DETAILED ACTION
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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito (US 20200150038) in view of Teranishi (US 20220371224).
As to claim 1, Ito teaches a separation start point forming method. Ito teaches forming a separation start point (98) inside a workpiece that has a first a surface and a second surface at a back of the first surface (Fig. 8A, items 86 and 88) for separating into a first surface side (Fig. 10, item 108) and the second surface side (Fig. 10, item 88).
Ito teaches that the process comprises holding the workpiece by a holding unit to expose the first surface (see Fig. 6) and setting a specific region on the first surface of the workpiece before or after the holding (Abstract, setting). Ito teaches processing feed and indexing feed (claim 2) interpreted to be performed repeatedly to form a plurality of modified portions inside the workpiece which forms a separation point including the plurality of modified portions inside the workpiece (Fig. 9, 102 and 104). Ito’s processing feed relatively moves the condensing point of a laser beam in a processing feed direction with respect to the workpiece (Fig. 8A, X arrow) while emitting the laser beam (Fig. 8A, item LB). This forms a strip-shaped modified portion (Fig. 8A, item 102) inside the Ito workpiece. Ito moves the condensing point in an indexing feed direction (Fig. 8A, Y arrow; claim 2) orthogonal with respect to the processing feed direction (Fig. 8A, X arrow).
Ito is silent to in the repeating, an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other in the specific region is set to be narrower than an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other outside the specific region.
Teranishi also teaches a method of separating wafers which includes an interval between modified portions adjacent to each other which is depicted as narrower than an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other outside the specified region, as shown below.
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It would have been prima facie obvious to incorporate these features from Teranishi into Ito because this is a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain a predictable result. Ito teaches a first laser pattern for separating wafers into two portions (Fig. 10), but differs from the claimed process by the use of a particular laser pattern discussed above. Teranishi teaches another laser pattern which meets the claimed invention also for separating wafers into two portions (Figs. 6, 7, and 10). One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted one known pattern for another and they would have both predictably provided for laser separation of wafers.
As to claims 2 and 3, Ito is silent to the claimed repeating in the manner recited in claim 1, and also silent to the features recited in claims 2 and 3.
However, Teranishi reaches repeating application of a laser condensing point from one end to another end of an outer peripheral edge of the workpiece in the processing feed direction. Teranishi’s Fig. 6, items 36 show the position of the laser at the outer peripheral edges of the workpiece (1) and movement along the processing feed direction along the X axis. Then, relative movement of a condensing point in the indexing feed direction occurs (movement along Y axis). Teranishi performs a second sub-step of repeating by moving the condensing point while emitting the laser beam from one end to another in the processing feed direction, and then relative movement of a condensing point in the indexing feed direction. Each movement of the condensing point in the indexing feed direction is depicted as being in an equal indexing amount in each step. Teranishi repeats this process over the whole wafer as shown in Fig. 10.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to filing to incorporate this feature into Ito for the same reasons set forth in the rejection of claim 1 (substitution of laser treatment pattern or process).
As to claim 4, Ito teaches an imaging unit (50) which measures fluorescence luminance and sets the ingot to a specific orientation ([0057]), which meets setting based on the optical characteristic.
As to claim 5, Ito teaches a separation start point forming method. Ito teaches forming a separation start point (98) inside a workpiece that has a first a surface and a second surface at a back of the first surface (Fig. 8A, items 86 and 88) for separating into a first surface side (Fig. 10, item 108) and the second surface side (Fig. 10, item 88).
Ito teaches that the process comprises holding the workpiece by a holding unit to expose the first surface (see Fig. 6) and setting a specific region on the first surface of the workpiece before or after the holding (Abstract, setting). Ito teaches processing feed and indexing feed (claim 2) interpreted to be performed repeatedly to form a plurality of modified portions inside the workpiece which forms a separation point including the plurality of modified portions inside the workpiece (Fig. 9, 102 and 104). Ito’s processing feed relatively moves the condensing point of a laser beam in a processing feed direction with respect to the workpiece (Fig. 8A, X arrow) while emitting the laser beam (Fig. 8A, item LB). This forms a strip-shaped modified portion (Fig. 8A, item 102) inside the Ito workpiece. Ito moves the condensing point in an indexing feed direction (Fig. 8A, Y arrow; claim 2) orthogonal with respect to the processing feed direction (Fig. 8A, X arrow). After repeating the application of the laser beam, Ito separates the workpiece into a first side surface and second side surface and the cracking is interpreted to provide the separation starting point.
Ito is silent to in the repeating, an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other in the specific region is set to be narrower than an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other outside the specific region.
Teranishi also teaches a method of separating wafers which includes an interval between modified portions adjacent to each other which is narrower than an interval between the modified portions adjacent to each other outside the specified region, as shown below.
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media_image1.png
658
869
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Greyscale
It would have been prima facie obvious to incorporate these features from Teranishi into Ito because this is a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain a predictable result. Ito teaches a first laser pattern for separating wafers into two portions (Fig. 10), but differs from the claimed process by the use of a particular laser pattern discussed above. Teranishi teaches another laser pattern which meets the claimed invention also for separating wafers into two portions (Figs. 6, 7, and 10). One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted one known pattern for another and they would have both predictably provided for laser separation of wafers.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J DANIELS whose telephone number is (313)446-4826. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00 pm.
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/MATTHEW J DANIELS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742
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