Attorney’s Docket Number: QCOM-4545US (2102678)
Filing Date: 9/15/2021
Inventors: Chen et al.
Examiner: Marcos D. Pizarro
DETAILED ACTION
This Office action responds to the amendment filed on 12/5/2025.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for a rejection as subjected to pre-AIA instead will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Amendment Status
The amendment filed on 12/5/2025 in reply to the Office action in paper no. 13, mailed on 4/28/2025, has been entered. The present Office action is made with all the suggested amendments being fully considered. Accordingly, pending in this Office action are claims 1-26.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite.
The claims are indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 11 recites the limitation “the second under bump metallization interconnect”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 12 and 20 recite the limitation “the plurality of pads”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “the first under bump metallization interconnect”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 8, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) as being of improper dependent form.
The dependent claims 8, 18 and 19 are improper for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claims upon which they depend, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claims 8 and 18 fail to include all the limitations of their parent claims. Although claims 8 and 18 recite that the fourth width is less than the third width, claims 1 and 11 differently recite that the fourth width is greater than the third width.
Applicant may cancel the claims, amend the claims to place the claims in proper dependent form, rewrite the claims in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claims comply with the statutory requirements.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement.
The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 4 and 14 recite that the first and second solders include an intermetallic compound (IMC). The specification, as originally filed, does not provide an adequate written description of a solder including an IMC. The specification states that the solder may include IMC that may be formed when metal from the pad and/or the pillar diffuses into the interconnect (see par. 0038). However, the specification does not describe the IMC with sufficient detail to reasonably convey to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the inventor had possession of a solder including an IMC at the time of filing. In particular, no drawing illustrates the IMC, no specific IMC composition, structure, or representative species is identified. No common structural features or characteristics of the IMC are described. The disclosure uses permissive language, “may include,” “may be formed”, rather than describing an embodiment in which the solder affirmatively includes an IMC as required by the claims. The claims require that the solder includes an IMC. The specification’s limited and conclusory reference to a possible IMC formation does not demonstrate possession of the claimed subject matter across the full scope of the limitation. A mere mention of a possible feature, without adequate descriptive support, is insufficient to satisfy the written description requirement. See MPEP § 2163; Ariad v. Eli Lilly.
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the enablement requirement.
The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
The claims require that the solder includes an IMC. However, the specification provides no working examples of a solder that includes an IMC, and provides no process parameters, e.g., temperature ranges, time ranges, alloy compositions, pad/pillar metallurgies, that would guide formation of the IMC. It provides no guidance as to how to control, ensure, or verify the presence of the IMC within the solder, and does not identify any particular IMC or class of IMCs encompassed by the claims.
Formation of intermetallic compounds in solder systems depends on multiple variables, including solder alloy composition, metallurgy of adjacent structures, thermal reflow profile, diffusion conditions, and interface chemistry. In view of the breadth of the claim and the limited guidance in the specification, a person of ordinary skill in the art would be required to engage in undue experimentation to determine how to reliably produce a solder that includes an IMC across the full scope of the claimed invention.
While intermetallic compounds in solder systems may be generally known in the art, the enablement requirement is not satisfied by general knowledge alone where the specification fails to provide sufficient guidance commensurate in scope with the claims. See MPEP § 2164.
Accordingly, the specification does not enable the full scope of the claimed limitation requiring that the solder includes an IMC.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-7, 9-13, 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsao (US 2016/0148891).
Regarding claim 1, Tsao (see, e.g., figs. 1 and 7C) shows all aspects of the instant invention including a package 100 comprising:
A die portion 102 comprising:
Pads 1022
Under bump metallization interconnects (UBMs) 1021 coupled to the pads
Pillar interconnects coupled to the UBMs and including first and second pillar interconnects 103, and
First and second solder interconnects 105/104
wherein:
The first pillar comprises first 1031 and second 1032 pillar portions
The first pillar portion 1031 has a first width and is coupled to and touches a first UBM 1021
The second pillar portion 1032 comprises a second width greater than the first width
The first 1031 and second 1032 pillar portions are made of the same material
The second pillar portion 1032 has a surface that faces in a direction of the die portion
The surface of the second pillar portion 1032 that faces the die portion does not touch any UBM
The second pillar 103 comprises third 1031 and fourth 1032 pillar portions
The third pillar portion 1031 has a third width and is coupled to and touches a second UBM 1021
The fourth pillar portion 1032 comprises a fourth width greater than the third width
The fourth pillar portion 1032 is coupled to and touches the third pillar portion 1031
The first solder 105/104 is coupled to and touches the second portion 1032, and
The second solder 105/104 is coupled and touches the fourth portion 1032
Regarding claim 11, Tsao (see, e.g., figs. 1 and 7C) shows all aspects of the instant invention including a package 100 comprising:
A substrate 101, and
An integrated device coupled to the substrate through a plurality of pillar 103 and solder 105/104 interconnects
wherein:
The device comprises UBMs 1021 coupled to the pillars
The pillars 103 includes first and second pillars
The first pillar includes first 1031 and second 1032 pillar portions
The first pillar portion 1031 has a first width
The second pillar portion 1032 has a second width greater than the first width
The first 1031 and second 1032 pillar portions are made of the same material
The second pillar portion 1032 comprises a surface that faces in a direction of a die portion of the device and does not touch any UBMs 1021
The second pillar portion 1032 is directly coupled to and touching a first solder 105/104
The second pillar comprises third 1031 and fourth 1032 pillar portions
The third pillar portion 1031 has a third width and is coupled to and touches an UBM 1021
The fourth pillar portion 1032 has a fourth width greater than the third width
The fourth pillar potion 1032 is coupled to and touches the third pillar portion 1031
The fourth pillar portion 1032 does not touch a UBM 1021
The fourth pillar portion 1032 is directly coupled and touches a second solder 105/104
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Tsao (see, e.g., figs. 1 and 7C) shows that the surface of the second portion 1032 is a horizontal surface that is parallel to a horizontal surface of a first pad 1022, and faces away from the substrate 101.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Tsao (see, e.g., par.0028) teaches that the first interconnect 103 is configured to provide an electrical path for input/output signals to and/or from the device 102.
Regarding claim 5, Tsao (see, e.g., fig. 7C) shows that the first pillar portion 1031 touches the second pillar portion 1032 and the first UBM 1021.
Regarding claim 15, Tsao (see, e.g., fig. 7C) shows that the third pillar portion 1031 touches the fourth pillar portion 1032 and the UBM 1021.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Tsao (see, e.g., par.0028) shows that the second pillar 103 is configured to provide an electrical path for power to the device 102.
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Tsao (see, e.g., fig. 7C) shows that the first interconnect 103 comprises a cross-section side profile having a T shape.
Regarding claim 9, Tsao (see, e.g., par.0028) shows the device wherein:
The first interconnect 103 is configured to provide an electrical path for input/output signals to and/or from the device 102
The second interconnect 103 is configured to provide an electrical path for power to the device 102
Regarding claim 10, Tsao shows the die portion 102 comprising:
A die substrate (see, e.g., par.0024/ll.1-4)
Transistors formed in and/or over the die substrate (see, e.g., par.0024/ll.11-12)
An interconnect portion located over the die substrate (see, e.g., par.0025/ll.1-3 and par.0026/1-5)
Regarding claim 20, Tsao (see, e.g., figs. 1 and 7C) shows the package 100 wherein:
A plurality of pads comprises a first pad 1022
A first UBM 1021 is coupled to and touches the first pad 1022
The surface of the second portion 1032 includes a horizontal surface that does not touch the first UBM interconnect 1021
The surface of the second portion 1032 does not touch any passivation layer 1023 and/or any dielectric layer of the device
Response to Arguments
The applicants argue:
Tsao fails to show the solder touching the bump, as it is recited in the claims.
The examiner responds:
Tsao shows these features of the claimed invention. See, e.g., fig. 1, where he shows the solder 105/104 touching the bump 103.
The applicants argue:
Tsao fails to show that the first and second pillar portions are made of the same material.
The examiner responds:
Tsao does show that the first and second pillar portions are made of the same material. See, e.g., par. 0028.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, this action is made final. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire three months from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within two months of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the three-month shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than six months from the mailing date of this final action.
Papers related to this application may be submitted directly to Art Unit 2814 by facsimile transmission. Papers should be faxed to Art Unit 2814 via the Art Unit 2814 Fax Center. The faxing of such papers must conform to the notice published in the Official Gazette, 1096 OG 30 (15 November 1989). The Art Unit 2814 Fax Center number is (571) 273-8300. The Art Unit 2814 Fax Center is to be used only for papers related to Art Unit 2814 applications.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Marcos D. Pizarro at (571) 272-1716 and between the hours of 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) Monday through Thursday or by e-mail via Marcos.Pizarro@uspto.gov. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Wael Fahmy, can be reached on (571) 272-1705.
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/Marcos D. Pizarro/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814 MDP/mdp
February 19, 2026