Appeal 2006-3235
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,696
1 The specification of the ‘857 patent
2 1. The title of the ‘857 patent is “Liquid Crystal Hot Spot Detection
3 With Infinitesimal Temperature Control.”
4 2. The “Background of the Invention” portion (“Background”) of the
5 ‘857 patent begins by explaining that liquid crystal materials are used for
6 “analyzing integrated circuits”:
7 There are two distinct ways of using the liquid
8 crystal properties for analyzing integrated circuits. These
9 are:
10 (A) using the light scattering property of the liquid crystal
11 (see reference 3 [Fergason20] and 4 [Dixon21]), and
12 (B) the phase transition property of the liquid
13 crystal (see reference 1 [Hiatt22] and 2 [Fleuren23]).
14 Specification, col. 1, ll. 7-11.
15 3. The specification further explains that “[t]he invention uses the
16 phase transition property of the liquid crystal” and that “[t]herefore, the
17 discussion shall be limited to the hot spot detection method.” Id. at col. 1, ll.
18 12-14. The specification does not define “detect,” “hot spot,” or “hot spot
19 detection method.”
20 J. L. Fergason, Liquid Crystals in Nondestructive Testing,
7 Applied Optics 1729-37 (1968) (not in evidence).
21 G. D. Dixon, Cholesteric Liquid Crystal in Nondestructive Testing,
Materials Evaluation, Jun. 1977, pp. 51-55 (not in evidence).
22 John Hiatt, A Method of Detecting Hot Spots on Semiconductors
Using Liquid Crystals, 19th Annual Proceedings of the IEEE Reliability
Physics Symposium, 1981, pp. 130-3. Br. Ex. H.
23 E.M. Fleuren, A Very Sensitive, Simple, Analysis Technique Using
Nematic Liquid Crystals, 21st Annual Proceedings of the IEEE Reliability
Physics Symposium, 1983, pp. 148-49. Br. Ex. I; Reexam. Ex. 1 (a better
copy).
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