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 .
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-3 and 7-11 in the reply filed on 03/23/26 is acknowledged. By this election, claims 4-6 are canceled; claims 12-14 are withdrawn and claims 1-3 and 7-11 will be examined in the application.
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) 1-3, 7-9 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kraft et al. (2021/0020511) in view of Lim et al. (2011/0256388).
Regarding claim 1, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses a semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate 1 with a rear surface and a main surface ([0035]), an intermetal dielectric (2, 6) arranged on the main surface of substrate 1, a metal layer 3 embedded in the intermetal dielectric 2 ([0035]), the metal layer 3 comprising a top barrier layer 5, wherein the top barrier layer 5 is arranged at a side of the metal layer 3 facing away from the substrate 1 ([0037]), and a through-substrate-via, TSV 9, reaching from the rear surface of the substrate 1 to the top barrier layer 3 of the metal layer 3 ([0042]), the TSV 9 comprising a metallization 12 ([0043]) being configured to electrically contact the metal layer 3 from the rear surface of the substrate 1 ([0003]), wherein the TSV 9 comprises a via hole ([0042]), the via hole 9 penetrating the substrate 1 and the intermetal dielectric 2 between the substrate 1 and the metal layer 3, the via hole 9 further penetrating the metal layer 3 up to the top barrier layer 5, wherein the metallization 12 of the TSV 9 comprises a sidewall portion covering a sidewall of the TSV 9 and a base portion 10 covering the top barrier layer 5 of the metal layer 3 (Fig. 17, [0041]).
Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses the metal layer 3, and the TSV 9 comprising a metallization 12, but Kraft does not disclose the sidewall portion of the metallization tapers conically to the base portion of the metallization.
However, Lim (Figs. 3F-3G) discloses the sidewall portion 23 of the metallization tapers 24, 26 conically to the base portion of the metallization 24 in order to producing the narrowing profile of the through substrate via (TSV) ([0028-0029]). 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 device of Kraft by forming the metallization tapers conically to the base portion of the metallization, as taught by Lim in order to provide devices designed for an intended purpose (Figs. 3F-3G, [0028-0029]).
Regarding claim 2, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses wherein the metal layer 3, apart from the top barrier layer 5, forms a ring around the TSV 9, such that a side surface of the ring is in direct contact with the metallization 12 of the TSV 9 forming a contact area 10 for establishing an electrical interconnection.
Regarding claim 3, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses wherein the TSV 9 further comprises an insulating layer 11 being arranged on a sidewall of the TSV 9, such that the substrate 1 is electrically isolated from the metallization 12 of the TSV 9 ([0041]).
Regarding claim 7, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses wherein the metal layer 3 further comprises a bottom barrier layer 4, the bottom barrier layer 4 being arranged at a side of the metal layer 3 facing the substrate 1, wherein the bottom barrier layer 4 is penetrated by the TSV 9 ([0037]).
Regarding claim 8, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses wherein the metal layer 3 comprises aluminum and wherein the top barrier layer 5 and the bottom barrier layer 4 of the metal layer 3 comprise titanium and/or titanium nitride ([0003]).
Regarding claim 9, Kraft (Fig. 17) discloses further comprising a passivation layer 14 covering the metallization 12 within the TSV 9 ([0044]).
Regarding claim 11, Kraft in view of Lim does not disclose a sensor device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is in particular one of an ambient light sensor, a color sensor, a proximity sensor, a photon counting sensor, and a time-of-flight sensor behind an organic light emitting diode display. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have the semiconductor device in a sensor device in order to utilize the semiconductor device in more robust electronic devices according to the preferences of the user.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 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.
The prior art of record fails to disclose all the limitations recited in the above claim. Specifically, the prior art of record fails to disclose further comprising: at least one further metal layer embedded in the intermetal dielectric, the further metal layer comprising a further top barrier layer, wherein the further top barrier layer is arranged at a side of the further metal layer facing away from the substrate, and wherein the further metal layer has a larger distance from the substrate than the metal layer, and at least one further TSV reaching from the rear surface of the substrate to the further top barrier layer of the further metal layer, the further TSV comprising a further metallization being configured to electrically contact the further metal layer from the rear surface of the substrate (claim 10).
Conclusion
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/THERESA T DOAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2814