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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on June 06, 2026 has been entered.
Status of the Claims
Species 8, as shown in FIGs. 16-17, was elected.
Amendment filed on June 06, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 1 and 18 have been amended. Non-Elected Species, claims 9 and 12 have been withdrawn from consideration. Claims 1-21 are pending.
Action on merits of the Elected Species, claims 1-8, 10-11 and 13-21 follows.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-8, 10-11 and 13-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
There does not appear to be a written description of the claim limitations “wherein the plurality of metal wires are formed in different geometric configurations for die-to-die interconnection.” (amended claims 1 and 18); and “wherein the encapsulant comprises a single layer of the resin” (claim 21) (emphasis added) in the application as filed.
Applicant must cancel the un-support new matters in response to the Office 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 1-8, 10-11, 13-15 and 17-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by HABA (US. Pub. No. 2017/0170121) of record.
With respect to claim 1, As best understood by the Examiner, HABA teaches a printed circuit board as claimed including:
a substrate (200) having an upper surface at which a plurality of first pads (406) are disposed; and
an interconnect structure (100) including an encapsulant comprising a resin, a plurality of second pads (406) disposed at an upper surface of the encapsulant, and a plurality of metal wires disposed in and in contact with the encapsulant and respectively connected to at least one of the plurality of second pads (406), the interconnect structure (100) disposed on an upper side of the substrate (200),
wherein at least a portion of an upper surface of each of the plurality of first and second pads (406) is exposed in an upward direction from the upper surface of each of the substrate (200) and the encapsulant,
wherein the plurality of metal wires are formed in different geometric configurations (vertical, horizontal and/or other various angles) for die-to-die interconnection. (See FIGs. 3-4).
With respect to claim 2, the plurality of metal wires of HABA include a first metal wire connecting at least two second pads (406), among the plurality of second pads, to each other.
With respect to claim 3, the at least two second pads (406) of HABA, connected to each other via the first metal wire, are semiconductor chip mounting pads respectively connected to first (206) and second (208) semiconductor chips.
With respect to claim 4, the first metal wire of HABA includes:
a first-first wire portion having a predetermined length in a horizontal direction;
a first-second wire portion extending from one end of the first-first wire portion and connected to one of the plurality of second pads; and
a first-third wire portion extending from the other end of the first-first wire portion and connected to another one of the plurality of second pads.
With respect to claim 5, one or more third pads (406) of HABA are further disposed on or in the substrate, and the interconnect structure is disposed on the one or more third pads.
With respect to claim 6, the plurality of metal wires of HABA further include a second metal wire connecting at least one second pad (406), among the plurality of second pads, to at least one third pad (406), among the one or more third pads.
With respect to claim 7, the at least one second pad (406) of HABA, connected to the second metal wire, is a semiconductor chip mounting pad connected to at least one of first (206) and second (208) semiconductor chips.
With respect to claim 8, the second metal wire of HABA includes a second-first wire portion having a predetermined length in a vertical direction, the second-first wire portion having one end and the other end respectively connected to one of the plurality of second pads (406) and one of the one or more third pads (406).
With respect to claim 10, a plurality of fourth pads (406) of HABA are further disposed on a lower surface of the substrate, and
one or more interconnection layers (304) and one or more via layers, connecting at least one of the one or more third pads to at least one of the plurality of fourth pads, are further disposed in the substrate.
With respect to claim 11, the substrate (200) of HABA has a cavity (402) passing through a portion of the substrate (200) from the upper surface of the substrate to a lower surface of the substrate, and the interconnect structure (100) is disposed in the cavity (402) such that the other surface of the encapsulant is attached to a bottom surface of the cavity.
With respect to claim 13, the interconnect structure (100) of HABA is in contact with a side surface of the cavity.
With respect to claim 14, the interconnect structure (100) of HABA is embedded and disposed on the upper side of the substrate such that at least a portion of the upper surface of each of the plurality of second pads is exposed from the upper surface of the substrate.
With respect to claim 15, the printed circuit substrate of HABA further comprises:
a first semiconductor chip (206) disposed on the substrate (200) and connected to at least one or more of the plurality of first and second pads; and
a second semiconductor chip (208) disposed on the substrate (200) and connected to at least another one or more of the plurality of first and second pads.
With respect to claim 17, the plurality of metal wires of HABA are electrically insulated from each other within the interconnect structure.
With respect to claim 21, As best understood by the Examiner, the encapsulant of HABA comprises a single layer of resin.
With respect to claim 18, As best understood by the Examiner, HABA teaches a printed circuit substrate as claimed including:
a substrate (100); and
an interconnect structure disposed at an outermost side of the substrate, the interconnect structure including a plurality of metal wires (102) without a via (vialess) formed in different geometric configurations (vertical, horizontal and/or various angles) for die-to-die interconnection,
wherein at least one of the plurality of metal wires (102) includes a signal line interconnecting a plurality of semiconductor chips (206, 208). (See FIGs. 3-4).
With respect to claim 19, the printed circuit substrate of HABA further comprises: the plurality of semiconductor chips (206, 208) disposed on the substrate.
With respect to claim 20, the at least one metal wire (102) of HABA consecutively has a predetermined length, and is bent at at least one point.
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 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HABA ‘121 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of ECTON et al. (US. Pub. No. 2019/0304912) of record.
HABA teaches the printed circuit board as described in claim 1 above including: plurality of metal wire (102) disposed in the encapsulant.
Thus, HABA is shown to teach all the features of the claim with the exception of explicitly disclosing the metal wires comprising gold.
However, ECTON teaches a printed circuit board including: plurality of metal wire (111) disposed in the encapsulant, wherein the plurality of metal wires (111) comprising gold. (See FIG. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention was made to form the interconnect structure of HABA utilizing metal wires comprising gold or any other metals as taught by ECTON for the same intended purpose of providing electrical connections between the chips.
Further, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of it suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416., 125 USPQ 416.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed June 30, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Claim Rejection Under 35 USC § 112(a) new matters
Applicant argues: “the specification ¶ [0064] and FIG. 9D shows an encapsulation process using one step or one layer to encapsulate the metal wires”.
However, contrary to Applicant’s assertion, neither the ¶ [0064] nor FIG. 9D explicitly or implicitly teaches the encapsulant 121 comprises a single layer of the resin.
Claim Rejection Under 35 USC § 102
Applicant asserts: Amendment are support by the originally filed specification and drawings, e.g. ¶ [0066].
However, contrary to Applicant’s assertion, neither the ¶ [0066] nor drawings explicitly or implicitly teaches “the metal wires are formed in different geometric configuration for die-to-die interconnection”.
Applicant then concludes: Thus, the metal wires of the present claims are structurally and functionally distinct from Haba's integral conductors.
However, Applicant fails to provide any evidence that the metal wires of HABA are structurally and functionally distinct from the claims.
Applicant further argues: Haba fails to disclose, either expressly or inherently, the composition or configuration of metal wires recited in independent claim 1 as well as interconnections including third or fourth pads disposed on other than upper surface of the substrate.
However, according to claim 1, the composition of the metal wires is “metal wires”. The metal wires 102 of HABA comprises metal, thus, the composition of the metal wires is met.
Regarding the configuration, since the metal wires 102 of HABA are configured similar to the claimed metal wires, e.g., vertical, horizontal and vertical, hence different geometric configuration.
Moreover, the term “metal wires are formed in different geometric configuration” is new matter and has no support in the specification.
Regarding the “third or fourth pads”, claim 1 does not claim “third or fourth pads
The limitations of claim 1 are met. Thus, claim 1 is anticipated by HABA.
Therefore, the rejection is maintained.
Claims Rejection Under 35 USC § 103
Applicant appears to contend that claim 16 is allowable by it dependents on claim 1.
Since claim 1 is anticipated by HABA, claim 16 is obvious over HABA, in view of ECTON.
The rejection of claim 16 is maintained.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH D MAI whose telephone number is (571)272-1710 (Email: Anh.Mai2@uspto.gov). The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-4:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue A Purvis can be reached at 571-272-1236. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH D MAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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