DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicant's amendments filed August 13th and 22nd, 2025 have been entered. Claims 1, 4, and 6-8 have been amended. Claim 5 has been cancelled. Claims 9-10 have been added.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Ono (as the primary reference) made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Leslie made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Boek made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection has been applied.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Isobe (as the primary reference) made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection has been applied.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Dahlberg (as the primary reference) made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection has been applied.
The Section 102/103 rejections over Yamamauchi (as the primary reference) made in the Office action mailed April 15th, 2025 have been withdrawn due to Applicant’s amendments. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection has been applied.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 13th, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that since Hayashi wants a high etching rate that is counter to both Cai (and Iwao) due to a higher taper being formed. The Examiner disagrees.
Applicant does not cite wherein in Cai and Iwao where higher etching rates lead to higher tapers. One could possibly derive from the laser modified etching rate E1 and non-laser modified etching rate E2 forming an etch rate ratio being from 1 to 50, preferably higher [0116] and that a non-modified etch rate is less than about 2 µm/min, preferably less than 0.9 µm/min [0042, 0141]. Hayashi teaches an etch rate of greater than 25 µm every 30 mins (0.83 µm/min) [0077], with a preferable rate being between 1 and 1.33 µm/min. This would be within the desired, while not preferred rate.
However, more importantly, Hayashi is used as a teaching reference, wherein Hayashi teaches the oxides of arsenic, lead, titanium, and zinc being within the claimed ranges and/or motivates why one of ordinary skill in the art, despite the remainder of the glass composition would prefer these being in the claimed ranges, independent of the etching rate. It is not necessary for this secondary reference to contain all the features of the presently claimed invention, In re Nievelt, 482 F.2d 965, 179 USPQ 224, 226 (CCPA 1973), In re Keller 624 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871, 881 (CCPA 1981).
Regarding the range of TiO2, the fact that the inventor has recognized another advantage which would flow naturally from following the suggestion of the prior art cannot be the basis for patentability when the differences would otherwise be obvious. See Ex parte Obiaya, 227 USPQ 58, 60 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1985). Both Hayashi (display substrate not having etched holes) and/or Iwao (interposer having etched holes) teach compelling reasons (desirable UV light transmittance/suppressing coloration) for providing TiO2 an amount substantially overlapping with or substantially within the claimed range [Iwao; less than 0.1 mol% & Hayashi; 0-0.03 mol% or 0.001-0.03 mol%]. More evidence must be provided if Applicant intends to prove the range of TiO2 is critical.
Furthermore, the Examiner was able to find additional references, such as Cai et al. (WO 2022/026348 A1) that further narrow the range of TiO2, such as 0-0.01 mol% [00173] and do so in the context of a composition for an interposer or micro-LED substrate [0003] having a plurality of holes formed by laser modification followed by etching forming holes having small diameters/dimensions of 100 µm at a tight pitch (a hole-to-hole distance 50 µm or less [0005, 0071, 00111, 0152] at a high aspect ratio (substrate thickness/diameter) of 1:1 or greater such as about 5:1 to about 30:1 (calculated taper angle of about 1.9° to 11.3°), such as a 150 µm Eagle XG glass having laser modified damage tracks that could be formed at any pitch [0152] forming via holes of a 13 µm diameter and an aspect ratio of 11:1 used to calculate a final glass thickness of 143 µm (7 µm/4.7% change) and a calculated taper using equation 1 comprising 5.2°, or a similar but improved alkali-free composition within the claimed ranges specifically requiring boron oxide to be at 5 mol% or greater, preferably above 6.5 mol% due to the formation of a gel layer that slows the etching process and forms more cylindrical (lower taper angle) holes [Table 1, 00164-00173, 00178, 00181].
Claim Objections
It is recommended that dependent claims not contain redundant limitations for clarity purposes. For instance, claims 6 and 9-10 all contain oxides having identical ranges, only the boron oxide range being different. It is recommended that the claim only contain boron oxide and other dependent claims only contain ranges that have narrowed after the first claim to prevent redundancy or even 112, 4th paragraph issues.
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 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boek et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0247615 A1) (hereinafter “Boek”) as evidenced by Ellison (U.S. Pub. No. 7,851,394 B2) (hereinafter “Ellison”) and PTAB (IPR2025-00439: Caihong Display Devices Co. Ltd. Vs Corning Inc.) (hereinafter “PTAB”), and optionally in view of Iwao et al. (JP 2019-038723 A) (hereinafter “Iwao”) and further Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0044223 A1) (hereinafter “Hayashi”).
Regarding claims 7-10, Boek teaches a glass substrate comprising a high-density, high positional accuracy array of high aspect ratio through holes in a glass substrate, produced via laser modification followed by etching, at a hole pitch as low as 200 µm [0024-0027], wherein in an example the etch holes may comprise a top diameter of 65 µm and a bottom diameter of 19 µm [0036], wherein the 0.62 mm final thickness glass substrate was decreased form 0.63 mm by 10 µm in thickness (~0.016/1.6%), and the top diameter and final thickness values giving a calculated taper angle of about 6°, wherein the example uses Eagle XG® glass [0026, 0031].
However, the composition of Eagle XG is not taught by Boek.
Ellison evidences the compositional boundaries of Eagle XG, as evidenced by PTAB [Introduction, pg. 1], as being an alkali-free, boroaluminosilicate glass comprising SiO2: 64.0-71.0 mol%, Al2O3: 9.0-12.0 mol%, B2O3: 7.0-12.0 mol%, MgO: 1.0-3.0 mol%, CaO: 6.0-11.5 mol%, SrO: 0-2.0 mol%, BaO: 0-0.1 mol%, As2O3 and Sb2O3 being at most 0.05 mol% [col. 4], wherein TiO2 and ZnO can be included but are optional (~0 mol%), wherein CuO is not stated to be contained and is assumed to not be included.
In the event that the mol% range for TiO2 is not fully taught/motivated:
Iwao teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer [0002], using laser modification and then etching to provide a plurality of high accuracy and precision-formed through holes [0008], such as for an interposer for high-frequency uses, wherein the through holes are formed via a process of laser irradiation followed by wet etching [0001-0004, 0008, 0011, 0015], wherein the boroaluminosilicate glass can comprise TiO2 and CuO but if so, TiO2 and CuO are ultraviolet absorbing and are preferably contained in amounts less than 0.1 mol%, especially if an ultraviolet resin is used for mounting [0011, 0019, 0023-0024, 0045-0046].
Further, Hayashi teaches an alkali-free, etchable glass substrate, wherein the inclusion of TiO2 can enhance meltability by lowering viscosity at high temperature and also chemical durability, however in large amounts it lowers light transmittance and is such preferably in amounts of preferably 0.03 mol% or less, and when included, it being only in extremely small amounts 0.001% or more [0053].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide a glass substrate comprising a plurality of high density and positional accuracy through holes formed in an identical manner with titanium dioxide in the claimed range. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to provide the ability to mount via UV resins [Iwao], wherein the small amount contained could be further optimized for prevention of coloration and enhancement of UV-transparency [Hayashi].
Claims 1-4 & 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Isobe (U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0295652 A1) (hereinafter “Isobe”) in view of Cai et al. (WO 2022/026348 A1) (hereinafter “WO Cai”), optionally Iwao et al. (JP 2019-038723 A) (hereinafter “Iwao”) and further Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0044223 A1) (hereinafter “Hayashi”).
Regarding claims 7-10, Isobe teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer or the like [0004, 0008], having a plurality of through holes, wherein the process of forming a through hole is the result of modification as the result of laser irradiation followed by etching [0009-0012], wherein during the etching process the thickness of the substrate decreases from d0 to d2, which is preferably suppressed [0047, 0063, 0075, 0077], wherein in multiple examples an alkali-free glass substrate having an initial thickness of 400 µm is etched to second/final thickness of 360 µm [0117, 0124, 0130,0138, 0141] for a difference in thickness of 40 µm giving a removal ratio of 0.1 (10%), wherein final glass substrate having a thickness of 360 µm (0.36 mm) the plurality of through holes each comprise a first surface opening diameter of 46.3 giving a ratio of final thickness to first opening diameter (d2/Rt2) of approximately 7.8 [0126, Table 1], giving a calculated taper angle of about 7.3°.
However, the pitch of the holes and the exact composition of the alkali-free glass is not taught.
WO Cai teaches an alkali-free boroalumino silicate glass composition for an interposer or micro-LED substrate [0003] having a plurality of holes formed by laser modification followed by etching forming holes having small diameters/dimensions of 100 µm at a tight pitch (a hole-to-hole distance 50 µm or less [0005, 0071, 00111, 0152] at a high aspect ratio (substrate thickness/diameter) of 1:1 or greater such as about 5:1 to about 30:1 (calculated taper angle of about 1.9° to 11.3°), such as a 150 µm Eagle XG glass having laser modified damage tracks that could be formed at any pitch from 50 microns to 300 microns [00151-00152], wherein a 100 microns pitch is taught as representative for interposers [0023, 00119, Figs. 8-9], forming via holes of a 13 µm diameter and an aspect ratio of 11:1 used to calculate a final glass thickness of 143 µm (7 µm/4.7% change) and a calculated taper using equation 1 comprising 5.2°, or a similar but improved alkali-free, wherein “free” means that a component may be present only as a contaminant such as 500 ppm or less (>0.05 mol%) [00187], composition comprising SiO2 in 40-80 mol%, in some embodiments being 50-70 mol% [00166], 0-10 mol% CaO, 0-10 mol% MgO, 0-10 mol% SrO, 0-15 mol% BaO [00168], 0-15 mol% Al2O3 [00169], 0-15 mol% B2O3 wherein it is desired to provide B2O3 at 5 mol% or greater, preferably above 6.5 mol% due to the formation of a gel layer that slows the etching process and forms more cylindrical (lower taper angle) holes [00172, 00178, 00181], wherein ZnO, TiO2, Sb2O3, and As2O3 can optionally be included as coloring or fining agents in amounts of 0-3 mol%, such as 0-0.01 mol%, wherein CuO is not stated to be contained and is assumed to not be included.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide an alkali-free glass composition having each of the oxides within the claimed ranges wherein the via holes are formed at a pitch within the claimed range. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to form via holes at a pitch representative for interposers [00119] providing an alkali-free glass composition that would result in substantially cylindrical holes (having little to no taper) [00133, 00181].
In the event that the mol% ranges for TiO2, CuO, ZnO, Sb2O3, and As2O3 are not fully taught/motivated:
Iwao teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer [0002], using laser modification and then etching to provide a plurality of high accuracy and precision-formed through holes [0008], such as for an interposer for high-frequency uses, wherein the through holes are formed via a process of laser irradiation followed by wet etching [0001-0004, 0008, 0011, 0015], wherein the boroaluminosilicate glass can comprise TiO2 and CuO but if so, TiO2 and CuO are ultraviolet absorbing and are preferably contained in amounts less than 0.1 mol%, especially if an ultraviolet resin is used for mounting [0011, 0019, 0023-0024, 0045-0046].
Further, Hayashi teaches an alkali-free, etchable glass substrate, wherein the inclusion of TiO2 can enhance meltability by lowering viscosity at high temperature and also chemical durability, however in large amounts it lowers light transmittance and is such preferably in amounts of preferably 0.03 mol% or less, and when included, it being only in extremely small amounts 0.001% or more [0053], wherein the inclusion of ZnO can help improve meltability and BHF resistance, but in amounts not too large as it is liable to cause the glass to devitrify or lower the strain point, and is such preferably included in 0 to 5 mol%, preferably 0-1 moL% [0051], and wherein Sb2O3 and As2O3 are known fining agents, but are also substances of concern and is desirable to use in as small amounts as possible, particularly preferably less than 0.003% [0054-0055].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide a glass substrate comprising a plurality of high density and positional accuracy through holes formed in an identical manner with claimed oxides in the claimed ranges. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to provide the ability to mount via UV resins [Iwao], wherein the small amount contained could be further optimized for prevention of coloration and enhancement of UV-transparency [Hayashi], to provide meltability and BHF resistance without devitrification or lowering the strain point [Hayashi], and to provide substances of environmental concern in as small amounts as possible [Hayashi].
Claims 1-4 & 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dahlberg (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0342451 A1) (hereinafter “Dahlberg”) as evidenced by Ellison (U.S. Pub. No. 7,851,394 B2) (hereinafter “Ellison”) and PTAB (IPR2025-00439: Caihong Display Devices Co. Ltd. Vs Corning Inc.) (hereinafter “PTAB”), and optionally in view of Iwao et al. (JP 2019-038723 A) (hereinafter “Iwao”) and further Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0044223 A1) (hereinafter “Hayashi”).
Regarding claims 1-4 and 6-10, Dahlberg teaches silica containing glass substrates comprising a plurality of through vias formed by a laser irradiation/modification and etch process [0050], wherein the thickness of the glass substrate being in the range of 50 µm to 1 mm, such as 100 µm to 500 µm (0.1 to 0.5 mm) [0038], a pitch of the vias being 10 to 2,000 µm, such as about 50 µm or in a range of 10 to 100 µm, wherein the pitch may vary between vias [0039], wherein the hourglass via contains an upper/first tapered region and a lower/fourth tapered region each having a taper angle, wherein the taper angle is less than 5°, the first and fourth tapered portions flanking the second and third tapered portions having second and third taper angles that may or may not be the same [0047], wherein in an example having an initial thickness of 0.36 mm, with the damage tracks/vias being formed at a pitch of 150 µm forming a first diameter and second diameter of 49.5 µm and 51.2 µm, respectively and having a total length (L1+L2+L3+L4) of 300 µm for a thickness reduction of 60 µm (0.167/16.7%) and a calculated taper angle being about 9.4°-9.7°, wherein while the inventive glass is preferably at least 75 mol% silica, such as fused silica (low alkali glass) [0031, 0035, 0072], the method of forming desirably shaped holes as set forth may also be used on glass substrates having less than or equal to 75 mol%, such as Eagle XG® and Gorilla® Glass [0036].
Ellison evidences the compositional boundaries of Eagle XG, as evidenced by PTAB [Introduction, pg. 1], as being an alkali-free, boroaluminosilicate glass comprising SiO2: 64.0-71.0 mol%, Al2O3: 9.0-12.0 mol%, B2O3: 7.0-12.0 mol%, MgO: 1.0-3.0 mol%, CaO: 6.0-11.5 mol%, SrO: 0-2.0 mol%, BaO: 0-0.1 mol%, As2O3 and Sb2O3 being at most 0.05 mol% [col. 4], wherein TiO2 and ZnO can be included but are optional (~0 mol%), wherein CuO is not stated to be contained and is assumed to not be included.
In the event that the mol% ranges for TiO2, CuO, and ZnO are not fully taught/motivated:
Iwao teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer [0002], using laser modification and then etching to provide a plurality of high accuracy and precision-formed through holes [0008], such as for an interposer for high-frequency uses, wherein the through holes are formed via a process of laser irradiation followed by wet etching [0001-0004, 0008, 0011, 0015], wherein the boroaluminosilicate glass can comprise TiO2 and CuO but if so, TiO2 and CuO are ultraviolet absorbing and are preferably contained in amounts less than 0.1 mol%, especially if an ultraviolet resin is used for mounting [0011, 0019, 0023-0024, 0045-0046].
Further, Hayashi teaches an alkali-free, etchable glass substrate, wherein the inclusion of TiO2 can enhance meltability by lowering viscosity at high temperature and also chemical durability, however in large amounts it lowers light transmittance and is such preferably in amounts of preferably 0.03 mol% or less, and when included, it being only in extremely small amounts 0.001% or more [0053], wherein the inclusion of ZnO can help improve meltability and BHF resistance, but in amounts not too large as it is liable to cause the glass to devitrify or lower the strain point, and is such preferably included in 0 to 5 mol%, preferably 0-1 moL% [0051].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide a glass substrate comprising a plurality of high density and positional accuracy through holes formed in an identical manner with claimed oxides in the claimed ranges. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to provide the ability to mount via UV resins [Iwao], wherein the small amount contained could be further optimized for prevention of coloration and enhancement of UV-transparency [Hayashi] and to provide meltability and BHF resistance without devitrification or lowering the strain point [Hayashi].
Claims 1-4 & 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamauchi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0347643 A1) (hereinafter “Yamauchi”) as evidenced by Sato et al. (Ultra-miniaturized and Surface-mountable Glass-based 3D IPAC Packages for RF modules) and Kobayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2023/0046712 A1) (hereinafter “Kobayashi”), in view of Peuchert (U.S. Pub. No. 2002/0183188 A1) (hereinafter “Peuchert”) and optionally Iwao et al. (JP 2019-038723 A) (hereinafter “Iwao”) and further Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0044223 A1) (hereinafter “Hayashi”)
OR
Yamauchi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0347643 A1) (hereinafter “Yamauchi”) in view of Cai et al. (WO 2022/026348 A1) (hereinafter “WO Cai”), optionally Iwao et al. (JP 2019-038723 A) (hereinafter “Iwao”) and further Hayashi et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0044223 A1) (hereinafter “Hayashi”).
Regarding claims 1-3, 5, and 7-8, Yamauchi teaches a method of forming a glass substrate comprising a plurality of through holes formed by laser irradiation/modification and etching, wherein in an example an alkali-free boro-aluminosilicate glass, EN-A1, having an initial thickness of 0.4 mm and a plurality of laser damage columns at a pitch of 200 µm, the etching step comprises a first step having an etching rate of 4 µm/min for 3 minutes and a second step having an etching rate of 3 µm/min for 6 minutes to execute etching of 30 µm, for an adjusted final thickness of 340 µm (0.15/15%) and a second surface opening diameter 65 µm [0046-0051], for calculated taper angle of 10.8°.
However, the compositional qualities other than that the alkali-free boro-aluminosilicate glass contains SiO2, Al2O3, B2O3, and substantially does not include Li2O, Na2O, and K2O (~0 mol%) are not taught.
Kobayashi evidences an EN-A1 glass substrate [0076] as fitting the parameters of SiO2 more preferably comprising 50-70 wt%, Al2O3 more preferably comprising 0-15 wt%, B2O3 more preferably comprising 0-10 wt%, MgO preferably 0 to 25 wt%, CaO more preferably 0-15 wt%, SrO preferably 0-10 wt%, and BaO more preferably 0-15 wt%, TiO2 preferably 0-5 wt% [0022-0036], wherein the wt% values are result effective variables and often similar to/overlapping with mol% values, unless substantially heavy metals (and oxides thereof) are being included in significant amounts, wherein Sato further evidences that the Asahi Glass Company developed EN-A1 borosilicate glass excellent for RF (interposer) applications using the float process.
Peuchert teaches an alkali-free aluminoborosilicate glass, wherein alkali-free means alkali metal oxides are contained in amounts less than 1500 ppm (~0.15 wt%) [0029], wherein refining agents Sb2O3, and As2O3 are omitted when a glass is formed by the float process [0032, 0052], wherein ZnO is required by the float process but at levels not greater than 1.5 wt%, higher amounts of which can cause deposits on the glass surface [0028].
In the event that the mol% range for TiO2 is not fully taught/motivated:
Iwao teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer [0002], using laser modification and then etching to provide a plurality of high accuracy and precision-formed through holes [0008], such as for an interposer for high-frequency uses, wherein the through holes are formed via a process of laser irradiation followed by wet etching [0001-0004, 0008, 0011, 0015], wherein the boroaluminosilicate glass can comprise TiO2 and CuO but if so, TiO2 and CuO are ultraviolet absorbing and are preferably contained in amounts less than 0.1 mol%, especially if an ultraviolet resin is used for mounting [0011, 0019, 0023-0024, 0045-0046].
Further, Hayashi teaches an alkali-free, etchable glass substrate, wherein the inclusion of TiO2 can enhance meltability by lowering viscosity at high temperature and also chemical durability, however in large amounts it lowers light transmittance and is such preferably in amounts of preferably 0.03 mol% or less, and when included, it being only in extremely small amounts 0.001% or more [0053].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide EN-A1 alkali free, boroalumino silicate glass with the oxides being substantially within the claimed range. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to provide the float glass with the proper oxide levels [Peuchert] and provide the interposer with the ability to mount via UV resins [Iwao], wherein the small amount of UV-absorbing components contained could be further optimized for prevention of coloration and enhancement of UV-transparency [Hayashi].
OR
WO Cai teaches an alkali-free boroalumino silicate glass composition for an interposer or micro-LED substrate [0003] having a plurality of holes formed by laser modification followed by etching forming holes having small diameters/dimensions of 100 µm at a tight pitch (a hole-to-hole distance 50 µm or less [0005, 0071, 00111, 0152] at a high aspect ratio (substrate thickness/diameter) of 1:1 or greater such as about 5:1 to about 30:1 (calculated taper angle of about 1.9° to 11.3°), such as a 150 µm Eagle XG glass having laser modified damage tracks that could be formed at any pitch from 50 microns to 300 microns [00151-00152], wherein a 100 microns pitch is taught as representative for interposers [0023, 00119, Figs. 8-9], forming via holes of a 13 µm diameter and an aspect ratio of 11:1 used to calculate a final glass thickness of 143 µm (7 µm/4.7% change) and a calculated taper using equation 1 comprising 5.2°, or a similar but improved alkali-free, wherein “free” means that a component may be present only as a contaminant such as 500 ppm or less (>0.05 mol%) [00187], composition comprising SiO2 in 40-80 mol%, in some embodiments being 50-70 mol% [00166], 0-10 mol% CaO, 0-10 mol% MgO, 0-10 mol% SrO, 0-15 mol% BaO [00168], 0-15 mol% Al2O3 [00169], 0-15 mol% B2O3 wherein it is desired to provide B2O3 at 5 mol% or greater, preferably above 6.5 mol% due to the formation of a gel layer that slows the etching process and forms more cylindrical (lower taper angle) holes [00172, 00178, 00181], wherein ZnO, TiO2, Sb2O3, and As2O3 can optionally be included as coloring or fining agents in amounts of 0-3 mol%, such as 0-0.01 mol%, wherein CuO is not stated to be contained and is assumed to not be included.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide an alkali-free glass composition having each of the oxides within the claimed ranges wherein the via holes are formed at a pitch within the claimed range. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to form via holes at a pitch representative for interposers [00119] providing an alkali-free glass composition that would result in substantially cylindrical holes (having little to no taper) [00133, 00181].
In the event that the mol% ranges for TiO2, CuO, ZnO, Sb2O3, and As2O3 are not fully taught/motivated:
Iwao teaches a glass substrate, usable as an interposer [0002], using laser modification and then etching to provide a plurality of high accuracy and precision-formed through holes [0008], such as for an interposer for high-frequency uses, wherein the through holes are formed via a process of laser irradiation followed by wet etching [0001-0004, 0008, 0011, 0015], wherein the boroaluminosilicate glass can comprise TiO2 and CuO but if so, TiO2 and CuO are ultraviolet absorbing and are preferably contained in amounts less than 0.1 mol%, especially if an ultraviolet resin is used for mounting [0011, 0019, 0023-0024, 0045-0046].
Further, Hayashi teaches an alkali-free, etchable glass substrate, wherein the inclusion of TiO2 can enhance meltability by lowering viscosity at high temperature and also chemical durability, however in large amounts it lowers light transmittance and is such preferably in amounts of preferably 0.03 mol% or less, and when included, it being only in extremely small amounts 0.001% or more [0053], wherein the inclusion of ZnO can help improve meltability and BHF resistance, but in amounts not too large as it is liable to cause the glass to devitrify or lower the strain point, and is such preferably included in 0 to 5 mol%, preferably 0-1 moL% [0051], and wherein Sb2O3 and As2O3 are known fining agents, but are also substances of concern and is desirable to use in as small amounts as possible, particularly preferably less than 0.003% [0054-0055].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to provide a glass substrate comprising a plurality of high density and positional accuracy through holes formed in an identical manner with claimed oxides in the claimed ranges. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to provide the ability to mount via UV resins [Iwao], wherein the small amount contained could be further optimized for prevention of coloration and enhancement of UV-transparency [Hayashi], to provide meltability and BHF resistance without devitrification or lowering the strain point [Hayashi], and to provide substances of environmental concern in as small amounts as possible [Hayashi].
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 JEFFREY A VONCH whose telephone number is (571)270-1134. The Examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Frank J Vineis can be reached at (571)270-1547. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEFFREY A VONCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781 November 21st, 2025