Appeal 2006-3235
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,696
1 30. In a specific example, the disclosed method employs a nematic
2 liquid crystal material (p. 2, l. 31) to generate isotherms for creating a
3 temperature profile of a nichrome resistor (p. 2, l. 5), which is not
4 characterized as failed or defective. Id. at 2, ll. 110-16. Sinnadurai explains
5 that “due to thermal diffusion in the liquid crystal, the visible dark regions
6 12 are slightly larger than their associated component hot spots.” Id. at 2,
7 ll. 117-20.
8 31. In addition to being used to generate thermal profiles,
9 [t]he method of the invention . . . may alternatively be
10 used in the detection of a thermal limit to test integrated
11 circuits against procurement specifications that set an
12 upper limit to surface temperatures. In the latter
13 application a nematogen is selected having an upper
14 threshold temperature equal to the specification upper
15 limit.
16 Id. at 2, l. 129 to p. 3, l. 6.
17 Burgess/Tan (Br. Ex. E; Reexam. Ex. 3)
18 32. The title of the Burgess/Tan article, which Appellant
19 characterizes as incorporated by reference into the ‘857 patent (Br. 9-10), is
20 “Improved Sensitivity for Hot Spot Detection Using Liquid Crystals.”
21 33. The “Introduction” explains that “[l]iquid crystals have been used
22 for failure analysis for several years” and briefly describes the disclosures of
23 the Hiatt and Fleuren articles. Burgess/Tan at 119.
24 34. Burgess/Tan describes hot spot detection using K-18 nematic
25 liquid crystal material. Id. at 119-20, under heading “Liquid Crystal
26 Selection.”
21
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