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 .
Election/Restrictions
The 12/15/2025 "Reply" elects without traverse and identifies claims 1-3 and 5-18 as being drawn to Species A1. Accordingly, Examiner has withdrawn claim 4 from further consideration as being drawn to a non-elected invention. See, for example, 37 CFR § 1.142(b).
The 10/21/2025 restriction requirement is proper, is maintained, and is hereby made final.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: “…the second conductive layer is provided one each such that the second conductive layer is close to the first corner portion…” should be “…the second conductive layer is provided . Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3, 5-7, 11, and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka (US Pub. No. 2018/0130587).
Regarding claim 1, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses a semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor chip that has a principal surface (top surface of 42); a first conductive layer (26, paragraph [0061]) that is formed on the principal surface of the semiconductor chip and connected to a first potential (low); a second conductive layer (25, paragraph [0061]) that opposes the first conductive layer of the principal surface in a normal direction and is connected to a second potential (high) higher than the first potential; an insulating layer (44, paragraph [0081]) that is formed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, and a first pad (14, paragraph [0056]) that is formed in a region separated from a region that opposes the second conductive layer in a first direction in a plan view when the semiconductor chip is viewed in the normal direction and that is electrically connected to the first conductive layer.
Regarding claim 2, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses a second pad (13) that is aligned with respect to the second conductive layer in a second direction that intersects the first direction in a plan view, has a width smaller than a width of the second conductive layer in the first direction and is electrically connected to the second conductive layer.
Regarding claim 3, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the semiconductor chip is formed in a quadrilateral shape (rectangle) that has a first corner portion (e.g. top right corner in FIG. 6) and a second corner portion (e.g. bottom left corner in FIG. 6) which are diagonal to each other as well as a third corner portion and a fourth corner portion (remaining corners in FIG. 6) which are diagonal to each other in a plan view, the second conductive layer is provided such that the second conductive layer is close to the first corner portion, and the first pad (14) is provided such that the first pad is close to the second corner portion.
Regarding claim 5, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the first conductive layer includes a first coil, and the second conductive layer includes a second coil (paragraph [0061]).
Regarding claim 6, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the second coil (at least 65 portion, paragraph [0124]) is larger in thickness than the first coil (as measured in a horizontal direction in FIG. 7).
Regarding claim 7, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the second coil has a thickness (at least 65 portion, paragraph [0124]) larger than a pitch of the first coil (space between portions of 26 as measured in a horizontal direction in FIG. 7).
Regarding claim 11, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses a first conductive member (87, paragraph [0138]) that is connected to an inner end portion of the first coil, extends by crossing the first coil below the first coil and is electrically connected to the first pad (see FIG. 7).
Regarding claim 14, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the insulating layer includes a laminated structure of a first inorganic insulating layer (45, e.g. SiN, paragraph [0083]) and a second inorganic insulating layer (46, e.g. SiO2) that is laminated on the first inorganic insulating layer (paragraph [0081], paragraph [0083]).
Regarding claim 15, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the first inorganic insulating layer includes a silicon nitride film, and the second inorganic insulating layer includes a silicon oxide film (paragraph [0083]).
Regarding claim 16, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses a semiconductor module comprising: a die pad (8, paragraph [0053]); the semiconductor device according to claim 5 (5) that is installed on the die pad; a package main body (2, paragraph [0049]) that seals the die pad and the semiconductor device; and a lead terminal (3) that is electrically connected to the semiconductor device and exposed from the package main body.
Regarding claim 17, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the semiconductor device includes a signal-transmitting (5) insulating element for transmitting a signal in an insulation state (interpreted as not being directly connected) between the first coil and the second coil, and the semiconductor module further including a second semiconductor device (4/6) that is electrically connected to the insulating element.
Regarding claim 18, in FIGs. 1-10, Tanaka discloses that the second semiconductor device includes a control element (4) that is electrically connected to one of the first coil and the second coil, and a driving element (6) that is electrically connected to the other of the first coil and the second coil.
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (US Pub. No. 2018/0130587) in view of Chu (US Pub. No. 2017/0221819).
Regarding claim 8, Tanaka appears not to explicitly disclose that the second coil includes a first portion that forms an outermost periphery of the second coil and has a first width and a second portion that forms a coil portion further inside than the first portion and has a second width smaller than the first width.
However, Chu discloses that the efficiency of a coil may be enhanced by making the outer rings of a coil wider than that of the inner rings (paragraph [0041]).
To improve the efficiency of the second coil it 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 to form the second coil such that it includes a first portion that forms an outermost periphery of the second coil and has a first width and a second portion that forms a coil portion further inside than the first portion and has a second width smaller than the first width.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (US Pub. No. 2018/0130587) in view of Fouquet (US Pub. No. 2008/0180206).
Regarding claim 10, Tanaka appears not to explicitly disclose that the first coil is AlCu, and the second coil is Cu.
The art however well recognized combinations of Al and AlCu to be suitable for use as first and second coil materials. See, for example, Fouquet, paragraph [0055].
According to well-established patent law precedents (see, for example, M.P.E.P. § 2144.07), therefore, it 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 to have formed the Tanaka disclosed first coil from AlCu and the second coil from Cu for its recognized suitability as a first and second coil materials.
Claims 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka (US Pub. No. 2018/0130587) in view of Funaya (US Pub. No. 2015/0206934).
Regarding claims 12-13, Tanaka appears not to explicitly disclose that the insulating layer includes an organic insulating layer, wherein the organic insulating layer includes at least one among a polyimide film, a phenol resin film, and an epoxy resin film.
However, Funaya discloses a similar device having a polyimide film disposed between the two coils at least because of its increased heat resistance (paragraph [0161]).
To increase the heat resistance of the insulating layer it 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 to include a polyimide film.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUCKER J WRIGHT whose telephone number is (571)270-3234. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/TUCKER J WRIGHT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891