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 Arguments
Applicant's amendment and arguments filed 4/13/2026 have been fully considered and are persuasive; the rejection has been updated to address the newly amended limitations.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakuragi (U.S. Pub #2018/0346322), in view of Hsieh et al (U.S. Pub #2011/0183456), in view of Chou et al (U.S. Pub #2013/0119493), in view of Schaller et al (U.S. Pub #2021/0323812).
With respect to claim 1, Sakuragi teaches a MEMS module comprising:
a MEMS element (Fig. 5, 3) provided with a substrate (Fig. 5, 30) in which a hollow portion (Fig. 5, 340) is formed, and including a movable portion (Fig. 5, 360 and Paragraph 76), which is a part of the substrate, around the hollow portion, the movable portion having a thickness whose shape is changeable by an air pressure difference between an air pressure inside the hollow portion and an air pressure outside the substrate; and
an electronic component, to which an output signal of the MEMS element is inputted (Paragraph 71),
a printed circuit board (Fig. 5, 1).
but does not teach an electronic component formed on the substrate,
wherein the electronic component and the MEMS element are spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the movable portion.
Hsieh teaches an electronic component formed on a MEMS substrate,
wherein the electronic component (Fig. 2J, 206; Fig. 17D, 702, etc.) and the MEMS element are spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the movable portion.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an electronic component on the substrate of Sakuragi, such that the component is spaced apart from the MEMS element, as taught by Hsieh in order to achieve the predictable result of integrating a CMOS signal sensing processing circuit on the MEMS wafer (Paragraph 6, 8, and 70).
Sakuragi and Hsieh does not teach a stress relaxation material arranged between the printed circuit board and the MEMS element and between the printed circuit board and the electronic component.
Chou teaches a MEMS element substrate (Fig. 1D, 200), a PCB (Fig. 1D, 100 and Paragraph 9), and a stress relaxation material (Fig. 1D, 201 and Paragraph 11-12) arranged between the printed circuit board and the MEMS element substrate.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a stress relaxation material between the MEMS element and electronic of the MEMS substrate of Sakuragi and Hsieh and a printed circuit board as taught by Chou in order to achieve the predictable result of attaching/bonding the MEMS element substrate while also buffering the stress in the structure (Paragraph 11-12).
Sakuragi and Hsieh does not teach
a protective film form on the substrate;
wherein the substrate includes a groove, which extends in a thickness direction of the substrate from a main surface of the substrate between the MEMS element and the electronic component, inside of the groove being hollow, and
wherein the groove is formed to penetrate the protective film and to extend into the substrate.
Schaller teaches a protective film (Fig. 2, 10; Paragraph 16; see also Fig. 8E) form on the substrate (Fig. 2, 2);
wherein the substrate includes a groove (Fig. 2, 14 and Paragraph 19), which extends in a thickness direction of the substrate from a main surface of the substrate surrounding a MEMS element (Fig. 2, 8; Paragraph 16) and the electronic component, inside of the groove being hollow (Fig. 2, 14), and
wherein the groove is formed to penetrate the protective film (Fig. 2, 10) and to extend into the substrate (Fig. 2, 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a hollow groove between the MEMS element and the electronic component of Sakuragi and Hsieh as taught by Schaller in order to decouple the MEMS element from mechanical stresses (Paragraph 20);
and to provide a protective film as taught by Schaller in order to passivate the structure (Paragraph 18).
With respect to claim 3, Hsieh teaches a first wiring (Fig. 2J, 235 and/or 240; Paragraph 46) having a region located on an outer edge side of the substrate from an end of the groove, in a direction in which the electronic component and the MEMS element (Fig. 2J, 204) are spaced apart from each other and a direction which is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the movable portion, wherein the MEMS element and the electronic component are electrically connected to the first wiring.
It is also noted that Sakuragi teaches that the MEMS element is electrically connected to the electronic component (Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to provide a first wiring connecting the MEMS elements and electronic component of Sakuragi as taught by Hsieh in order to achieve the predictable result of integrating a CMOS signal sensing processing circuit on the MEMS wafer (Paragraph 6, 8, and 70).
With respect to claim 7, Sakuragi teaches that the substrate is made of silicon (Paragraph 76).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakuragi, Hsieh, Chou, and Schaller, in view of Sakuragi et al (U.S. Pub #2013/0062713).
With respect to claim 4, Sakuragi2018 does not teach a protective film including an opening on the substrate, wherein the protective film covers at least a part of the electronic component, and wherein the opening is located above the movable portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the movable portion.
Sakuragi2013 teaches a protective film (Fig. 3a, 25 and Paragraph 347) including an opening on the substrate, wherein the protective film covers at least a part of the electronic component, and wherein the opening is located above the movable portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the movable portion.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to provide a protective film on the substrate of Sakuragi2018 as taught by Sakuragi2013 in order to passivate the substrate structures (Paragraph 347).
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sakuragi, Hsieh, Chou, and Schaller, in view of Emmerich et al (U.S. Pub #2005/0103105).
With respect to claim 5, Sakuragi does not teach a stress relaxation material having a thickness of the stress relaxation material is 35 to 80 um.
Emmerich teaches a stress relaxation material arranged between the substrate and the MEMS element,
wherein a thickness of the stress relaxation material is 35 to 80 um (Fig. 1, 11 and Paragraph 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to provide a layer having a thickness of 35-80 um between the MEMS element and printed circuit board of Sakuragi and Chou as taught by Emmerich in order to achieve good stress decoupling between the MEMS and the underlying substrate (Paragraph 18).
With respect to claim 6, Sakuragi teaches a second wiring configured to electrically connect the printed circuit board (Fig. 5, 11) and the electronic component (Fig. 5, 21), wherein the second wiring is electrically connected to the electronic component, on a side of the electronic component that is opposite to a side on which the MEMS element is located.
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 BENJAMIN P SANDVIK whose telephone number is (571)272-8446. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 10-6.
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/BENJAMIN P SANDVIK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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