Appeal 2007-1747
Application 10/061,492
the steps of (1) cutting into a first surface of the substrate using any cutting
tool having an axis of rotation that is not perpendicular to the first surface,
and (2) removing material in any manner from a second surface, such that
the combination of steps forms the slot that passes entirely through the
substrate to any extent. The thus formed slot has two sidewalls and two
endwalls, wherein a portion of each endwall is formed by each step and the
two portions meet at any angle greater than or equal to 90° relative to the
substrate. We agree with the Examiner that the angle formed reads on a
straight vertical endwall, that is, an angle of 180°.
We find Allen would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in this art
a print head formed from a silicon thin film resistor substrate 30 that
includes a slot 32 therethrough “configured using diamond saw blade or
laser drilling techniques” (Allen, col. 3, ll. 45-48, and Figs. 3A-B).
We find Brouillette would have disclosed to one of ordinary skill in
this art an acknowledged prior art “dicing of a wafer [11] by sawing . . .
[with] diamond saw blade 10” wherein the blade cut enters one surface 14 of
the semiconductor substrate and exits the other surface 15 thereof, as
illustrated in Brouillette Fig. 1, resulting in, inter alia, scalloping and
chipping on the sawed edges (Brouillette col. 1, ll. 16-36). We find one of
ordinary skill in this art would have found from Brouillette Fig. 1 that the
sawing of semiconductor substrate 11 results in a slot in the substrate.
Brouillette discloses that this and other problems associated with the
conventional, prior art dicing methods can be overcome by “entrance cuts”
on both surfaces of the semiconductor substrate (Brouillette, e.g., col. 1,
ll. 37-67). In this respect, Brouillette discloses dicing can be “performed
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