Appeal 2006-3235
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,696
1 11. Appellant argues that “hot spot detection method” is restricted to
2 discovering the location of a hot spot for the first time and thus refers to
3 detecting the location of a failed component, quoting the following
4 definitions of “detect” in Webster’s New World Dictionary, 2nd College
5 Edition (date unknown): “finding something unknown” or “to catch or
6 discover something hidden or not easily noticed” (hereinafter “Webster’s
7 definitions”). Br. 18.
8 12. As support for limiting the claimed “hot spot detection method”
9 to failure analysis, Appellant notes that Hiatt and Flueren, which Appellant
10 characterizes as incorporated by reference into the ‘857 patent, use their
11 disclosed hot spot detection techniques exclusively for failure analysis. As
12 further support, Appellant relies on Burgess/Tan and the declarations by Lim
13 and Jung.
14 Hiatt (Br. Ex. H)
15 13. The title of the Hiatt article is “A Method of Detecting Hot Spots
16 on Semiconductors Using Liquid Crystals.” The term “hot spot” also
17 appears in Figure 2 (at 130).
18 14. Hiatt’s abstract specifically addresses failure analysis:
19 This paper presents a failure analysis technique which
20 uses cholesteric liquid crystals and polarized light to
21 locate areas of high power dissipation on an integrated
22 circuit. The technique is non-destructive and can be
23 performed in a few minutes using common failure
24 analysis equipment. An example is given involving the
25 analysis of a CMOS latch-up mechanism.
26 Hiatt at 130.
27 15. Under the heading “Background,” Hyatt explains that
28 “[c]holesteric liquid crystals have been used to map surface temperatures in
16
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