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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
The limitation “before the forming the frame unit” is recited in claim 1 on line 12 and claim 6 on line 11. This limitation seems to be missing the word “of” and it should be modified to “before the forming of the frame unit” or similar for clarity.
The limitation “after the forming the frame unit” is recited in claim 6 on line 9. This limitation seems to be missing the word “of” and it should be modified to “after the forming of the frame unit” or similar for clarity.
Claim Interpretation
The limitation “activating” is recited in claim 1 on line 12, claim 2 on line 2, claim 3 on line 2, and claim 6 on line 11 and the limitation “activate” is recited in claim 2 on line 6. This term has specific meaning in the art that is different from the general meaning of the term. Thus, for claim interpretation, it is made clear that “activating” and “activate” means to “improve the wettability of the surface” as stated in the specs (see at least paragraph 0022). In turn, improving wettability can be correlated to increasing adhesion properties of the surface as is common in the art.
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 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Makiko (JP 2021048209) in view of Ma et al. (NPL), hereinafter Ma. The following references for Makiko are taken from a machine translation from EPO and this translation is attached with this office action.
Regarding claim 1, Makiko teaches
A frame unit forming method of forming a frame unit by integrating a wafer with an annular frame that has at its center, an opening portion for housing the wafer (Paragraph 0022, Therefore, the wafer 2, the annular frame 18, and the exposed portion on the upper surface of the suction chuck 14 are covered with the thermocompression bonding sheet 20),
the frame unit forming method comprising:
disposing the wafer on the opening portion of the annular frame (Figure 2a, wafer 2 and annular frame 18; Paragraph 0021, the wafer 2 is placed on the upper surface of the suction chuck 14 of the chuck table 10 with the back surface 2b facing upward. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the annular frame 18 is also mounted on the upper surface of the suction chuck 14. The inner diameter of the annular frame 18 is larger than the diameter of the wafer 2, and the outer diameter of the annular frame 18 is smaller than the diameter of the suction chuck 14);
and forming the frame unit by disposing a thermocompression bonding sheet on the wafer and an outer periphery of the annular frame and integrating the wafer with the annular frame by the thermocompression bonding sheet (Figure 2a, wafer 2, annular frame 18, and thermocompression bonding sheet 20; Paragraph 0022, a circular thermocompression bonding sheet 20 is arranged on the back surface 2b of the wafer 2. The diameter of the thermocompression bonding sheet 20 is larger than the diameter of the suction chuck 14 and smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 16. Therefore, the wafer 2, the annular frame 18, and the exposed portion on the upper surface of the suction chuck 14 are covered with the thermocompression bonding sheet 20).
Makiko fails to fully teach activating, before the forming the frame unit, a surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet on a side which is to be disposed on the wafer and the annular frame, by applying plasma processing or corona treatment to the surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet. While Makiko does teach a wettability improving step for the wafer before combining with the thermocompression bonding sheet, it does not teach such a step for the thermocompression bonding sheet nor does this step use plasma or corona discharge to improve wettability.
However, Ma teaches that plasma processing of surfaces can be used to increase the wettability for a broad range of materials (Ma Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications). Furthermore, this plasma processing can be performed by multiple sources of plasma (Ma page 86, column 2, lines 15-19, According to the difference in plasma source (e.g. electrode) configuration, plasmas are typically divided into dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas, corona discharge plasmas, glow discharge plasmas, and plasma jets). Because Makiko teaches that improving wettability of one of the surfaces being used is beneficial for the system (Makiko Paragraph 0012, the wafer processing method according to the present invention includes at least the wettability improving step of irradiating the back side of the wafer with ultraviolet rays to improve the wettability of the back side of the wafer ... the device chips can be prevented from scattering from the thermocompression bonding sheet when the wafer is diced), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a known technique of increasing surface wettability to all surfaces used as a means of improving the operation of the system to yield predictable results. One such known method of increasing surface wettability in the art is plasma processing as taught by Ma. Thus, applying a method of plasma processing to the surfaces before the adhesion step would be obvious and yield predictable results and would improve the system. For more information regarding this rationale, see MPEP 2143(I)(D).
A person having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ma to Makiko because Ma teaches a technique used by Makiko (wettability improvement), which would prompt its use based on design improvements that are predictable and recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 2, Makiko in view of Ma teaches fully for claim 1 as indicated above.
Makiko fails to fully teach wherein, in the activating, plasma processing or corona treatment is applied to a surface of the wafer and a surface of the annular frame on a side which is to be disposed on the thermocompression bonding sheet, to activate the surfaces of the wafer and the annular frame. While Makiko does teach a wettability improving step for the wafer before combining with the thermocompression bonding sheet, this step does not use plasma or corona discharge to improve wettability nor does it teach such a step for the annular frame.
However, Ma teaches that plasma processing of surfaces can be used to increase the wettability for a broad range of materials (Ma Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications). Because Makiko teaches that improving wettability of one of the surfaces being used is beneficial for the system (Makiko Paragraph 0012, the wafer processing method according to the present invention includes at least the wettability improving step of irradiating the back side of the wafer with ultraviolet rays to improve the wettability of the back side of the wafer ... the device chips can be prevented from scattering from the thermocompression bonding sheet when the wafer is diced), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a known technique of increasing surface wettability to all surfaces used as a means of improving the operation of the system to yield predictable results. One such known method of increasing surface wettability in the art is plasma processing as taught by Ma. Thus, applying a method of plasma processing to the surfaces before the adhesion step would be obvious, yield predictable results, and would improve the system. For more information regarding this rationale, see MPEP 2143(I)(D).
A person having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ma to Makiko because Ma teaches a technique used by Makiko (wettability improvement), which would prompt its use based on design improvements that are predictable and recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 3, Makiko in view of Ma teaches fully for claim 1 as indicated above.
Makiko fails to teach wherein, in the activating, atmospheric plasma processing is applied. Makiko does not teach a plasma device, thus it does not teach using atmospheric plasma specifically.
However, in addition to the teaching above for how the teachings of Ma can be applied to the teaching of Makiko to meet the claim limitation, Ma further teaches that atmospheric plasma is a known method of plasma processing in the art (Ma Page 82, column 2, lines 6-10, Plasma surface modification has been applied to metals, polymers, and ceramics. Moreover, it can be operated at very mild conditions such as room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and open-air environments). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply the teachings of Ma as described for claim 1 above and using atmospheric plasma as the plasma processing system because it is a known technique in the art.
A person having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ma to Makiko because Ma teaches a technique used by Makiko (wettability improvement), which would prompt its use based on design improvements that are predictable and recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 6, the method limitations recited therein are rejected for at least the same reasons as those set forth above for claim 1, the following claimed features are functionally the same as those recited by claim 1 and are likewise taught by Makiko in view of Ma as detailed above.
A method of forming device chips comprising:
disposing a wafer on an opening portion of an annular frame;
forming a frame unit by disposing a thermocompression bonding sheet on the wafer and an outer periphery of the annular frame and integrating the wafer with the annular frame by the thermocompression bonding sheet;
and activating, before the forming the frame unit, a surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet on a side which is to be disposed on the wafer and the annular frame, by applying plasma processing or corona treatment to the surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet.
Regarding the final limitation, Makiko teaches
dividing, after the forming the frame unit, the wafer into individual device chips (See Figure 3; Paragraph 0031, After performing the thermocompression bonding step, a splitting step is carried out in which the cutting blade is positioned on the surface 2a of the wafer 2 and the scheduled split line 4 is cut and split into individual device chips).
Claims 4 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito (US 20230046388) in view of Makiko (JP 2021048209) and Ma (NPL).
Regarding claim 4, Saito teaches
A frame unit forming apparatus for forming a frame unit with use of a thermocompression bonding sheet by housing a wafer in an opening portion of an annular frame that is provided at a center thereof for housing the wafer (Paragraph 0006, a processing apparatus that removes a ring-shaped reinforcing part with a projecting shape from a wafer, the ring-shaped reinforcing part being formed into the projecting shape on a part of a back surface of the wafer, the part of the back surface corresponding to an outer circumferential surplus region),
the frame unit forming apparatus comprising:
a frame housing unit that houses a plurality of the annular frames (Figure 1, frame housing unit 66; Paragraph 0048, the processing apparatus 2 further includes a frame housing unit 66 that houses plural ring-shaped frames 64);
a wafer housing unit that houses a plurality of wafers (Figure 1, wafer cassette 6; Paragraph 0034, a wafer cassette table 8 on which a wafer cassette 6 in which plural wafers are housed is placed);
a frame conveying mechanism that unloads the annular frame from the frame housing unit (Figure 1, frame conveying mechanism 68; Paragraph 0048, a frame carrying-out mechanism 68 that carries out the frame 64 from the frame housing unit 66)
and places the unloaded annular frame on a frame table (Figure 1, frame table 70; Paragraph 0048, a frame table 70 that supports the frame 64 carried out by the frame carrying-out mechanism 68);
a thermocompression bonding sheet disposing unit that disposes the thermocompression bonding sheet on the annular frame placed on the frame table (Figure 1, tape 69, pressing roller 132, and frame table 70; Paragraph 0068, the pressing roller 132 is rolled in the Y-axis direction while the adhesive surface of the tape 96 is pressed against the frame 64 by the pressing roller 132; Paragraph 0069, The tape 96 may be a thermocompression bonding sheet that does not have an adhesive surface coated by an adhesive or the like);
a frame sheet conveying mechanism that conveys the annular frame on which the thermocompression bonding sheet is disposed (Figure 1, tape-attached frame conveying mechanism 100; Paragraph 0058, a tape-attached frame conveying mechanism 100 (see FIG. 5) that conveys the frame 64 to which the tape 96 is stuck (hereinafter, often referred to as a “tape-attached frame 64′”) to the wafer table 12)
to a frame unit forming table (Figure 1, wafer table 12; a tape-attached frame conveying mechanism 100 (see FIG. 5) that conveys the frame 64 to which the tape 96 is stuck (hereinafter, often referred to as a “tape-attached frame 64′”) to the wafer table 12);
a wafer unloading mechanism that unloads the wafer from the wafer housing unit (Figure 1, wafer carrying-out mechanism 10; Paragraph 0034, a wafer carrying-out mechanism 10 that carries out a wafer from the wafer cassette 6)
and conveys the unloaded wafer to the frame unit forming table (Paragraph 0034, a wafer table 12 that supports the front surface side of the wafer carried out by the wafer carrying-out mechanism 10);
a frame unit forming mechanism that forms the frame unit by integrating the wafer with the annular frame on which the thermocompression bonding sheet is disposed and which has been conveyed to the frame unit forming table (Figure 1, tape pressure bonding unit 102 and wafer table 12; Paragraph 0087, tape 96 of the tape-attached frame 64′ and the back surface 4b of the wafer 4 are pressure-bonded by the tape pressure bonding unit 102);
and a cassette housing unit that houses the frame unit in a cassette (Figure 1, frame cassette 198; Paragraph 0087, the frame unit U on a temporary placement table 204, and a reinforcing part removing unit 194 that cuts and removes the ring-shaped reinforcing part 24 from the wafer 4 of the frame unit U placed on the temporary placement table 204. The processing apparatus 2 includes also a ring-free unit carrying-out mechanism 196 (see FIG. 1) that carries out the ring-free unit resulting from the removal of the ring-shaped reinforcing part 24 from the reinforcing part removing unit 194 and a frame cassette table 200 (see FIG. 1) on which a frame cassette 198 that houses the ring-free unit carried out by the ring-free unit carrying-out mechanism 196 is placed).
Saito fails to fully teach an activation unit that applies plasma processing or corona treatment to the thermocompression bonding sheet on a side which is to be disposed on the annular frame by the thermocompression bonding sheet disposing unit.
However, Makiko teaches an irradiation device to improve the wettability of a surface of a wafer (Makiko figure 1, ultraviolet ray irradiating device 8; Makiko Paragraph 0017, the wafer 2 is positioned above the ultraviolet irradiation device 8 with the front surface 2a of the wafer 2 facing upward and the back surface 2b facing downward. Next, the ultraviolet irradiation device 8 irradiates the back surface 2b of the wafer 2 with ultraviolet rays (for example, irradiation at an output of 100 W for about 1 to 2 minutes). As a result, organic substances and the like existing on the back surface 2b of the wafer 2 can be removed, and the wettability of the back surface 2b can be improved) and Ma teaches of the use of plasma processing to increase the wettability of surfaces (Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine a wettability increasing unit, as taught by Makiko, to the system of Saito to increase the adhesion capabilities of the thermocompression bonding sheet (Makiko paragraph 0012, the wafer processing method according to the present invention includes at least the wettability improving step of irradiating the back side of the wafer with ultraviolet rays to improve the wettability of the back side of the wafer ... the device chips can be prevented from scattering from the thermocompression bonding sheet when the wafer is diced). However, the unit taught by Makiko uses ultraviolet radiation to increase wettability.
Ma teaches that plasma processing of surfaces can be used to increase the wettability for a broad range of materials (Ma Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications). Furthermore, this plasma processing can be performed by multiple sources of plasma (Ma page 86, column 2, lines 15-19, According to the difference in plasma source (e.g. electrode) configuration, plasmas are typically divided into dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas, corona discharge plasmas, glow discharge plasmas, and plasma jets). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a known technique of increasing surface wettability to all surfaces used as a means of improving the operation of the system to yield predictable results. One such known method of increasing surface wettability in the art is plasma processing as taught by Ma. Thus, applying plasma processing to the surfaces before the adhesion step using a plasma processing unit would be obvious, would yield predictable results, and would improve the system. For more information regarding this rationale, see MPEP 2143(I)(D).
A person having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ma and Makiko to Saito because Makiko and Saito are in the same field of endeavor directed to the same technology (substrate processing) and Ma teaches a technique that would improve Saito and Makiko (adhesion improvement), which would prompt its use based on design improvements that are predictable and recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 5, Saito in view of Makiko and Ma teaches fully for claim 4 as indicated above.
Saito fails to fully teach a wafer activation unit that applies plasma processing or corona treatment to the wafer that has been conveyed to the frame unit forming table.
However, Makiko teaches an irradiation device to improve the wettability of a surface of a wafer (Makiko figure 1, ultraviolet ray irradiating device 8; Makiko Paragraph 0017, the wafer 2 is positioned above the ultraviolet irradiation device 8 with the front surface 2a of the wafer 2 facing upward and the back surface 2b facing downward. Next, the ultraviolet irradiation device 8 irradiates the back surface 2b of the wafer 2 with ultraviolet rays (for example, irradiation at an output of 100 W for about 1 to 2 minutes). As a result, organic substances and the like existing on the back surface 2b of the wafer 2 can be removed, and the wettability of the back surface 2b can be improved) and Ma teaches of the use of plasma processing to increase the wettability of surfaces (Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine a wettability increasing unit, as taught by Makiko, to the system of Saito to increase the adhesion capabilities of the wafer (Makiko paragraph 0012, the wafer processing method according to the present invention includes at least the wettability improving step of irradiating the back side of the wafer with ultraviolet rays to improve the wettability of the back side of the wafer ... the device chips can be prevented from scattering from the thermocompression bonding sheet when the wafer is diced). However, the unit taught by Makiko uses ultraviolet radiation to increase wettability.
Ma teaches that plasma processing of surfaces can be used to increase the wettability for a broad range of materials (Ma Page 108, column 1, lines 30-33, plasma processing has revealed its unique potential as a versatile tool for the effective control of surface wettability in a broad range of materials and practical applications). Furthermore, this plasma processing can be performed by multiple sources of plasma (Ma page 86, column 2, lines 15-19, According to the difference in plasma source (e.g. electrode) configuration, plasmas are typically divided into dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas, corona discharge plasmas, glow discharge plasmas, and plasma jets). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to apply a known technique of increasing surface wettability to all surfaces used as a means of improving the operation of the system to yield predictable results. One such known method of increasing surface wettability in the art is plasma processing as taught by Ma. Thus, applying plasma processing to the surfaces before the adhesion step using a plasma processing unit would be obvious, would yield predictable results, and would improve the system. For more information regarding this rationale, see MPEP 2143(I)(D).
A person having ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ma and Makiko to Saito because Makiko and Saito are in the same field of endeavor directed to the same technology (substrate processing) and Ma teaches a technique that would improve Saito and Makiko (adhesion improvement), which would prompt its use based on design improvements that are predictable and recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure [See PTO-892 Notice of References Cited] because the prior art references contain subject matter that related to one or more the of the Applicant’s claim limitations.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN THOMAS KOSKY whose telephone number is (571)270-7277. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (8:00 am - 4:30 pm EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob S Scott can be reached at (571) 270-3415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.T.K./Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/JACOB S. SCOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
