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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the base region" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 – 5, 8 – 9 and 11 – 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated Choi et al. by (US 2022/0085143).
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(Claim 1) Choi et al. teach a microelectronics package comprising:
a package substrate core (751);
a magnetic region (710) wherein the magnetic region is on the package substrate core;
a magnetic region base region (752, interconnects, paragraph 54), wherein magnetic region base region has a chemical composition (copper, paragraph 32) that is different from the chemical composition of the magnetic region and
wherein the magnetic region base region is between the magnetic region and the package substrate core (751); and
a conductive region (735), wherein the conductive region forms a channel (opening) within the magnetic region and
wherein the conductive region (fig. 7A #735, paragraph 48, perspective view) has at least one end where no magnetic material (735) is present.
(Claim 2) Choi et al. teach wherein there is a non-magnetic dielectric region (712) between the magnetic region (710) and the conductive region (735).
(Claim 3) Choi et al. teach wherein there are two or more (735A – 735D) conductive regions that each form a separate channel within the magnetic region.
(Claim 4) Choi et al. teach wherein the magnetic region (710) is comprised of NiZn Ferrites, Ni Ferrites, Co Ferrites, CoFeB/SiO2, CoFeB, CoFeP, CoFeHfO, CoNiFeS, or CoNiFeVOx (paragraph 26).
(Claim 5) Choi et al. teach wherein the magnetic region base region (752, interconnects, paragraph 54) has a layer that comprises Cu, Au, Ru, Al, or a combination thereof (paragraph 23).
(Claim 8) Choi et al. teach wherein the magnetic region is comprised of a material that is a homogeneous magnetic material (paragraph 23).
(Claim 9) Choi et al. teach wherein the magnetic region is at least partially recessed into the package substrate core (paragraph 50).
(Claim 11) Choi et al. teach a microelectronics package comprising:
a package substrate core (751/752);
a first magnetic region (710A), wherein the first magnetic region is recessed (paragraph 50) into the package substrate core (750) on a first side of the package substrate core and wherein the first magnetic region is a homogeneous magnetic material (paragraph 26); and
a conductive region (735), wherein the conductive region comprises at least two through-core vias (735A, 735B) and wherein the conductive region at least partially encircles a portion of the package substrate core (751/752) comprising the first magnetic region.
(Claim 12) Choi et al. teach the microelectronics package, additionally comprising a second (710B) and third magnetic regions that are recessed into the package substrate core in an area that is adjacent to a region of the package substrate core that comprises the first magnetic region (710A) and that is partially encircled by the conductive region (735C).
(Claim 13) Choi et al. teach the microelectronics package, additionally comprising a base region (752, interconnects, paragraph 54) that is between the first magnetic region (710) and the package substrate core (751) and the base region has a different chemical composition (copper, paragraph 32) than the first magnetic region.
(Claim 14) Choi et al. teach wherein the base region has a layer that comprises Cu, Au, Ru, Al, or a combination thereof (paragraph 32).
(Claim 15) Choi et al. teach a semiconductor assembly comprising:
at least one semiconductor chip (fig. 9); and
a semiconductor chip package substrate wherein the at least one semiconductor chip is electrically coupled to the semiconductor chip package substrate and wherein the semiconductor chip package substrate comprises:
a package substrate core (751) wherein the package substrate core comprises an inductor (paragraph 15) and the inductor comprises:
a magnetic region (710) wherein the magnetic region is located within the package substrate,
a base region (752), wherein the base region is between the magnetic region and the package substrate core; and
a conductive region (735), wherein the conductive region forms a channel within the magnetic region and wherein the conductive region (735) has at least one end where no magnetic material is present (fig. 7A).
(Claim 16) Choi et al. teach wherein the semiconductor chip package substrate additionally includes layers that have conducting regions (buildup layer inherently have conductive routing, paragraph 54).
(Claim 17) Choi et al. teach wherein the base region (paragraph 32) has a layer that comprises Cu, Au, Ru, Al, or a combination thereof.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi et al. (US 2022/0085143) in view of Bharath et al. (US 2020/0005989).
(Claim 10) Choi et al. lack wherein the magnetic region comprises a first and a second magnetic region and wherein the first magnetic region has a different chemical composition than the second magnetic region.
However, Bharath et al. teach wherein the magnetic region comprises a first (fig. 3P #107’’) and a second (fig. 3P #107’) magnetic region and wherein the first magnetic region has a different chemical composition than the second magnetic region (paragraph 61) as art recognized equivalents.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the reference as art recognized equivalents.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bharath et al. (US 2020/0005989) in view of Braunisch et al. (US 2020/0312796).
(Claim 18) Bharath et al. teach a method of manufacturing a semiconductor chip package comprising:
depositing a base region (fig. 3E #108’) for a magnetic region on a packaging substrate core (103),
forming a first magnetic layer (fig. 3E #107’’),
forming a conductive region (fig. 3I #104) on part of the first magnetic layer,
forming a second magnetic layer (fig. 3P #107’) on the conductive region (104) and part of the first magnetic layer.
Bharath et al. lack wherein forming the first magnetic layer is by a cold spray deposition process; and
forming the second magnetic layer is by a cold spray deposition process.
However, Braunisch et al. teach wherein forming the first magnetic layer is by a cold spray deposition process (fig. 22, paragraph 181); and
forming the second magnetic layer is by a cold spray deposition process for the benefit of fast deposition without the need for backside metallization (BSM, paragraph 122).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the reference for the benefit of fast deposition without the need for backside metallization.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, 19 and 20 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.
Conclusion
Prior art made of record and not relied upon, considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are listed in PTO – 892 Form.
Contact Information
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Landau can be reached at (571) 272- 1731. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/IGWE U ANYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2891
September 28, 2026
