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 .
Applicant's amendment/arguments filed on 11/20/25 as being acknowledged and entered. By this amendment claims 1-15, 24, 27, and 34 are canceled, claims 36-38 have been added and claims 16-23, 25-26, 28-33 and 35-38 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 26, and 29-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US Patent 9,269,694).
Claim 26: Chen teaches (Fig. 1I) a method comprising: forming an integrated circuit package by: attaching a package component to a package substrate, the package component (50) comprising a logic device and memory devices (10, 12); and attaching a package stiffener (62,66) to the package component, the package stiffener overlapping the memory devices (12) in a top-down view, the package stiffener comprising an opening disposed above the logic device (10) in the top-down view; attaching the package stiffener to the package component, dispensing a thermal interface material in the opening, the thermal interface material (58) having a higher thermal conductivity than the package stiffener; and attaching a heat spreader to the integrated circuit package, the heat spreader comprising a main portion and a protruding portion, wherein attaching the heat spreader (72) comprises inserting the protruding portion into the opening and disposing the main portion above the package stiffener; the thermal interface material disposed between the protruding portion of the heat spreader and the logic device. Chen does not teach dispensing the thermal interface material after attaching the package stiffener to the package component. Sikka teaches dispensing the thermal interface material after attaching the package stiffener to the package component (Fig. 7; [0058-0060]) to help aid in structural support earlier in the manufacturing process [0059]. Additionally Sikka teaches that the stiffener is not designed to help with heat transfer like the TIM but rather is structural and therefore would have less thermal conductivity than the TIM.
Claim 29: Chen teaches (Fig. 1I) attaching the heat spreader to the integrated circuit package comprises: applying an elastic adhesive material (68) between the main portion of the heat spreader and the package stiffener, the elastic adhesive material sealing an area between the heat spreader and the package component to create a void around the protruding portion of the heat spreader.
Claim 30: Chen teaches (Fig. 1I) attaching the package stiffener to the package component comprises: applying an elastic adhesive material (60) between the package stiffener and the package component, the elastic adhesive material completely filling regions where the package stiffener overlaps with the package component.
Claim 31: Chen teaches (Fig. 1I) a width of the opening is less than a width of the package component and greater than a width of the logic device.
Claim 32: Chen teaches (Fig. 1I) a method comprising: forming an integrated circuit package by: forming a package component comprising an interposer (18) and integrated circuit devices (10,12) attached to the interposer; attaching a package stiffener (62,66) to the package component with an elastic adhesive material (58b), the package stiffener comprising an opening disposed above the integrated circuit devices, the elastic adhesive material (58) completely filling regions where the package stiffener overlaps with the package component; dispensing a thermal interface material (58a) in the opening and on the integrated circuit deices, the thermal interface material being different from the elastic adhesive material and attaching a heat spreader (72) to the integrated circuit package, the heat spreader comprising a main portion and a protruding portion, wherein attaching the heat spreader comprises inserting the protruding portion into the opening and disposing the main portion above the package stiffener the protruding portion of the heat spreader being contacted to the thermal interface material. The claim does not describe how the elastic adhesive material and the thermal interface material are different. Chen teaches them on separate chips and not physically connected so they are being interpreted as different.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 16-23, 25 and 38 are allowable. The prior art of record does not teach “the thermal interface material extends along a bottom surface of the protruding portion of the heat spreader, along a sidewall of the protruding portion of the heat spreader, along a top surface of the package component, and along a sidewall of the package stiffener.”
Claim 28, 33, and 35-37 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. Claim 33 is commonly owned and no other prior art was found to teach the claim limitation.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-23, 25-26, 28-33 and 35-38 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 SARAH KATE SALERNO whose telephone number is (571)270-1266. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30am-2:30pm.
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/SARAH K SALERNO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814