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 § 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) 1-3, 6, 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shiomi (CN101261935) in view of Ko (US5827396).
Referring to claim 1. Shiomi discloses a “Substrate Processing Device”. See Figs. 1-25 and respective portions of the specification. Shiomi further discloses a substrate processing system for processing a substrate, the substrate processing system comprising a batch processing apparatus configured to collectively process a plurality of substrates, the batch processing apparatus including: a first carrier placement shelf (1) on which a carrier accommodating the plurality of substrates in a horizontal attitude is placed (See Figs. 1-2); a first attitude changing mechanism configured to change the plurality of substrates between the horizontal attitude and a vertical attitude. More specifically, Shiomi discloses a loading/unloading mechanism (4) configured to change the plurality of substrates between the horizontal attitude and a vertical attitude via a rotary motor (50); a substrate handling mechanism configured to transport the plurality of substrates between the carrier placed on the first carrier placement shelf and the first attitude changing mechanism. More specifically, Shiomi discloses the load/unloading mechanism (4) with batch operation hand (40), operation hand advance/retreat mechanism (44) transports the plurality of substrates between the carrier placed on the carrier placement shelf and the first attitude changing mechanism. Thus, Shiomi teaches a substrate handling mechanism. Further, Shiomi discloses a processing tank (21, 23) storing a chemical liquid; a lifter (27, 28) configured to be able to immerse the plurality of substrates in the chemical liquid in the processing tank while holding the plurality of substrates in the vertical attitude; and a first batch transport robot (main transport mechanism 3, including substrate chuck (30) configured to transport the plurality of substrates among the first attitude changing mechanism, the lifter, and the second attitude changing mechanism while holding the plurality of substrates in the vertical attitude; and a controller (9), the controller controlling the substrate handling mechanism to transport the plurality of substrates in the horizontal attitude received from the carrier placed on the first carrier placement shelf, to the first attitude changing mechanism, controlling the first attitude changing mechanism to change the plurality of substrates from the horizontal attitude to the vertical attitude, controlling the first batch transport robot to transport the plurality of substrates changed to the vertical attitude to the lifter, controlling the lifter to perform first batch processing to immerse the plurality of substrates in the vertical attitude in the chemical liquid in the processing tank, controlling the first batch transport robot to transport the plurality of substrates subjected to the first batch processing to the second attitude changing mechanism, controlling the first batch transport robot to transport the plurality of vertically-inverted substrates in the vertical attitude to the lifter, and controlling the lifter to perform second batch processing to immerse the plurality of vertically-inverted substrates in the vertical attitude in the chemical liquid in the processing tank. However, Shiomi does not disclose a second attitude changing mechanism configured to rotate the plurality of substrates about a horizontal axis orthogonal to a central axis passing through a center of each substrate or controlling the second attitude changing mechanism to rotate the plurality of substrates subjected to the first batch processing about the horizontal axis, to vertically invert the plurality of substrates in the vertical attitude. Ko discloses a “Device For Turning a Wafer During A Wet Etching Process”. See Figs. 1-4 and respective portions of the specification. Ko further discloses a wet etching device comprising a wafer holder unit (22) (back plate 30, arms 32, wafer guide 34) housing a plurality of vertically-oriented wafers, and means (motor 52, driving shaft 54, gears 56/58, chain transmission 60) for rotating the wafer holder, which in turn rotates the vertically-held wafers, thus there is a180 degree rotation about a horizontal axis (28). Further, Ko discloses that this rotation is specifically to reverse the top and bottom positions of the wafers/substrates (See Col. 2 – Col. 3). Further, Ko discloses the rotation and inversion is one to equalize top to bottom chemical exposure time to improve batch etch/treatment uniformity. 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 Shiomi’s batch processing apparatus to incorporate a second attitude changing mechanism, structurally analogous to Ko’s wafer holder unit and horizontal-axis rotation means, positioned as an additional station reachable by Shiomi’s robot (main transport mechanism) and to configured the controller to direct the first batch transport robot to transport the once immersed substrate group to this station, invert the group about the horizontal axis, and return the inverted group to the lifter for a second immersion in the chemical liquid tank, in order to equalize chemical exposure time between the top and bottom portions of each substrate and thereby improve overall batch treatment uniformity.
Referring to claim 2. Shiomi in view of Ko disclose the combination as set forth above as applied to claim 1. Shiomi does not disclose wherein the second attitude changing mechanism includes a reversing chuck configured to hold the plurality of substrates, and rotates the reversing chuck about the horizontal axis. Ko discloses wafer holder unit (22), the holder including back plate 30, arms 32, wafer guide 34 that holds the plurality of substrates, and that is rotated 180 degrees about horizontal axis (28) by a motor/transmission means. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the second attitude changing mechanism comprising a reversing chuck as taught by Ko, so that substrates could be rotated and vertically held and immersed in a chemical liquid, in order to equalize chemical exposure time to the top and bottom portions, which would improve uniformity.
Referring to claim 3. Shiomi in view of Ko disclose the combination as set forth above as applied to claim 1. Shiomi discloses a transport mechanism (3), a substrate check (30) comprising a pair of members, each including a pair of shaft-shaped support guides (31) extending in the X direction, formed with a plurality of substrate support grooves vertically spaced apart for receiving and supporting a plurality of substrates (W), and that a chuck drive mechanism enlarges and reduces the distance between the pair of support guides (31), performing an opening and closing operation to switch between holding and releasing the substrates. Thus, Shiomi discloses a two-member, openable/closable, paired-groove chuck structure. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the two-member openable/closable chuck design, into the reversing chuck structure established by the combination of Shiomi and Ko, as a means for holding the vertically arrange substrate during handling operations.
Referring to claim 6. Shiomi in view of Ko disclose the combination as set forth above as applied to claim 1. Shiomi discloses a controller (9), wherein the controller forms a processing substrate group in which the plurality of substrates and a plurality of second substrates (from second carrier) are alternately disposed, converts this group to a vertical attitude, performs first batch processing, transports to the second attitude changing mechanism, rotates about the horizontal axis to vertically invert both substrate sets together and performs second batch processing. Shiomi further discloses forming a combined batch from two separately sources substrate groups via a combination action, in which a second substrate group is combined into the substrate group already held, thus teaching alternating disposition of a first and second substate group into a single combined batch. Shiomi doesn’t disclose rotating the combined processing group about the horizontal axis to vertically invert both substrate sets, between a first and second batch processing (immersion step), these steps are disclosed by Ko, who teaches rotating the combined processing group about the horizontal axis to vertically invert both substrate sets, between a first and second batch processing (immersion step). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate these teachings from Ko into the Shiomi so that a larger, combined substrate group could be rotated and inverted, which would increase throughput.
Referring to claim 8. Shiomi discloses wherein the batch processing apparatus further includes a batch dryer configured to collectively dry the plurality of substrates, the first batch transport robot is configured to transport the plurality of substrates among the first attitude changing mechanism, the lifter, the second attitude changing mechanism, and the batch dryer (25) while holding the plurality of substrates in the vertical attitude, and the controller controls the first batch transport robot to transport the plurality of substrates subjected to the second batch processing to the batch dryer, and controls the batch dryer to collectively dry the plurality of substrates subjected to the second batch processing (See at least Sects. 0099-0107).
Referring to claim 9. Shiomi in view of Ko disclose the combination as set forth above as applied to claim 1. With respect to claim 9, the method described in these claims are taught and/or would result from the use of Shiomi’s “Substrate Processing Device” in view of Ko’s “Device For Turning A Wafer During A Wet Etching Process” as advanced above in detail as applied to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 7 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRELL HOWARD MATTHEWS whose telephone number is (571)272-5929. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST.
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/TERRELL H MATTHEWS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3653
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