DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-4 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (Liu, US 2015/0266722 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Liu shows an apparatus comprising: a semiconductor device (device 38 in FIG. 9 and [0015]) layer including a bond pad area (area 52 as shown in FIG. 5), a bond pad (pad 52 in Fig. 9) on the semiconductor device layer (element 36) in the bond pad area; a scribe seal (element 60) on the semiconductor device layer (element 36), the scribe seal (element 60) surrounding the bond pad area on at least three sides (see FIG. 9); and a swarf barrier ( cap layer 64 in FIG. 6) on the scribe seal (element 60), the swarf barrier including: a first portion ( portion of element 64 in The cavity as shown in FIG. 6) a first distance (see Fig. 6) from the semiconductor device layer; and a second portion ( element 64) a second distance (top to bottom portion) from the semiconductor device layer, the second distance being larger than the first distance (see FIG. 6).
Regarding claim 2, Liu shows an apparatus comprising: a semiconductor device (device 38 in FIG. 9 and [0015]), wherein the second portion ( top to bottom portion of element 64) is structured to contact a second layer on top of the semiconductor device layer (element 36).
Regarding claim 3, Liu shows an apparatus comprising: a semiconductor device (device 38 in FIG. 9 and [0015]), wherein the second portion of the swarf barrier (top to bottom portion of element 64) includes at least one of a curved portion, an angled portion, or a step-up portion (see FIG. 5).
Regarding claim 4, Liu shows an apparatus comprising: a semiconductor device (device 38 in FIG. 9 and [0015]), wherein, further including a bond ring (element 36) on the semiconductor device layer, the swarf barrier connected to the bond ring (see FIG. 5-9).
Regarding claim 13, Liu shows an apparatus comprising: a first layer ( layer 74); a bond pad ( layer 36) in a bond area on the first layer (layer 74); a second layer (layer 52); a bond ring (element 36) coupling the first layer and the second layer (see FIG. 9), a cavity (see FIG. 9) between the first layer and the second layer at least partially surrounded by the bond ring (element 36), the bond pad outside the cavity; a scribe seal ( element 60) on the first layer; and a swarf barrier (element 64) on the scribe seal, the swarf barrier surrounding the bond pad area on at least three sides ( see FIG. 5-9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-12 are allowed.
Claims 14-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIAS M ULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-1415. The examiner can normally be reached M-F at 8AM-5PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yara Green can be reached at 571-270-3035. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ELIAS ULLAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
Prosecution Insights