by side in a first direction (Figure 1: see treatment units 5(2) through 10(2)); and a first wafer transferring unit including a first rail guide extended in the first direction and a first driving unit mounted on the first rail guide and configured to move in the first direction along the first rail guide, the first driving unit including a first arm configured to support a wafer group and rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group (Figures 1, 16, 17, 18: 17, 72, 73, 80, 83, 84); and a second wafer transferring unit extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and configured to move in the second direction, the second driving unit including a support unit configured to support the wafer group by receiving the wafer group from the first arm (Figure 16: 19/19A-C; paragraph 208-210; see Figure 3: 18A, 51, 53), wherein the first wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer group in a fourth direction with respect to a third direction intersecting the first and second directions as a central axis while moving the wafer group cleaned in the first SC processing bath and the first HQDR processing bath toward the second SC processing bath along the first direction (Figure 18C: 17, 80; paragraph 231).
Suzuki does not expressly disclose a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide.
Kamikawa discloses a wafer boat (Figure 12: 24) connected to vertical guide rails (50), and movable via a movable body (48A), a screw shaft (47A), and a motor (46A) to elevate the wafer boat.
Because it is known in the art to have a guide rail and driving unit as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known means for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide.
Note that using SC, HQDR, and a second SC, and performing the transferring of wafers as claimed are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Regarding claims 2-4, modified Suzuki results in: wherein the first arm includes a first sub-arm, a second sub-arm, and a third sub-arm, wherein the first to third sub-arms are mounted on the first driving unit and respectively extended from the first driving unit in the third direction, and wherein each of the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm includes an inner side on which each outer side of a plurality of wafers included in the wafer group is seated (Suzuki: Figure 17A: 17, 71, note elements 85 and 86 are considered to be sub-arms and would necessarily have some length in the third direction); wherein the first arm includes a first sub-arm, a second sub-arm and a third sub-arm, which are mounted on the first driving unit, and wherein the first driving unit includes a motor configured to rotate the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm with respect to the third direction as a central axis (Suzuki: Figure 17A: 17, 71, 72, note elements 85 and 86 are considered to be sub-arms); wherein each of the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm is extended in the third direction, and is disposed to form a triangle on the first driving unit (Suzuki: note elements 85 and 86 would necessarily have some length in the third direction and are disposed to form a triangle since a triangle’s vertices can be drawn on them, similar to what is shown by Applicant).
Regarding claims 9-10, modified Suzuki results in: wherein the processing bath group further includes a third SC processing bath disposed on the side of the second SC processing bath along the first direction (Suzuki: for example, see tank 5(2)), and wherein the first wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer group in the fourth direction with respect to the third direction as a central axis while moving the wafer group cleaned in the second SC processing bath toward the third SC processing bath along the first direction (Suzuki: Figures 17, 18: 17, 71); wherein the processing bath group further includes a third SC processing bath disposed on the side of the second SC processing bath along the first direction (Suzuki: for example, see tank 5(2)), and wherein the first wafer transferring unit rotates the wafer group in an opposite direction of the fourth direction with respect to the third direction as a central axis while moving the wafer group cleaned in the second SC processing bath toward the third SC processing bath along the first direction (Suzuki: Figures 17, 18: 17, 71).
Note that using a third SC processing, and performing the transferring of wafers as claimed are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Regarding claim 11, Suzuki discloses a wafer cleaning system comprising: a processing bath group including a first Standard Clean (SC) processing bath, a first Hot Quick Dump Rinse (HQDR) processing bath, and a second SC processing bath, which are disposed side by side in a first direction (Figure 1: see treatment units 5(2) through 10(2)); a first wafer transferring unit including a first rail guide extended in the first direction (Figures 1, 12-15: 3, 17); and a second wafer transferring unit, the second driving unit including a second arm configured to support the wafer group by receiving the wafer group from the first arm and rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group (Figures 1, 12-15: 18/18A, 51, 52, 70); wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer group inside any one of the first SC processing bath and the first HQDR processing bath in a fourth direction with respect to a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction as a central axis (Figures 1, 12-15: 18/18A, 51, 52, 70); and wherein the first wafer transferring unit is configured to move the wafer group cleaned in the first SC processing bath and the first HQDR processing bath toward the second SC processing bath along the first direction (Figure 1: 17).
In the relied upon embodiment, Suzuki does not expressly disclose a first driving unit mounted on the first rail guide and configured to move in the first direction along the first rail guide, the first driving unit including a first arm configured to support a wafer group.
In another embodiment, Suzuki discloses a transport robot (Figure 3: 18) having a lifter (50), a sliding mechanism (52) which horizontally slides the lifter, including a sliding actuator, such as an electric motor or air cylinder (paragraph 106).
Because it is known in the art to have driving unit as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known means for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a first driving unit mounted on the first rail guide and configured to move in the first direction along the first rail guide, the first driving unit including a first arm configured to support a wafer group.
Suzuki does not expressly disclose a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide.
Kamikawa discloses a wafer boat (Figure 12: 24) connected to vertical guide rails (50), and movable via a movable body (48A), a screw shaft (47A), and a motor (46A) to elevate the wafer boat.
Because it is known in the art to have a guide rail and driving unit as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known means for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide.
Note that using SC, HQDR, and a second SC, and performing the transferring or rotation of wafers as claimed are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Regarding claim 12, modified Suzuki is relied upon as above, but the relied upon embodiment does not expressly disclose wherein the second arm includes a first sub-arm, a second sub-arm, and a third sub-arm, wherein the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm are mounted on the second driving unit and respectively extended from the second driving unit in the third direction, wherein each of the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm includes a first inner side on which each outer side of a plurality of wafers included in the wafer group is seated, and wherein the second driving unit includes a first motor configured to rotate the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm in the fourth direction with respect to the third direction as a central axis.
In an embodiment, Suzuki discloses a transport robot having a holding portion (85) and two grasping potions (86) to hold the substrates (Figure 17), and first and second rotating mechanisms (72, 73) to rotate the substrates.
Because it is known in the art to have a second arm as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known means for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the second arm includes a first sub-arm, a second sub-arm, and a third sub-arm, wherein the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm are mounted on the second driving unit and respectively extended from the second driving unit in the third direction, wherein each of the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm includes a first inner side on which each outer side of a plurality of wafers included in the wafer group is seated, and wherein the second driving unit includes a first motor configured to rotate the first sub-arm, the second sub-arm, and the third sub-arm in the fourth direction with respect to the third direction as a central axis.
Claim 15 is considered to be met by modified Suzuki which results in: wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to move in the first direction between the first SC processing bath and the first HQDR processing bath, and wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to move the wafer group cleaned in the first SC processing bath toward the first HQDR processing bath along the first direction, move the wafer group in the second direction to accommodate the wafer group into the first HQDR processing bath, and rotate the wafer group inside the first HQDR processing bath in the fourth direction with respect to the third direction as a central axis (Suzuki: Figure 13, see 5(2), 6(2), 7(2), 18A). Note that having the claimed baths and rotating the wafer as claimed, are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Claim(s) 5, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2023/0098810), in view of Kamikawa (US 6,164,297), and further in view of Igarashi (WO 2020/075448).
Regarding claims 5, and 16, modified Suzuki is relied upon as above, but does not appear to expressly disclose wherein the wafer group includes a plurality of wafers, wherein at least one of the plurality of wafers includes a notch, and wherein the first wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer with respect to the third direction as a central axis so that there is a difference of 180° between a direction of the notch in the first SC processing bath and a direction of the notch in the second SC processing bath; or wherein the wafer group includes a plurality of wafers, wherein at least one of the plurality of wafers includes a notch, and wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer so that there is a difference of 180° between a direction of the notch in the first SC processing bath and a direction of the notch in the first HQDR processing bath.
Igarashi discloses a semiconductor wafer cleaning treatment method including immersing the wafer and performing an ultrasonic/ozone treatment, performing a wafer spinning step, and then performing a step of immersing the wafer in an ozone water and cleaning (abstract). Figure 6 shows an embodiment wherein wafers are immersed in an ozone water tank (3), taken out and rotated bout a center of the wafer surface by a predetermined rotation angle using a wafer rotation processing means (4), then transported to the next tank or the same tank (machine translation page 3, paragraph 5). The rotating of the wafers improves the cleaning of a polishing agent that adheres to the inside of a wafer surface and also to an edge portion (machine translation page 3, paragraph 9-10).
Because it is known in the art to include wafer rotation processing means and to perform wafer rotation, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, enhanced cleaning, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the wafer group includes a plurality of wafers, wherein at least one of the plurality of wafers includes a notch, and wherein the first wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer with respect to the third direction as a central axis so that there is a difference of 180° between a direction of the notch in the first SC processing bath and a direction of the notch in the second SC processing bath; and wherein the wafer group includes a plurality of wafers, wherein at least one of the plurality of wafers includes a notch, and wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to rotate the wafer so that there is a difference of 180° between a direction of the notch in the first SC processing bath and a direction of the notch in the first HQDR processing bath.
Note that having a wafer or a notched wafer, and rotating the wafer as claimed, is intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (US 2023/0098810), in view of Kaneko et al. (US 6,009,890), and further in view of Kamikawa (US 6,164,297), and further in view of Igarashi (WO 2020/075448).
Regarding claim 17, Suzuki discloses a wafer cleaning system comprising: a processing bath group including a first Standard Clean (SC) processing bath, a first Hot Quick Dump Rinse (HQDR) processing bath, a second SC processing bath, and a second HQDR processing bath, which are disposed side by side in a first direction (Figure 1: see treatment units 5(2) through 10(2)); a first wafer transferring unit including a first rail guide extended in the first direction and (3, 17); a second wafer transferring unit including a second arm configured to support the wafer group by receiving the wafer group from the first arm and rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group (Figures 1, 12, 13: 18A); and a third wafer transferring unit including, the third driving unit including a third arm configured to support the wafer group by receiving the wafer group from the first arm (Figure 1: 18B), wherein at least one of the first to third wafer transferring units is configured to rotate the wafer group with respect to a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction as a central axis (Figures 12, 13: 18A).
In the relied upon embodiment, Suzuki does not expressly disclose a first driving unit mounted on the first rail guide and configured to move in the first direction along the first rail guide, the first driving unit including a first arm configured to support a wafer group and rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group.
Kaneko discloses a substrate transporting and processing system, including a processing section (3), moving means (70) for taking wafers in and out of a processing bath (60) and a wafer transport arm (Figures 3, 14: 56) movable in X, Y, and Z directions and is rotatable (Figure 14), the transport arm (56) including wafer chucks (59) and being movable along a transport channel (55), and a driving table (58) so as to be rotatable and movable in horizontal directions (col. 12, lines 9-16).
Because it is known in the art to include wafer a driving unit as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known element for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein a first driving unit mounted on the first rail guide and configured to move in the first direction along the first rail guide, the first driving unit including a first arm configured to support a wafer group and rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group.
Suzuki does not appear to expressly disclose a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide; or a third rail guide extended in the second direction and a third driving unit mounted on the third rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the third rail guide.
Kamikawa discloses a wafer boat (Figure 12: 24) connected to vertical guide rails (50), and movable via a movable body (48A), a screw shaft (47A), and a motor (46A) to elevate the wafer boat.
Because it is known in the art to have a guide rail and driving unit as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, use of a known means for a known purpose, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a second rail guide extended in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a second driving unit mounted on the second rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the second rail guide; and or a third rail guide extended in the second direction and a third driving unit mounted on the third rail guide and configured to move in the second direction along the third rail guide.
Suzuki does not expressly disclose the third driving unit is configured to rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group.
Igarashi discloses a semiconductor wafer cleaning treatment method including immersing the wafer and performing an ultrasonic/ozone treatment, performing a wafer spinning step, and then performing a step of immersing the wafer in an ozone water and cleaning (abstract). Figure 6 shows an embodiment wherein wafers are immersed in an ozone water tank (3), taken out and rotated bout a center of the wafer surface by a predetermined rotation angle using a wafer rotation processing means (4), then transported to the next tank or the same tank (machine translation page 3, paragraph 5). The rotating of the wafers improves the cleaning of a polishing agent that adheres to the inside of a wafer surface and also to an edge portion (machine translation page 3, paragraph 9-10).
Because it is known in the art to include wafer rotation processing means and to perform wafer rotation, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, enhanced cleaning, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the third driving unit is configured to rotate in a state that it supports the wafer group.
Note that using SC, HQDR, a second SC, and a second HQDR, and performing the transferring or rotation of wafers as claimed are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Claims 18-20 are considered to be met by modified Suzuki as applied above and which results in: wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to move the wafer group cleaned in the first SC processing bath onto the first HQDR processing bath along the first direction, accommodate the wafer group into the first HQDR processing bath by moving the wafer group along the second direction, and rotate the wafer group inside the first HQDR processing bath with respect to the third direction as a central axis (Suzuki: Figure 13, see 5(2), 6(2), 7(2), and 18A); wherein the third wafer transferring unit is configured to accommodate the wafer group cleaned in the first HQDR processing bath into the second SC processing bath (Suzuki: Figure 1: 8(2), 9(2), 18B), and rotate the wafer group inside the second SC processing bath with respect to the third direction as a central axis (Igarashi: Figure 6: 4); wherein the third wafer transferring unit is configured to accommodate the wafer group cleaned in the first HQDR processing bath into the second SC processing bath, accommodate the wafer group cleaned in the second SC processing bath into the second HQDR processing bath (Suzuki: Figure 1: 8(2), 9(2), 18B), and rotate the wafer group inside the second HQDR processing bath with respect to the third direction as a central axis (Igarashi: Figure 6: 4).
Note that using SC, HQDR, a second SC, and a second HQDR, and performing the transferring or rotation of wafers as claimed are intended use of the claimed apparatus and capable of being met by the apparatus of modified Suzuki. The claimed intended use must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8, 13, and 14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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: the prior art does not disclose, or render obvious, the wafer cleaning system as defined by the combination of claims 1 and 6, or the combination of claims 11-13. There is no apparent teaching, suggestion, or motivation to modify the closest prior art, Suzuki et al. (US 2023/0098810), to further include the processing bath group further includes a second HQDR processing bath disposed on the side of the second SC processing bath along the first direction, wherein the second wafer transferring unit is configured to move in the first direction between the first SC processing bath and the first HQDR processing bath. There is no apparent teaching, suggestion, or motivation to modify the closest prior art, Suzuki et al. (US 2023/0098810), to further include wherein the first arm includes a fourth sub-arm, a fifth sub-arm, and a sixth sub-arm, wherein the fourth sub-arm, the fifth sub-arm, and the sixth sub-arm are mounted on the first driving unit and respectively extended from the first driving unit in the third direction, wherein each of the fourth sub-arm, the fifth sub-arm, and the sixth sub-arm includes a second inner side on which is seated each outer side of a plurality of wafers included in the wafer group, and wherein the first driving unit includes a second motor that rotates the fourth sub-arm, the fifth sub-arm, and the sixth sub-arm with respect to the third direction as a central axis.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID G CORMIER whose telephone number is (571)270-7386. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30 - 6:00.
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DAVID G. CORMIER
Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/DAVID G CORMIER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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