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 1-20 are pending in this application.
Applicant elected Species 1, Fig. 1 (claims 1-4, 13, and 15-20) in the reply filed on July 9, 2025.
Claims 5-12 and 14 remain withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 9, 2025.
The Examiner notes that claims 1-4, 13, and 15-20 are elected and claims 5-12, and 14 are withdrawn.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. FR2111530, filed on October 29, 2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on February 9, 2026 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s Amendment filed December 2, 2025. Claims 1, 3, 4, 15-17, and 19 are amended. Claims 5-12 and 14 remain withdrawn. The Examiner notes that claims 1-4, 13, and 15-20 are examined.
Claim Objections
Claims 17-20 objected to because of the following informalities:
“a plurality of a thermally-conductive pillar “should read “a plurality of thermally-conductive pillars”
“a thermally conductive pillar of the plurality of a thermally-conductive pillar “should read “a thermally conductive pillar of the plurality of thermally-conductive pillars”
Appropriate correction is required.
Dependent claims 18-20 are objected to at least on the same basis as the claims from which they depend.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 17-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "the electronic chip" in ln. 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of this Action, “the electronic chip” will be interpreted to read “the die” which does have antecedent basis in claim 17.
Dependent claims 18-20 are rejected at least on the same basis as the claims from which they depend.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen (US 2020/0135613 A1)
With respect to claim 17, Chen teaches:
A semiconductor package (system on a chip), comprising:
a die (chip 15) having a first surface (bottom) and a second surface (top) opposite to the first surface;
a substrate (substrate 50) coupled to the die (15),
the first surface of the die (bottom of 15) facing the substrate (50);
a thermally-conductive cover (para 43, “the lid 65 is made of a heat conductive material);
and a plurality of a thermally-conductive pillar (solder layer 85 and spaced apart conductive pillars 90) each including a first end coupled (bottom) to the second surface of the die (top of 15) and a second end (top end) coupled to the thermally-conductive cover (65).
With respect to claim 18, Chen further teaches:
comprising electrical connection elements (solder bumps 35) coupled between the first surface of the die (15) and the substrate (50).
With respect to claim 19, Chen further teaches:
wherein the first portion of the thermally-conductive pillar (90) is copper (para. 56 “In some embodiments, the conductive pillar is made of copper”).
With respect to claim 20, Chen further teaches:
wherein the thermally-conductive cover (65) is coupled to the substrate (50) through a coupling layer (bond between lid and chip described in para. 69).
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 1-3, 13, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 2020/0135613 A1) in view of Gotro (Polymer Innovation Blog, 2018).
With respect to claim 1, Chen teaches in Fig. 29:
An electronic device (system on a chip), comprising:
an electronic chip (chip 15) comprising a first surface (bottom) and a second surface (top) opposite to the first surface,
a substrate (substrate 50) having a third surface (top surface of 50),
the first surface of the electronic chip (bottom of 15) mounted on the third surface of the substrate (top of 50);
a thermally-conductive cover (para 43, “the lid 65 is made of a heat conductive material) comprising a transverse portion (horizontal top portion) at least partially over the second surface of the electronic chip (15);
and at least one thermally-conductive pillar (spaced apart conductive pillars 90 and solder layer 85) coupled between the second surface of the electronic chip (15) and the transverse portion of the thermally-conductive cover (65).
wherein a thermally-conductive pillar (one pillar of 90 and 85) of the at least one thermally-conductive pillar includes a first portion (85) in direct contact with the second surface of the electronic chip (top of 15) and a second portion (85) in direct contact with the transverse portion of the thermally-conductive cover (65),
the second portion (85) of the thermally-conductive pillar being a metal solder alloy (para. 54 “solder layer 85 is made of a tin-containing alloy, such as PbSn, AgSn, SnAgCu, CuSnNi, AgCuSbSn, AuSn, or CuSn”),
and the first portion (90) of the thermally-conductive pillar being a conductive material different from the metal solder alloy of the second portion (para. 56 “In some embodiments, the conductive pillar is made of copper”).
Chen is silent to:
the first surface including an active area;
Gotro teaches about flip-chip packages in para. 3:
the first surface including an active area;
(“the chip is oriented with the active side down”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have an active side on the bottom side of the chip in the flip-chip package of Chen. The claim would have been obvious because the technique of having the active side on the bottom of a flip-chip was part of the ordinary capabilities of a person of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the teaching of the technique Gotro. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
With respect to claim 2, Chen further teaches:
wherein the at least one thermally-conductive pillar (90 and 85) includes a metal pillar (conductive pillar 90).
With respect to claim 3, Chen further teaches:
wherein the first portion of the thermally-conductive pillar (90) is copper (para. 56 “In some embodiments, the conductive pillar is made of copper”)
With respect to claim 13, Chen further teaches:
wherein the thermally-conductive cover is metal (para. 43 “the lid is made of aluminum, copper, nickel, cobalt, and alloys thereof, or other thermally conductive materials”).
With respect to claim 15, Chen teaches:
A method of manufacturing an electronic device (system on a chip),
the method comprising:
forming at least one thermally-conductive pillar (spaced apart conductive pillars 90 and solder layer 85) on a second surface (top) of an electronic chip (chip 15) that is opposite to a first surface (bottom) of the electronic chip (15),
mounting the electronic chip (15) on a third surface (top surface) of a substrate (substrate 50),
the first surface of the electronic chip (bottom of 15) facing the third surface of the substrate (top of 50);
and arranging a thermally-conductive cover (para 43, “the lid 65 is made of a heat conductive material) over the electronic chip (15),
a thermally-conductive cover including a transverse portion (top horizontal portion of 65) facing the second surface of the electronic chip (15),
the transverse portion being in contact with the at least one thermally-conductive pillar (in contact with pillars that comprise 90 and 85).
wherein a thermally-conductive pillar (one pillar of 90 and 85) of the at least one thermally-conductive pillar includes a first portion (85) in direct contact with the second surface of the electronic chip (top of 15) and a second portion (85) in direct contact with the transverse portion of the thermally-conductive cover (65),
the second portion (85) of the thermally-conductive pillar being a metal solder alloy (para. 54 “solder layer 85 is made of a tin-containing alloy, such as PbSn, AgSn, SnAgCu, CuSnNi, AgCuSbSn, AuSn, or CuSn”),
and the first portion (90) of the thermally-conductive pillar being a conductive material different from the metal solder alloy of the second portion (para. 56 “In some embodiments, the conductive pillar is made of copper”).
Chen is silent to:
the first surface having an active area;
Gotro teaches about flip-chip packages in para. 3:
the first surface having an active area;
(“the chip is oriented with the active side down”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have an active side on the bottom side of the chip in the flip-chip package of Chen. The claim would have been obvious because the technique of having the active side on the bottom of a flip-chip was part of the ordinary capabilities of a person of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the teaching of the technique Gotro. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
With respect to claim 16, Chen further teaches:
wherein the first portion of the thermally-conductive pillar (90) is copper (para. 56 “In some embodiments, the conductive pillar is made of copper”).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (US 2020/0135613 A1) in view of Gotro (Polymer Innovation Blog, 2018) as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Chiu (US 2006/0270106 A1).
With respect to claim 4, Chen/Gotro teaches all limitations of claim 1 upon which claim 4 depends, Chen further teaches:
the at least one thermally-conductive pillar (90 and 85) comprises a first thermally-conductive pillar (one of the pillars) and a second thermally-conductive pillar (another of the pillars),
wherein the second thermally-conductive pillar has a circular cross section (see Fig. 23 for cross-sections of 85 and 90)
Chen/Gotro fails to teach:
the first thermally-conductive pillar has an oblong cross section
Chiu teaches:
the first thermally-conductive pillar (metallic island 210 in top let of Fig. 2b)) has an oblong cross section (metallic island is an elongated rectangle)
Chiu further teaches that the plurality of metallic islands of different shape and size are place on the die according to the load of the circuitry (para. 30 “A normal integrated circuit die will have hot spots on its surface that are dependent upon the circuitry located at the spots. Therefore, it may not be necessary to provide the same amount of thermal conductivity across the entire surface of the integrated circuit die. “)
Chen/Gotro discloses the claimed invention except for the oblong pillars. Chiu teaches that it is known to make metallic thermal dissipation structures of different sizes and shapes on the same die including oblong structures. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Chen/Gotro to include oblong pillars as taught by Chiu, since Chiu states at para. 30 that such a modification would ensure heat dissipation is sufficient at hot spots while reducing damage caused by differential thermal expansion. See MPEP 2144.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 15, and their dependents have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 AARON MICHAEL WEGNER whose telephone number is (571)270-7647. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 5 PM.
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/A.M.W./Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JACOB Y CHOI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897