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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 8/6/2026 has been entered.
The previous prior art rejection under Anzai et al. (JP 2017219850), Anzai in view of Tomohito et
Al. (TW 202003637) and Anzai in view of Tomohito and further in view of Takemura (US 20170298186) maintained.
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 1-12 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anzai (JP 2017219850 in view of Tomohito et al. (TW 202003637), both cited in IDS and previous Office Action.
5. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anzai in view of Tomohito
and further in view of Takemura et al. (US 20170298186), cited in previous Office Action.
Amendments to claims 1 and 11 are considered.
It is noted that a partial content of dependent claim 11 is incorporated into independent claim 1.
As a result, claim 1 rejection under 35 USC over Anzai alone is replaced by the rejection over Anzai (JP 2017219850 in view of Tomohito.
The rejection above incorporates the rejections of both claims 1 and 11.
The rejection can be found in the NON-FINAL office action mailed 1/23/2026 and is herein incorporated by reference.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/6/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that polyimide is not well defined. It may contain vast variety of diamine and dianhydride residues. Thus, the references above do not meet the limitations related to the composition properties.
Examiner disagrees. Firstly, instant Application itself lists vast variety of diamines and dianhydrides (see printed publication at 0146-0148 and Examples 1-7). Secondly, Applicant does not properly demonstrate a criticality of the particular structure in view of modulus values.
Applicant argues that As demonstrated in Table 3 of the present specification, when the specific
polyimide precursor of claim 1 is used, and the specific storage modulus ratio G2/G1 is
0.05 or less (Examples 1 to 8), the resin composition remarkably suppresses void
generation in chip-to-wafer hybrid bonding, unlike other resins (Comparative Example 1)
or inorganic films (Comparative Example 2). These highly specific physical properties
and the resulting technical effects are not disclosed by Tomohito.
Examiner disagrees. Tomohito’s and Applicant’s polyimides have similarities of the structural elements used. In particular, in instant Examples 1-7 a polyimide based on 4,4'-oxydiphthalic dianhydride (ODPA) is used, while diamines are varied. The same monomer applied in Tomohito’s Production Examples 3 and 7.
Applicant submits that while Anzai is directed to a general interlayer insulating film, Tomohito is directed to improving adhesion to copper and preventing a step after CMP.
Examiner disagrees. Anzai teaches a photosensitive film for producing a cured film having excellent adhesion to a polybenzoxazole resin, a Si substrate, and a Cu substrate, high resolution and heat resistance, and a side surface of an opening having a forward taper type.
Tomohito discloses a semiconductor device including a substrate as a semiconductor element and a
cured film of resin formed on the substrate by cured film manufacturing method. The semiconductor
device can be formed as a surface protective film, an interlayer insulating film, an insulating film for
redistribution, a protective film for a flip-chip device, or a semiconductor having a bump structure.
Thus, both applications demand high adhesiveness to a substrate.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY LISTVOYB whose telephone number is (571)272-6105. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Heidi Riviere Kelley can be reached at (571) 270-1831. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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GL
/GREGORY LISTVOYB/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1765
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