DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the amendment received December 16, 2025. The amendment has been entered.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shariff et al. (US 2013/0178413, of record) in view of Grivna et al. (US 2010/0120230, newly cited).
(Re Claim 7) Shariff teaches a semiconductor device, comprising (see Fig. 2c and ¶40):
a chip obtained after a dicing process (Fig. 2c), wherein the chip comprises a wafer (wafer 210), and the wafer comprises:
a first sidewall comprising a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion comprises a first profile, the bottom portion comprises a second profile, and the first profile and the second profile are different, wherein the first profile comprises a scallop shape surface intersecting a top surface of the wafer (upper portion of 210), the second profile comprises a planar surface (lower portion of 210 at BU); a second sidewall comprising a second top portion and a second bottom portion, wherein the second top portion comprises a third profile, the second bottom portion comprises a fourth profile, and the third profile and the fourth profile are different, wherein the third profile comprises a scallop shape surface intersecting the top surface of the wafer, the fourth profile comprises a planar surface, and wherein the top portion, the bottom portion, the second top portion and the second bottom portion comprise the same material (Fig. 2c).
Regarding wherein a thickness of the bottom portion is 5% or less of a thickness of the top portion, and the thickness of the bottom portion ranges from 5 to 10 microns, Shariff teaches the bottom portion (flat planar BU portion of 210) is 5% of the wafer thickness (¶40), however Shariff does not teach a thickness of the wafer. A PHOSITA would be motivated to look to related art to teach suitable wafer thicknesses for conventional semiconductor devices. Related art from Grivna discloses a wafer thickness of about 100-200 microns (¶27) and/or about 50-250 microns (¶58). In light of Grivna’s conventional wafer thickness(es) applied to Shariff’s wafer, since Shariff is silent on the thickness, for a bottom portion thickness being 5% of the top portion thickness and wherein the bottom portion is 5-10 µm, this requires a wafer thickness in a range of about 105-210 µm. Grivna teaches a wafer thickness of about1 100-200 µm and/or a thickness of about 50-250 µm, thus when using a wafer thickness according to Grivna’s thickness ranges in Shariff’s BU being 5% of the wafer thickness, one will naturally arrive at the claimed thickness of the bottom portion being 5% or less of a thickness of the top portion, and the thickness of the bottom portion ranges from 5 to 10 microns (e.g. for a ~105 µm thick wafer, 5% of the thickness is ~5.25 µm which is within the claimed range for the bottom portion thickness). Thus the claimed bottom portion thickness range would be obvious to a PHOSITA as this would flow naturally from selecting a known wafer thickness according to Grivna for Shariff’s wafer thickness in conjunction with the 5% BU thickness ratio. Furthermore, the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed thickness nor any unexpected results arising therefrom. "The law is replete with cases in which the difference between the claimed invention and the prior art is some range or other variable within the claims. . . . In such a situation, the applicant must show that the particular range is critical, generally by showing that the claimed range achieves unexpected results relative to the prior art range." In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990). To establish unexpected results over a claimed range, applicants should compare a sufficient number of tests inside and outside the claimed range to show criticality of the claimed range. In re Hill, 284 F.2d 955, 128 USPQ 197(CCPA 1960).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection necessitated by amendment.
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 ERIK T. K. PETERSON whose telephone number is (571)272-3997. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 pm (CST).
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/ERIK T. K. PETERSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
1 “about” includes values slightly above and below, e.g. 105 microns is understood to be included in the about 100 microns just as about 200 microns includes 210 microns.