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 Invention I (claims 1-8 and 16-20) in the reply filed on June 23, 2026 is acknowledged. New claims 21-27 have been added.
Claim Objections
Claims 17 and 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 17, line 3, “the dummy bond pad” should read --the dummy bond pad on the first semiconductor package--. Support can be found at least in lines 5-6 of base claim 16.
In claim 18, lines 2-3, “the dummy bond pad” should read --the dummy bond pad on the first semiconductor package--. Support can be found at least in lines 5-6 of base claim 16.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 21, 22, 24 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chang et al. US 2020/0105684.
Regarding claim 1, Chang teaches a method for making a semiconductor package with reduced warpage (e.g., Figs. 1A-1B, the description thereof; [31]-[50]), comprising:
providing a semiconductor package (e.g., Fig. 1A) comprising a first side (e.g., first side including 101b, Fig. 1A), a second side (e.g., second side including 101a, Fig. 1A), and at least one metal-containing layer (e.g., 101, Fig. 1A, [32]) between the first side and the second side;
forming an opening (e.g., 110a, 110b, Fig. 1A) in the semiconductor package that extends through the at least one metal-containing layer; and
filling the opening with a low-density material (e.g., [47]) to form a warpage control structure (e.g., 125, Fig. 1B, [50]);
wherein the warpage control structure relieves stress that causes warpage in the semiconductor package (e.g., [50]).
Regarding claim 2, Chang teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising forming a dummy bond pad (e.g., 121 and/or 119 that are/is aligned with 125, Fig. 1B, [38]; [48]) on the semiconductor package that is aligned with the warpage control structure.
Regarding claim 3, Chang teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the warpage control structure extends through the package to contact the dummy bond pad (e.g., 119, Fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 4, Chang teaches the method of claim 2, wherein the warpage control structure extends through the package and does not contact the dummy bond pad (e.g., 121, Fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 5, Chang teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the low-density material has a density which is less than silicon (e.g., [47]).
Regarding claim 21, Chang teaches a method for making a semiconductor package with reduced warpage (e.g., Figs. 1A-1B, the description thereof; [31]-[50]), comprising:
forming an opening (e.g., 110a, 110b, Fig. 1A) in a first side (e.g., first side including 101b, Fig. 1A) of a semiconductor package that extends through at least one metal-containing layer (e.g., 101, Fig. 1A, [32]) of the semiconductor package;
filling the opening with a low-density material (e.g., [47]) to form a warpage control structure (e.g., 125, Fig. 1B, [50]), wherein the warpage control structure relieves stress that causes warpage in the semiconductor package (e.g., [50]);
applying one or more bond film layers (e.g., 112, Fig. 1B) to a second side (e.g., second side including 101a, Fig. 1A) of the semiconductor package; and
forming a dummy bond pad (e.g., 121 and/or 119 that are/is aligned with 125, Fig. 1B, [38]; [48]) on the second side of the semiconductor package that is aligned with the warpage control structure.
Regarding claim 22, Chang teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the semiconductor package includes a via (e.g.,117, Fig. 1B) in a die (e.g., die including 115a and 115b, Fig. 1A) of the semiconductor package.
Regarding claim 24, Chang teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the warpage control structure extends through the package to contact the dummy bond pad (e.g., 119, Fig. 1B).
Regarding claim 25, Chang teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the warpage control structure extends through the package and does not contact the dummy bond pad (e.g., 121, Fig. 1B).
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 6, 7, 26 and 27 are rejected are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang et al. US 2020/0105684.
Regarding claim 6, Chang teaches the method of claim 1 as discussed above.
Chang does not explicitly teach wherein the low-density material has a density of about 0.8 g/cc to about 1 g/cc.
Chang, however, recognizes that the low-density material of 125 includes silicone (e.g., [47]), a density of which typically spanning from about 0.92 to about 1.3 g/cc that is close to the claimed range and/or overlaps the claimed range. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to control and optimize the method of Chang to include the claimed range since it has been held that where the criticality of the claimed range is not shown and the claimed ranges are merely close to, overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art, a prima facie case of obviousness exists. MPEP § 2144.05.
Regarding claim 7, Chang teaches the method of claim 1 as discussed above.
Chang does not explicitly teach wherein the low-density material comprises poly(4- methyl-1-pentene), atactic polypropylene, or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer.
Chang, however, recognizes that the low-density material of 125 includes rubber (e.g., [47]). It has been well known in the art that atactic polypropylene and/or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer pertain to rubber materials. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chang to include wherein the low-density material comprises atactic polypropylene or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer because selecting among them for its conventional use would have been a common sense choice by one skilled in the semiconductor art. MPEP §2143.
Regarding claim 26, Chang teaches the method of claim 21 as discussed above.
Chang does not explicitly teach wherein the low-density material has a density of about 0.8 g/cc to about 1 g/cc.
Chang, however, recognizes that the low-density material of 125 includes silicone (e.g., [47]), a density of which typically spanning from about 0.92 to about 1.3 g/cc that is close to the claimed range and/or overlaps the claimed range. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to control and optimize the method of Chang to include the claimed range since it has been held that where the criticality of the claimed range is not shown and the claimed ranges are merely close to, overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art, a prima facie case of obviousness exists. MPEP § 2144.05.
Regarding claim 27, Chang teaches the method of claim 21 as discussed above.
Chang does not explicitly teach wherein the low-density material comprises poly(4- methyl-1-pentene), atactic polypropylene, or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer.
Chang, however, recognizes that the low-density material of 125 includes rubber (e.g., [47]). It has been well known in the art that atactic polypropylene and/or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer pertain to rubber materials. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Chang to include wherein the low-density material comprises atactic polypropylene or a styrene-isoprene block copolymer because selecting among them for its conventional use would have been a common sense choice by one skilled in the semiconductor art. MPEP §2143.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 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.
Claims 16, 19 and 20 are allowed at this time, pending updated search before the Examiner's next response, because the prior art of record neither anticipates nor render obvious the limitations of the base claims 16 that recite “aligning a scanning acoustic microscope with a window in the first semiconductor package, wherein the window comprises a low-density material and is aligned with a hybrid bond formed between a dummy bond pad on the first semiconductor package and a dummy bond pad on the second semiconductor package; and scanning the hybrid bond formed between the dummy bond pads through the window to detect voids” in combination with other elements of the base claim 16.
Claims 17 and 18 would be allowable if amended to overcome the claim objection above.
Claim 23 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
The art made of record and not applied to the rejection is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. It is cited primarily to show inventions relevant to the examination of the instant invention. For example, Chen et al. US 2021/0118832 and Lin et al. US 2023/0387063 relate to a semiconductor package including a warpage control structure extending through a metal-containing layer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bo Bin Jang whose telephone number is (571) 270-0271. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BO B JANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 September 4, 2026
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