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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on December 17, 2025.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al (PG Pub 2021/00256893 A1) and Zhong et al (PG Pub 2023/0163115 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Wei teaches an integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising: a substrate (430, fig. 4C); a micro light emitting diode (LED) (470, paragraph [0031]) positioned over the substrate; a semiconductor die (440); one or more through vias (TGVs) (432), wherein the one or more TGVs are integrated into the substrate and the one or more TGVs connect the micro LED to the semiconductor die (fig. 4C); a package substrate (410), wherein the semiconductor die is connected to the package substrate (fig. 4C).
Wei does not teach the substrate to be glass but teaches it to be sapphire (paragraph [0056]).
In the same field of endeavor, Zhong teaches using a glass substrate instead of sapphire reduces cost (paragraph [0022]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make the substrate glass for the benefit of reducing cost.
Regarding claim 5, Wei teaches the IC package of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor die includes processing logic (paragraph [0011]).
Claim(s) 2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al (PG Pub 2021/00256893 A1) and Zhong et al (PG Pub 2023/0163115 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Shibata et al (PG Pub 2013/0221385 A1).
Regarding claim 2, the previous combination remains as applied in claim 1.
The previous combination does not teach the micro LED comprises: a plurality of nanowire cores.
In the same field of endeavor, Shibata teaches an LED (2300, fig. 35A) comprises a plurality of nanowire cores (2202) positioned over the substrate (2201); one or more gallium nitride (GaN) shells (2203/2205, paragraph [0327]) positioned over the plurality of nanowire cores, for the benefit of providing an LED with increasing light emitting area (paragraph [0003]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to make the micro LED to comprise: a plurality of nanowire cores positioned over the glass substrate; one or more gallium nitride (GaN) shells positioned over the plurality of nanowire cores, for the benefit of providing an LED with increasing light emitting area.
Regarding claim 4, Shibata teaches the IC package of claim 2, wherein the LED further comprises a transparent metal electrode (ITO 2206, paragraph [0333]) over the one or more GaN shells.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al (PG Pub 2021/00256893 A1) and Zhong et al (PG Pub 2023/0163115 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chang (PG Pub 2023/0230966 A1).
Regarding claim 8, the previous combination remains as applied in claim 1.
The previous combination does not an insulator formed over the package substrate, wherein the glass substrate is at least partially encased in the insulator.
In the same field of endeavor, Chang teaches an insulator (16, paragraph [0060]) formed over the package substrate (15), wherein the substrate (10) is at least partially encased in the insulator, for the benefit of protecting the elements within the insulator (paragraph [0064]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include an insulator formed over the package substrate, wherein the glass substrate was at least partially encased in the insulator for the benefit of protecting the elements within the insulator.
Claim(s) 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al (PG Pub 2021/00256893 A1) and Zhong et al (PG Pub 2023/0163115 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Tao et al (PG Pub 2019/0088633 A1).
Regarding claim 9, the previous combination remains as applied in claim 1.
The previous combination does not teach a copper plate.
In the same field of endeavor, Tao teaches a copper plate (copper pad at interface 306, fig. 3, paragraph [0026]), and an LED (below 306, fig. 3) is directly on the copper plate (figs. 3-6), for the benefit of providing strong bondage (paragraphs [0026][0046]).
Wei in view of Tao teaches “the one or more TGVs and the micro LED are directly on” (the bottom of) “the copper plate and the one or more TGVs directly connect to the copper plate” (to connect LED to driver 302, fig. 3 of Tao; driver 440, fig. 4C of Wei).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a copper plate, wherein the one or more TGVs and the micro LED were directly on the copper plate and the one or more TGVs directly connected to the copper plate for the benefit of providing strong bondage.
Regarding claim 10, Tao teaches the IC package of claim 9, wherein the copper plate is at least partially integrated into the substrate (fig. 3-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3,6,7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Prior art does not teach
“the plurality of nanocores comprise a silicon oxide in a glass solid state” (claim 3);
“the semiconductor die includes components configured to convert light signals from the LED to electric signals for the processing logic” (claim 6);
“the micro LED is a first micro LED and wherein the IC package comprises a second micro LED positioned over the glass substrate, wherein: the second micro LED is connected by the one or more TGVs to the semiconductor die; … and the second micro LED operates as a detector LED” (claim 7).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-1882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8am to 4pm EST.
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/FEIFEI YEUNG LOPEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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