DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 1/9/2026 has been entered. Claim 1 has been amended and Claims 3-4 and 9 were previously cancelled. Claims 8 and 10-15 were previously withdrawn under 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being directed to a nonelected invention. Applicant’s amendments to the claims are noted.
Therefore, claims 1-2 and 5-7 have been fully considered in examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 1/9/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding the arguments on pages 5-8, Dumoulin (WO2012066465A1) teaches wherein the first process includes forming a plurality of hatching lines parallel to each other on the first surface of the lead frame by removing palladium on the first surface using a laser to expose nickel on the first surface, thereby forming the second region (Fig. 6C, gold layers 2048 and 2046, palladium layers 2045, nickel layer 2044, and copper layer 2042 are formed on the substrate 203. By using laser, a portion of the gold layers 2048 and 2046, palladium layers 2045, nickel layer 2044 are removed. Therefore, by combining Yang’s method of forming a groove R on substrate 203 with the method of Dumoulin, the process would comprise the substrate 203 exposing the nickel layer).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
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 of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-2 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains 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, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The limitation “forming the second region by forming a plurality of hatching lines parallel to each other” lacks written description support because the specification does not describe the second region as being formed by a plurality of parallel hatching lines. Instead, Fig. 4 shows the second region as a rectangular shape.
Claims 2 and 5-7 are also rejected being dependent on rejected claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2 and 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dumoulin (WO2012066465A1), and further in view of Koyama (JP2011023768A) and Yang (CN114375093A).
Regarding claim 1, Dumoulin teaches a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device (Para [0048], device 100), comprising:
a first process of forming, by hatching, on a first surface of a lead frame (Fig. 2, main body 18, first layer 20, and second layer 22), a first region and a second region that surrounds an outer periphery of the first region (Page 6, lines 13-18 and Fig. 5, grooves 26, where the material of the second layer 22 has been completely removed to expose the first layer 20 beneath are preferably formed by irradiation with a laser beam 28), the second region is relatively lower in spreadability of solder than the first region (Page 5, lines 29-35 and Fig. 5, the first layer 20 consisting of Nickel is non-wetting and the second layer 22 consisting of Gold is wetting, i.e. the solder material, when melted, will contact the second Gold layer easily (small contact angle of a drop of liquid material on the surface), whereas the first Nickel layer will not be easily contacted (large contact angle));
a second process of disposing the solder on the first region of the lead frame such that the solder in molten form is defined by a curvature and a vertex (Page 6, lines 1-2 and Fig. 5, molten solder which has curvature shape before mounting a semiconductor element); and
a third process of pressing a semiconductor element, removably, against the solder disposed on the first region to wet and spread the solder onto the second region (Page 7, lines 36 and Figs. 7-8, electro/optical component 12 including ceramic plate 16 and positioning pads 32 is loosely placed onto the surface of substrate 10 to then be fixed in a reflow soldering process), wherein the positions the semiconductor element to make point contact with vertex of the solder in molten form prior to spreading the solder onto the second region (Fig. 7, solder material 30 has a point contact with the electro/optical component 12 and have a vertex shape of the solder in molten form prior to spreading the solder);
wherein the lead frame comprises copper (Fig. 2, main body 18 of copper) and is surface-treated with nickel-palladium (Page 2, lines 22-24, non-wetting material for the first layer are Nickel (Ni), Titanium (Ti), Titanium Tungsten alloy (TiW), Palladium (Pd) and Platinum (Pt));
wherein the second region is irradiated with a laser to remove palladium on a surface of the second region (Page 6, lines 13-18 and Fig. 5, cut-out (26) by laser irradiation of covering second layer (22), therefore, the wetting material for the second layer are Gold (Au) and Silver (Ag)).
But, Dumoulin does not teach the third process of pressing, using a collet, a semiconductor element removably coupled to the collet against the solder disposed on the first region to wet and spread the solder onto the second region.
However, Koyama teaches the third process of pressing, using a collet, a semiconductor element removably coupled to the collet against the solder disposed on the first region to wet and spread the solder onto the second region (Fig. 1, the pressing means 14 for pressing and shaping the supplied solder 12a from above the lead frame 1 is not provided. Therefore, in the mounting process, the solder 12 a is directly spread by the power transistor 2 held by the collet 16, and the molten solder is greatly spread to the region other than the elements of the lead frame 1.).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify a method of forming an assembly of soldering connection with a wetting and non-wetting metal layer of Dumoulin (WO2012066465A1) and further include an alternative bonding step of a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device by Koyama (JP2011023768A). The method of forming a semiconductor device that involves the combination of familiar elements can improved adhesion between the semiconductor elements (as described in abstract in Koyama).
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But, Dumoulin does not teach the first process includes forming a plurality of hatching lines parallel to each other on the first surface of the lead frame by removing palladium on the first surface using a laser to expose nickel on the first surface, thereby forming the second region.
However, Yang teaches the first process includes forming a plurality of hatching lines parallel to each other on the first surface of the lead frame by removing palladium on the first surface using a laser to expose nickel on the first surface, thereby forming the second region (Fig. 6C, gold layers 2048 and 2046, palladium layers 2045, nickel layer 2044, and copper layer 2042 are formed on the substrate 203. By using laser, a portion of the gold layers 2048 and 2046, palladium layers 2045, nickel layer 2044 are removed. Therefore, by combining Yang’s method of forming a groove R on substrate 203 with the method of Dumoulin, the process would comprise the substrate 203 exposing the nickel layer).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify a method of forming an assembly of soldering connection with a wetting and non-wetting metal layer of Dumoulin (WO2012066465A1) and further include a method of forming the substrate comprising a groove to remove a portion of the gold layers, palladium layers, nickel layers by Yang (CN114375093A). The method of forming a semiconductor device that involves the combination of familiar elements can reduce the time of manufacture (see translated document of Yang).
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Regarding claim 2, Dumoulin in view of Koyama and Yang teaches the manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein in the first process, at least one of the first region and the second region is formed by laser machining in the first process (Page 6, lines 13-18 and Fig. 5, grooves 26, where the material of the second layer 22 has been completely removed to expose the first layer 20 beneath are preferably formed by irradiation with a laser beam 28.).
Regarding claim 5, Dumoulin in view of Koyama and Yang teaches the manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein in the first process, a shape of the outer periphery of the first region and a shape of the outer periphery of the second region are formed to be similar to each other (Page 2, lines 25-27 and Fig. 4, A cut-out is formed in the second layer, such that a solder dam exposing said non-wetting first layer is formed delimiting a portion of the surface as a soldering pad. Such a soldering pad may be of any desired shape, such as rounded, rectangular etc.).
Regarding claim 6, Dumoulin in view of Koyama and Yang teaches the manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein in the first process, a shape of the outer periphery of the first region is formed into a circular shape or an elliptical shape in the first process (Page 2, lines 25-27 and Fig. 4, A cut-out is formed in the second layer, such that a solder dam exposing said non-wetting first layer is formed delimiting a portion of the surface as a soldering pad. Such a soldering pad may be of any desired shape, such as rounded, rectangular etc.).
Regarding claim 7, Dumoulin in view of Koyama and Yang teaches The manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein in the first process, a shape of the outer periphery of the first region is formed into a curved shape in the first process (Page 2, lines 25-27 and Fig. 4, A cut-out is formed in the second layer, such that a solder dam exposing said non-wetting first layer is formed delimiting a portion of the surface as a soldering pad. Such a soldering pad may be of any desired shape, such as rounded, rectangular etc.).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAHAE KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1844. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Fernando Toledo can be reached at (571) 271-1867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FERNANDO L TOLEDO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JAHAE KIM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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