Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/207,918

SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES, AND METHODS FOR NANOWIRES FOR SEMICONDCUTOR PACKAGES

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 09, 2023
Examiner
VALENZUELA, PATRICIA D
Art Unit
2812
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
STMicroelectronics
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allow Rate
645 granted / 715 resolved
+22.2% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
63 currently pending
Career history
778
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.3%
-38.7% vs TC avg
§103
60.1%
+20.1% vs TC avg
§102
19.9%
-20.1% vs TC avg
§112
8.6%
-31.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 715 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 11/20/25 is acknowledged. 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. Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Im(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2012/0119359, hereinafter Im) in view of Chen (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2003/0020151, hereinafter Chen). Re claim 1 Im discloses in Fig 29 a semiconductor package comprising: a substrate(110); a die(200) including a first side(top/bottom) of the die(200) and a second side(top/bottom) of the die(200), wherein the first side(top/bottom) of the die(200) includes a plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215], wherein the second side(top/bottom) of the die(200) is coupled to the substrate(110); a lid including a first side of the lid facing the die(200), wherein the first side of the lid includes a plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215]; and wherein at least one formation of die nanowires(60a)[0215] is coupled to at least one formation of lid nanowires(60b)[0215]. Im does not disclose a lid including a first side of the lid facing the die(200), wherein the first side of the lid includes a plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215]; Chen disclose in Fig 7 a lid(371/330 of Chen) including a first side of the lid facing the die(310) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Chui to the teachings of Im in order to large-scaled and reliable electronic apparatus which utilizes advanced packaging techniques of semiconductor dies [0001, Chui]. In doing so, a lid(371/330 of Chen) including a first side of the lid(371/330 of Chen) facing the die(200), wherein the first side of the lid includes a plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215]; Re claim 2 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the lid(371/330 of Chen) is comprised of a lid(371/330 of Chen) top portion and a plurality of lid side portions, and the lid top portion is coupled to the lid side portions with a glue(375 of Chen). Re claim 3 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the least one of the plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215] is coupled to at least one of the plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215], and wherein the coupling is aligned with a shared a common axis. Re claim 4 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215] is coupled to at least one of the plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215], and wherein the coupling is misaligned with the at least one of the plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215] having a different axis (outermost 60a/60b have a different axis than innermost 60a/60b) than the at least one of the plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215]. Re claim 5 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215] covers a first portion of the first side of the lid(371/330 of Chen) that is not an entirety of the of the first side of the lid(371/330 of Chen). Re claim 6 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of formations of die(200)nanowires(60a/60b)[0215] covers a first portion of the first side(top/bottom) of the die(200) that is not an entirety of the first side(top/bottom) of the die(200). Re claim 7 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 6, wherein the first portion of the first side(top/bottom) of the die(200) covered by the plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215] includes coverage of at least one die(200) hot spot. Re claim 8 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the plurality of formations of die nanowires(60a)[0215] are in a first pattern, wherein the plurality of formation of lid nanowires(60b)[0215] are in a second pattern, and wherein the first pattern and second pattern are complimentary patterns. Re claim 9 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the first side of the lid(371/330 of Chen) covers one or more circuitries in addition to the die(200). Re claim 10 Im and Chui disclose the semiconductor package of claim 9, wherein the plurality of formations of lid nanowires(60b)[0215] are only on a first portion of the lid(371/330 of Chen) associated with the die(200). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICIA D VALENZUELA whose telephone number is (571)272-9242. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10am-6pm 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, William Partridge can be reached at 571-270-1402. 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. /PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 09, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 06, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP AND SEMICONDUCTOR PACKAGE INCLUDING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
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2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
90%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+2.1%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 715 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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