`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`_____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`_____________
`
`ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., EXCELITAS TECHNOLOGIES CORP., AND
`QIOPTIQ PHOTONICS GMBH & CO. KG,
`Petitioners
`
`v.
`
`ENERGETIQ TECHNOLOGY, INC.,
`Patent Owner
`_____________
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`_____________
`
`PATENT OWNER’S RESPONSE
`UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 42.120
`
`
`
`i
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`Page
`
`I.
`II.
`
`C.
`
`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
`THE STATE OF THE ART AND THE CLAIMED INVENTION ............... 2
`A.
`State of the Art and Prior Arc Lamps .................................................... 2
`B.
`Energetiq’s Patented Laser Driven Light Source .................................. 3
`III. CLAIM INTERPRETATION ......................................................................... 4
`A.
`“Light source” ....................................................................................... 5
`B.
`“High brightness light” .......................................................................... 7
`IV. THE DEFINITION OF AN ORDINARY ARTISAN IN THE FIELD ........ 12
`A. Active Workers In The Field And The Inventor ................................. 14
`B.
`Problems In The Art, Prior Art Solutions, Rapidity with Which
`Innovations are Made, and Sophistication of the Technology ............ 14
`Petitioners Provide No Factual Support for their Definition and
`Do Not Rely on Any of the Relevant Factors ..................................... 15
`V. GROUND 1: OBVIOUSNESS UNDER § 103 BY GÄRTNER IN VIEW
`OF BETEROV ............................................................................................... 16
`A. Overview of Gärtner ............................................................................ 16
`B. Gärtner in view of Beterov does not render the challenged
`claims obvious ..................................................................................... 17
`1.
`Gärtner does not provide one skilled in the art with sufficient
`direction or guidance to obtain the claimed “high brightness
`light” without undue experimentation (Wands factors 1, 2) ..... 20
`Gärtner’s lack of guidance regarding working examples weighs
`heavily against a finding that it enables the claimed “high
`brightness light” (Wands factor 3) ............................................ 24
`The state of the prior art (arc lamps) further supports a lack of
`enablement (Wands factors 4, 5) ............................................... 24
`VI. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 25
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`ii
`
`
`
`
`
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`This case is about a light source that generates a “high brightness light” that
`
`is so much brighter than what preceded it, that it has essentially replaced the arc
`
`lamps previously used in semiconductor wafer inspection, lithography, and
`
`metrology tools.
`
`Energetiq’s invention solved a fundamental problem – how to generate a
`
`light brighter than arc lamps. Energetiq patented a novel approach that uses a laser
`
`that provides energy to a gas in a chamber to produce a “high brightness light.”
`
`Petitioners allege that the challenged claims—all of which require a “high
`
`brightness light”—are rendered obvious based on an incomplete system described
`
`in a 20 year old reference (Gärtner) that would be incapable of achieving the
`
`claimed “high brightness light.” For certain of the claim terms, Petitioners cite
`
`Beterov for the concept of providing laser energy near a resonance transition line,
`
`as required by these dependent claims, but fail to explain how such an addition
`
`would remedy Gärtner’s failure to enable a high brightness light. Since Petitioners
`
`rely only on Gärtner (not Beterov) for the “high brightness light” limitation, and
`
`Gärtner does not disclose, let alone enable, to one of ordinary skill in the art the
`
`claimed “high brightness light”—which properly construed must be at least as
`
`1
`
`
`
`
`
`
`bright as arc lamps—Petitioners’ obviousness arguments must fail and the claims
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`must be confirmed.1
`
`II. THE STATE OF THE ART AND THE CLAIMED INVENTION
`
`A.
`
`State of the Art and Prior Arc Lamps
`
`For at least a decade prior to the invention, the semiconductor industry used
`
`xenon or mercury arc lamps to produce a light for use in wafer inspection and
`
`metrology systems. (See Smith Decl. at ¶ 8 (Ex. 2016); ’982 Patent at 1:20-22 (Ex.
`
`1201) (“The state of the art in, for example, wafer inspection systems involves the
`
`use of xenon or mercury arc lamps to produce light.”).)
`
`Arc lamps use an anode and cathode to provide an electrical discharge to a
`
`gas within the lamp that excites the gas, causing it to emit light. (See ’982 Patent
`
`at 1:20-35 (Ex. 1201).) However, they suffer from a number of shortcomings that
`
`constrain the accuracy and efficiency of the equipment that uses them. These
`
`problems include instability of the arc, undesirably short time to failure, and limits
`
`on how bright such sources can get (the spectral brightness of arc lamps is limited
`
`by the maximum current density—if too high, it would melt the arc lamps’
`
`
`
` 1
`
` This Response is supported by the declaration of Dr. Philip H. Bucksbaum, a
`
`professor in Physics, Applied Physics, and Photon Science at Stanford University.
`
`2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`electrodes). (See, e.g., ’982 Patent at 1:20-35 (Ex. 1201); Smith Decl. at ¶ 8 (Ex.
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`2016).)
`
`Over time, the industry demanded improvements in the brightness level of
`
`light sources beyond that which could be met by traditional xenon and mercury arc
`
`lamps (ordinarily in the range of about 1 to 9 mW/mm2-sr-nm). (Smith Decl. at ¶ 8
`
`(Ex. 2016).) For instance, in 2005, Energetiq was approached by an industry
`
`leader to see whether Energetiq could use a plasma to develop a high brightness
`
`light source. The industry required light that was at least many times higher
`
`brightness than that of existing arc lamps. (Smith Decl. at ¶ 10 (Ex. 2016).)
`
`Petitioner ASML agrees that “[s]ignificant . . . brightness improvements” are
`
`necessary over arc lamps. (Id.; U.S. Pub. No. US 2013/0329204 A1 at ¶ 0008 (Ex.
`
`2009).)
`
`Energetiq’s Patented Laser Driven Light Source
`
`B.
`To satisfy the industry’s need for a higher brightness light source, Energetiq
`
`developed a laser-driven light source that uses fundamentally different technology
`
`and physics principles than arc lamps.
`
`Energetiq’s invention is directed at a light source comprising a chamber, an
`
`ignition source for ionizing a gas within the chamber, and at least one laser for
`
`providing energy to the ionized gas to produce a “high brightness light.”
`
`Energetiq’s patented laser-driven light source produces a “high brightness light”
`3
`
`
`
`
`
`
`that is several times brighter than can be achieved by arc lamps. For example, an
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`experiment described in the patent showed a brightness of 8 to 18W/(mm2-sr) over
`
`the 200-400 nm wavelength band, which is equivalent to a spectral brightness of
`
`40 to 90 mW/(mm2-sr-nm)—i.e., four to ten times the brightness of existing xenon
`
`and mercury arc lamps. (’982 Patent at Fig. 3 (Ex. 1201); Smith Decl. at ¶ 12 (Ex.
`
`2016).)
`
`Energetiq filed U.S. Application No. 11/395,523 on March 31, 2006, which
`
`issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,435,982, entitled “Laser-Driven Light Source,” on
`
`October 14, 2008.
`
`III. CLAIM INTERPRETATION
`
`In inter partes review, claims are given their broadest reasonable
`
`interpretation consistent with the patent specification. 37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b); In re
`
`Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC, 793 F.3d 1268, 1276 (Fed. Cir. 2015), cert granted, 84
`
`U.S.L.W. 3562 (U.S. Jan. 15, 2016) (No. 15-446). Within this framework, terms
`
`generally are given their ordinary and customary meaning. See In re Translogic
`
`Tech., Inc., 504 F.3d 1249, 1257 (Fed. Cir. 2007). The relevant consideration in
`
`claim construction is the meaning that would be assigned a claim term by an
`
`ordinary artisan at the time of the invention. Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d
`
`1303, 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc). “Even under the broadest reasonable
`
`interpretation, the Board’s construction ‘cannot be divorced from the specification
`4
`
`
`
`
`
`
`and the record evidence.’” See Microsoft Corp. v. Proxyconn, Inc., 789 F.3d 1292,
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`1298 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (citation omitted).
`
`Petitioners proposed constructions for the terms “light source” and “high
`
`brightness light.” Petition at 8-13. Energetiq did not file a preliminary response.
`
`In its Institution Decision, the Board adopted Petitioners’ proposed constructions
`
`based on the record evidence available at the time. Institution Decision at 5.
`
`Energetiq disagrees with Petitioners proposed constructions (adopted by the Board)
`
`and instead proposes the constructions below, which accurately reflect the broadest
`
`reasonable interpretation of each claim term.
`
`A.
`
`“Light source”
`
`In its Institution Decision, the Board adopted the following construction
`
`which was proposed by Petitioners:
`
`Claim Term
`
`“light source”
`
`Board’s Construction on Institution
`
`A source of electromagnetic radiation in the extreme
`ultraviolet (10 nm to 100 nm), vacuum ultraviolet
`(100 nm to 200 nm), ultraviolet (200 nm to 400 nm),
`visible (400 to 700 nm), near-infrared (700 nm to
`1,000 nm (1 μm)), middle infrared (1 μm to 10 μm),
`or far infrared (10 μm to 1000 μm) regions of the
`spectrum.
`
`5
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Institution Decision at 5. While Energetiq asserts that the term “light source”
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`should more properly be construed to mean “a source of electromagnetic energy,”
`
`Energetiq’s positions on the challenged claims do not turn on the meaning of the
`
`term “light source,” and the adopted construction is applied where appropriate.
`
`(Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 55 (Ex. 2010).) However, Petitioners’ proposed
`
`construction (adopted by the Board in its Institution Decision) is inappropriate
`
`because the specific wavelength ranges listed above, for the different regions of the
`
`spectrum, do not comport with the broadest reasonable interpretation. (Id. at ¶ 56.)
`
`As an initial matter, in parallel proceedings where the Board also construed
`
`the term “light source,” e.g. IPR2015-01362, the Board already rejected
`
`Petitioners’ specific wavelength ranges. IPR2015-01362, Paper No. 12 at 6
`
`(PTAB Nov. 30, 2015) (“a source of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet
`
`(“UV”), extreme UV, vacuum UV, visible, near infrared, middle infrared, or far
`
`infrared regions of the spectrum, having wavelengths within the range of 10 nm to
`
`1,000 μm”).) (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 57 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`In addition,
`
`the proposed wavelength ranges conflict with explicit
`
`wavelength disclosures in patent family member U.S. Pat. No. 9,048,000, a
`
`continuation-in-part of the ’982 Patent. Compare IPR ’1377 Petition at 8 (defining
`
`ultraviolet as “200 nm to 400 nm”), with ’000 Patent at 20:32-35 (Ex. 2075)
`
`(“Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic energy with a wavelength shorter than that of
`6
`
`
`
`
`
`
`visible light, for instance between about 50 nm and 400 nm”). (Bucksbaum Decl.
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`at ¶ 57 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`Further, trying to limit the term to specific wavelength ranges, Petitioners’
`
`expert in his declaration, cited to a textbook which he contends establishes the
`
`“ordinary and customary” accepted wavelengths of various
`
`ranges of
`
`electromagnetic radiation. (Decl. of J. Gary Eden at ¶ 33 (Ex. 1203).) But, that
`
`same expert (before he was retained here) published papers describing the
`
`wavelength ranges differently than the supposed “ordinary and customary”
`
`definition he cites here. Compare IPR ’1377 Petition at 8-9, with Eden Dep. Ex. 5
`
`(Knecht et al., “Optical pumping of the XeF(C-+A) and iodine 1.315-μm lasers by
`
`a compact surface discharge system,” Optical Engineering, Vol. 42, No. 12 (2003)
`
`(Ex. 2021); Tr. 80:21-81:7 (Ex. 2006) (“Q: . . . In there in the abstract you write,
`
`“A near-infrared 1.315”; is that correct?” A: That’s what it says. That’s correct.
`
`Q: So in your opinion would near-infrared include -- strike that. In your opinion
`
`would near-infrared be above 1,000? A: Yes. I think it’s been a long time ago, but
`
`my recollection is that the definition that’s offered there is slightly longer than the
`
`limit that I’m proposing in the [Declaration].”). (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 58 (Ex.
`
`2010).)
`
`B.
`
`“High brightness light”
`
`7
`
`
`
`
`
`In its Institution Decision, the Board adopted Petitioners’ proposed
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`
`
`construction in the IPR ’1377 Petition:
`
`Claim Term
`
`Board’s Construction on Institution
`
`“high brightness light”
`
`Light sufficiently bright to be useful for: inspection,
`testing or measuring properties associated with
`semiconductor wafers or materials used in the
`fabrication of wafers, or as a source of illumination in
`a lithography system used in the fabrication of
`wafers, a microscopy system, a photoresist curing
`system, or an endoscopic tool.
`
`Institution Decision at 5. However, the use of the term “sufficiently bright to be
`
`useful” is vague and does not provide an objective line for purposes of either
`
`infringement or validity. It is not what an ordinary artisan would recognize to be
`
`reasonable in light of the specification and evidence of record. (Bucksbaum Decl.
`
`at ¶ 59 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`An ordinary artisan, with the ’982 Patent specification in mind, would know
`
`that the term refers to:
`
`Claim Term
`
`Energetiq’s Proposed Construction
`
`“high brightness light”
`
`light that is at least as bright as xenon or mercury arc
`lamps for: inspection, testing or measuring properties
`associated with semiconductor wafers or materials
`
`8
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`used in the fabrication of wafers, or as a source of
`illumination in a lithography system used in the
`fabrication of wafers, a microscopy system, a
`photoresist curing system, or an endoscopic tool
`
`
`(Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 60 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`The term “high brightness light” has special meaning in the industry – it is
`
`not any bright light. In their Petition, Petitioners argue for their construction, and
`
`provide a conclusory statement from their expert, but they provide no evidence in
`
`support of their construction. The lack of evidence was for a reason—published
`
`literature at the time shows that the term “high brightness” in this industry had a
`
`special meaning—one that would not have required any further definition in the
`
`patent. See, e.g., patents from that time period: U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,116 at 1:61-63
`
`(Ex. 2077) (“A widely used, high-brightness, point-like light source is a high-
`
`pressure, compact, Hg (or Hg—Xe) arc lamp.”); U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,241 at 1:19-
`
`24 (Ex. 2079) (“One import requirement for a light source is to provide high
`
`brightness and high power output at the same time. Currently, light sources for
`
`these and other applications are still dominated by traditional light sources such as
`
`high-pressure mercury lamps, Xenon lamps, or metal halide lamps.”); U.S. Pat.
`
`No. 6,960,872 at 1:41-44 (Ex. 2080) (“An example of a conventional light source
`
`with high brightness and a small effective emitting area is an arc lamp source, such
`
`9
`
`
`
`
`
`
`as a xenon arc lamp or a mercury arc lamp.”); similar specialized use in this
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`industry can be seen in marketing literature: LuxteL, Ceralux Xenon Arc Lamps at
`
`1 (2003-2004) (Ex. 2076) (“CeraLux lamps are designed to give the instrument
`
`builder a combination of rugged compactness and extremely high brightness . . .
`
`.”); and articles: Xing-Jie Yu, “LED-Based Projection Systems,” J. of Display
`
`Tech, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sept. 2007) (Ex. 2086) (“Despite these drawbacks, arc lamps
`
`are used widely in high-brightness projection systems.”); Guenther Derra et al.,
`
`“UHP lamp systems for projection applications,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 38 at
`
`2996 (2005) (Ex. 2087) (“Short arc lamps are a key component for projection
`
`systems . . . . The light source should be point-like, provide extremely high
`
`brightness, high total light flux and a white spectrum.”). (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 61
`
`(Ex. 2010).)
`
`That it was this special context that was intended, is made manifest in the
`
`specification itself. While the specification states that a “high brightness light
`
`source can be used for inspection, testing or measuring properties associated with
`
`semiconductor wafers or materials used in the fabrication of wafers (e.g., reticles
`
`and photomasks),” the patent calls out arc lamps as the lower limit: “arc lamps do
`
`not provide sufficient brightness for some applications.” (’982 Patent at 1:20-40
`
`(Ex. 1201).) Thus, in the context of the patent, at the time of the invention, a “high
`
`10
`
`
`
`
`
`
`brightness light” would have been well-understood in the field to be “at least as
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`bright as xenon or mercury arc lamps.” (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 62 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`Petitioners’ construction (adopted by the Board in its Institution Decision),
`
`imposes a vagueness and breadth which Petitioners intend to capture prior art that
`
`would never have been thought of as “high brightness” at the time of the
`
`invention.2 Microsoft Corp. v. Proxyconn, Inc., 789 F.3d at 1298 (“[U]nder the
`
`broadest reasonable interpretation, the Board's construction “cannot be divorced
`
`from the specification and the record evidence” (internal quotation marks
`
`omitted)). (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 63 (Ex. 2010).) Energetiq’s patent specification
`
`discloses the problem to be solved—insufficient brightness of xenon and mercury
`
`arc lamp sources for certain applications, and refers to its invention as “high
`
`brightness,” which can only mean brighter than the xenon and mercury arc lamps
`
`at the time. (See ’982 Patent at 1:20-40 (Ex. 1201).) A construction that ignores
`
`
`
` 2
`
` Petitioners’ proposed construction, if adopted in a Final Written Decision, will
`
`also likely lead to an argument in related district court proceedings that the claims
`
`are indefinite. To the contrary, Energetiq’s construction, which requires that the
`
`light be “at least as bright as xenon or mercury arc lamps,” would not present this
`
`11
`
`issue.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`what this term so clearly meant to those of ordinary skill at the time, in favor of a
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`generic, vague definition divorced from the specification, would not comport with
`
`recognized claim construction principles. (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 63 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`“The broadest-construction rubric . . . does not give the PTO an unfettered
`
`license to interpret the claims to embrace anything remotely related to the claimed
`
`invention. Rather, claims should always be read in light of the specification and
`
`teachings in the underlying patent.” In re Suitco Surface, Inc., 603 F.3d 1255,
`
`1260 (Fed. Cir. 2010). The Board should interpret “high brightness light” to mean
`
`“light that is at least as bright as xenon or mercury arc lamps for: inspection,
`
`testing or measuring properties associated with semiconductor wafers or materials
`
`used in the fabrication of wafers, or as a source of illumination in a lithography
`
`system used in the fabrication of wafers, a microscopy system, a photoresist curing
`
`system, or an endoscopic tool.” (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 60 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`IV. THE DEFINITION OF AN ORDINARY ARTISAN IN THE FIELD
`
`The factors pertinent to the determination of the level of ordinary skill
`
`include: “(1) the educational level of the inventor; (2) type of problems
`
`encountered in the art; (3) prior art solutions to those problems; (4) rapidity with
`
`which innovations are made; (5) sophistication of the technology; and (6)
`
`12
`
`
`
`
`
`
`educational level of active workers in the field.” Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. v.
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`Apotex, Inc., 501 F.3d 1254, 1256 (Fed. Cir. 2007).
`
`Here, the level of ordinary skill is a master of science degree in physics,
`
`electrical engineering or an equivalent field, and 4 years of work or research
`
`experience in plasmas and a basic understanding of lasers; or a Ph.D. degree in
`
`physics, electrical engineering or an equivalent field and 2 years of work or
`
`research experience in plasmas and a basic understanding of lasers. (Bucksbaum
`
`Decl. at ¶ 48 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`The main difference between Energetiq’s definition and Petitioners’
`
`(adopted in the Institution Decision) is that Petitioners definition requires expertise
`
`in lasers—knowledge that the active workers in the field did not have.3 Not
`
`surprisingly, Petitioners provide no factual support. To the contrary, Energetiq’s
`
`definition is fully supported, taking into account the experience of active workers
`
`in the field, and further informed by other pertinent factors that determine the level
`
`
`
` 3
`
` Petitioners proposed definition is “a Ph.D. in physics, electrical engineering, or an
`
`equivalent field, and 2–4 years of work experience with lasers and plasma, or a
`
`master’s degree in physics, electrical engineering, or an equivalent field, and 4–5
`
`years of work experience with lasers and plasma. Petition at 3.
`
`13
`
`
`
`
`
`
`of skill of an ordinary artisan. See Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. v. Apotex, Inc., 501
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`F.3d 1254, 1256 (Fed. Cir. 2007).
`
`A. Active Workers In The Field And The Inventor
`
`Energetiq’s R&D staff at the time of the invention typifies the educational
`
`level of the active workers in the field. At the time of the invention, when they
`
`were hired, 4 out of 7 individuals in Energetiq’s R&D staff had a basic
`
`understanding of lasers, which is consistent in scope with Energetiq’s proposed
`
`definition—the rest had no experience in lasers. Importantly, none had the lasers
`
`expertise Petitioners propose. A definition that ignores the active works in the
`
`field, in favor of one that is divorced from all facts, is improper. (Smith Decl. at ¶¶
`
`14-15 (Ex. 2016); Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 49 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`B.
`
`Problems In The Art, Prior Art Solutions, Rapidity with Which
`Innovations are Made, and Sophistication of the Technology
`
`The problems encountered in the art included the need for high brightness
`
`
`
`light sources for applications such as semiconductor manufacturing. (See ’982
`
`Patent at 1:20-40 (Ex. 1201).) Prior art solutions used by ordinary artisans
`
`consisted of arc lamps which used electrodes to excite gas in a chamber and
`
`produce light – they did not use lasers. Indeed, Energetiq’s invention enabled the
`
`sale of the first commercial laser driven light source—a market that did not exist
`
`prior to the invention. Innovations had been slow and incremental, consisting of
`
`14
`
`
`
`
`
`
`improvements to existing arc lamps. Thus, requiring laser expertise—as proposed
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`by Petitioners—is incorrect and unsupported. (Smith Decl at ¶ 16 (Ex. 2016);
`
`Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 50 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`C.
`
`Petitioners Provide No Factual Support for their Definition and
`Do Not Rely on Any of the Relevant Factors
`
`Petitioners’ proposed definition relies solely on their expert’s equally
`
`
`
`conclusory statement. Petition at 3. Indeed, when Petitioners’ expert was
`
`questioned as to how he arrived at his definition, Petitioners’ expert acknowledged
`
`a failure to consider any of the pertinent factors and was incapable of providing
`
`specific factual support. (Eden Tr. 191:23-192:6 (“Q: Can you explain for me how
`
`you came to this definition? A: Basically, it’s just based on almost 40 years of
`
`working in the field, Ms. Reed. I tried to capture in the definition of one skilled in
`
`the art the credentials, if you will, the training, that one would most likely find in
`
`someone skilled in the art.”) (Ex. 2006).) In fact, Petitioners’ expert conceded he
`
`failed to consider the knowledge of active workers in the field, instead improperly
`
`focusing on “those who have made major contributions” in the field of lasers,
`
`naming as models of those “of ordinary skill,” experts such as Dr. William Silfvast
`
`and Dr. Howard Milchberg – that is, those who possess knowledge well beyond a
`
`person having ordinary skill in the art. (Id. at 192:11-193:19 (emphasis added).)
`
`(Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 51 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`15
`
`
`
`
`
`Indeed, the entirety of Petitioners’ expert declaration is suspect, given that
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`
`
`he improperly applied the knowledge and skill of experts in lasers in deciding
`
`obviousness, rather than the knowledge that would be possessed by one having
`
`ordinary skill in the art, despite the words he parroted from Petitioners’ brief.
`
`V. GROUND 1: OBVIOUSNESS UNDER § 103 BY GÄRTNER IN VIEW
`OF BETEROV
`
`
`
`A. Overview of Gärtner
`
`Gärtner is a 1985 French patent application that describes an incomplete
`
`system which appears to relate to a radiation source for optical devices. (Gärtner at
`
`1:1-5 (Ex. 1204); Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 89 (Ex. 2010).) As far as can be
`
`determined, Gärtner discloses technology that was never developed into a
`
`commercial product, and that failure makes sense – as discussed below, Gärtner
`
`does not enable a light bright enough for industry use. (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 89
`
`(Ex. 2010).) Indeed, Gärtner is so far removed from mainstream knowledge that it
`
`was unknown to the Inventor, and had never been cited by the Patent Office, until
`
`Petitioners identified it to Energetiq in the heat of the dispute. Tellingly, since
`
`then, the Patent Office has issued two of Energetiq’s patents with Gärtner in front
`
`of it. (Id.; Smith Decl. at ¶ 18 (Ex. 2016).)
`
`Gärtner describes using a CO2 laser to try to generate a plasma discharge.
`
`(Gärtner at 5 (Ex. 1204); Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 90 (Ex. 2010).) While Gärtner
`
`16
`
`
`
`
`
`
`purports to be a “highly powerful radiation source,” the reference does not make
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`any disclosure regarding power requirements. (Gärtner at 3:1 (Ex. 1204).)
`
`Without that information, there is no basis in Gärtner for this statement.
`
`(Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 90 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`B. Gärtner in view of Beterov does not render the challenged claims
`obvious
`
`Gärtner in view of Beterov does not render the challenged claims obvious
`
`because the references do not enable “high brightness light” to a person of ordianry
`
`skill. (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 104 (Ex. 2010).) “Although published subject matter
`
`is ‘prior art’ for all that it discloses, in order to render an invention unpatentable for
`
`obviousness, the prior art must enable a person of ordinary skill to make and use
`
`the invention.” In re Kumar, 418 F.3d 1361, 1368 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (emphasis
`
`added); see also Beckman Instruments, Inc. v. LKB Produkter AB, 892 F.2d 1547,
`
`1551 (Fed. Cir. 1989) (“In order to render a claimed apparatus or method obvious,
`
`the prior art must enable one skilled in the art to make and use the apparatus or
`
`method.”). In other words, prior art renders a claimed invention obvious only if it
`
`places the invention in the possession of the public. See In re Payne, 606 F.2d
`
`303, 314 (C.C.P.A. 1979) (“An invention is not ‘possessed’ absent some known or
`
`obvious way to make it.”).
`
`17
`
`
`
`
`
`The appropriate inquiry to determine whether the prior art is enabling is
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`
`
`“whether a person of ordinary skill in the art could make or use the claimed
`
`invention without undue experimentation based on the disclosure of that particular
`
`document.” In re Morsa, 713 F.3d 104, 110 (Fed. Cir. 2013) (emphasis added).
`
`The factors relevant to the determination of whether undue experimentation is
`
`required include: “(1) the quantity of experimentation necessary, (2) the amount of
`
`direction or guidance presented, (3) the presence or absence of working examples,
`
`(4) the nature of the invention, (5) the state of the prior art, (6) the relative skill of
`
`those in the art, (7) the predictability or unpredictability of the art, and (8) the
`
`breadth of the claims.” In re Wands, 858 F.2d 731, 737 (Fed. Cir. 1988). The
`
`Federal Circuit has since added that “it is not necessary that a court review all the
`
`Wands factors to find a disclosure enabling. They are illustrative, not mandatory.”
`
`Amgen, Inc. v. Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 927 F.2d 1200, 1213 (Fed. Cir.
`
`1991).
`
`Petitioners challenge claims 23 and 60, which are dependent on claims 1 and
`
`37, respectively, on obviousness grounds. Generally, these claims are directed to a
`
`light source comprising a chamber, an ignition source for ionizing an ionizable
`
`medium within the chamber, and at least one laser for providing energy to the
`
`ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light, wherein the
`
`18
`
`
`
`
`
`
`laser emits at least one wavelength of electromagnetic energy that is strongly
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`absorbed by the ionized medium. (’982 Patent, claims 23, 60 (Ex. 1201).)
`
`Importantly, Petitioners rely only on Gärtner (not Beterov) to support their
`
`contention that the prior art teaches the “high brightness light” limitation required
`
`by the challenged claims. See Petition at 30-31, 34, 41-43. For instance,
`
`Petitioners state that “Claim 1 recites ‘at least one laser for providing energy to the
`
`ionized gas within the chamber to produce a high brightness light.’ . . . Gärtner
`
`discloses this limitation.” Petition at 30 (emphasis added).
`
`In contrast, Petitioners include Beterov in their analysis only for the purpose
`
`of attempting to meet a specific limitation of the two challenged claims, stating
`
`that “a laser supplying energy at least one wavelength that is strongly absorbed by
`
`the ionized medium, as disclosed for example in Beterov.” Petition at 32
`
`(emphasis added). Though, in articulating a motivation to combine the prior art
`
`references, Petitioners contend that a person of ordinary skill in the art would
`
`understand that plasmas according to Beterov “can be used to increase the
`
`brightness of the light output by the plasma,” they fail to explain how Beterov
`
`would enable one of ordinary skill in the art to achieve “high brightness light”—
`
`which is required by challenged claims 23 and 60. See Petition at 36. In sum,
`
`Petitioners have not articulated how Beterov would cure Gärtner’s deficiencies as
`
`to “high brightness light” to render the invention obvious—that is, Petitioners do
`19
`
`
`
`
`
`
`not contend that Beterov discloses the required “high brightness light.”
`
`Case IPR2015-01377
`U.S. Patent No. 7,435,982
`
`(Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 104 (Ex. 2010).)
`
`As this Board has decided, Petitioner is “require[d], as the party challenging
`
`the patentability of [the claims], to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that
`
`the prior art, as a whole, enables one skilled in the art to practice the invention of”
`
`the challenged claims. Edmund Optics, Inc. v. Semrock, Inc., IPR2014-00599,
`
`Paper No. 72 at 37 (PTAB Sept. 16, 2015). Because Beterov does not remedy
`
`Gärtner’s deficiencies, Petitioners cannot here carry their burden.
`
`1.
`
`Gärtner does not provide one skilled in the art with
`sufficient direction or guidance to obtain the claimed “high
`brightness light” without undue experimentation (Wands
`factors 1, 2)
`Here, the Wands factors show that Gärtner does not enable an ordinary
`
`artisan to make or use the invention claimed in the ’982 Patent. (Bucksbaum Decl.
`
`at ¶ 91 (Ex. 2010).) Gärtner does not provide the skilled artisan with enough
`
`technical information to produce the claimed “high brightness light” without undue
`
`experimentation. (Bucksbaum Decl. at ¶ 91 (Ex. 2010).) “[W]here there is no
`
`disclosure of any specific starting material or of any of the conditions und