DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
2. This application is a 371 of PCT/CN2022/095175 05/26/2022.
Preliminary amendment
3. Preliminary amendment filed on 10/05/2023 has been acknowledged and considered.
In the Preliminary amendment, the applicants have been amended the specification and claims 1-10.
Claims 1-10 are currently pending in the application.
Oath/Declaration
4. The oath/declaration filed on 10/05/2023 is acceptable.
Priority
5. Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
6. The office acknowledges receipt of the following items from the applicant:
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 10/05/2023.
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.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
7. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Cai et al., hereafter “Cai” (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0115437 A1) in view of LI S (CN-101804959-A).
Regarding claim 1, Cai discloses a package structure of sensing chip, comprising:
a substrate (102), wherein a silicon interposer (103) is arranged on the substrate (102);
a silicon interposer, wherein a plurality of chips (20) are arranged on the silicon interposer (103) (Fig. 6 and para [0021]-[0024]).
the plurality of chips, comprising sensing chips and non-sensing chips, wherein the non-sensing chips are molded with a molding compound, and the sensing chips are exposed.
Cai discloses the features of the claimed invention as discussed above, but does not disclose the plurality of chips, comprising sensing chips and non-sensing chips, wherein the non-sensing chips are molded with a molding compound, and the sensing chips are exposed.
LI S, however, discloses the plurality of chips (102), comprising sensing chips (108) and non-sensing chips (104), wherein the non-sensing chips (104) are molded with a molding compound (130), and the sensing chips (108) are exposed (Fig. 2C and English Text).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Cai to provide the plurality of chips, comprising sensing chips and non-sensing chips, wherein the non-sensing chips are molded with a molding compound, and the sensing chips are exposed as taught by LI S for a purpose of not blocking the sensing element from electromagnetic interference shielding.
Regarding claim 2, Cai and LI S (citations to Cai unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein the silicon interposer (103) has a plurality of through-silicon-vias (105) provided therein, and the plurality of through-silicon-vias (105) connect an upper surface to a lower surface of the silicon interposer (103) (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 3, Cai and LI S (citations to Cai unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein: upper parts of the plurality of through-silicon-vias (105) are connected to the plurality of chips (20); and lower parts of the plurality of through-silicon-vias (105) are provided with bumps (106), and the plurality of through-silicon-vias (105) are connected with the substrate (102) through the bumps (106) (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 4, Cai and LI S (citations to Cai unless otherwise noted) discloses wherein the sensing chips (108) comprise micro-electro-mechanical system chips, optical sensor chips, and pressure sensor chips (Fig. 2C and English Text in LI S).
Allowable Subject Matter
8. The following is a statement of reason for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 5-10 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.
None of the prior art of records disclose comprising the following steps: forming a plurality of through-silicon-vias inside the silicon interposer; processing an upper surface of the silicon interposer; arranging the plurality of chips on the upper surface of the silicon interposer, wherein the plurality of chips are connected with upper parts of the plurality of through- silicon-vias; arranging a protective cover above the sensing chips; molding the upper surface of the silicon interposer with the molding compound; thinning a lower part of the silicon interposer to expose lower parts of the plurality of through-silicon-vias at a lower surface of the silicon interposer, and forming bumps at the lower parts of the plurality of through-silicon-vias; thinning the molding compound and grinding off a top of the protective cover above the sensing chips to expose the sensing chips; and cutting the silicon interposer and mounting modules with the plurality of chips arranged on the silicon interposer on the substrate as cited in claim 5.
Claims 6-10 are directly or indirectly depend on claim 5, then, they also would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Phuc T. Dang whose telephone number is 571-272-1776. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00 am-5:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Jacob Choi can be reached on 469-295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUC T DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897