DETAILED ACTION
Notice of 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 .
IDS
The IDS document(s) filed on April 19, 2023 has been considered. Copies of the PTO-1449 documents are herewith enclosed with this office action.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the claim 9 recitation “an additional recess recessing toward the first recess” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). Refer to the 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejection infra for further details. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
As to claim 3, the Examiner suggests “a middle”.
Claim Rejections – 35 U.S.C. § 112(b)
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112, 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 pre-AIA the applicant, regards as the invention.
As to claim 9, it is unclear how the third edge further comprises an additional recess recessing toward the first recess. The third edge is formed opposite the second edge on the second metal trace and its recess is formed with an opposite orientation to the recess formed on the second edge. Refer to FIG. 3 of the instant application. Therefore the additional recess on the third edge cannot recess toward the first recess. The Examiner instead assumes the additional recess faces an opposite direction from the first recess.
Claim Rejections 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1)
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 1-11, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Castro et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0193944 A1), as cited in the IDS and hereafter “Castro”.
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Castro, Annotated FIG. 1
As to claim 1, Castro teaches:
A first package component comprising: a first metal trace (second from left 120+121) comprising a first edge (left vertical edge of 120). See Castro, FIG. 1.
A second metal trace (left most 120+121) comprising a second edge (left vertical edge of 120) facing the first edge, wherein the second edge comprises a first recess recessing away from the first edge. Castro teaches the first recess formed by a corner between 120 and 121 of the second metal trace in Annotated FIG. 1 supra.
A first solder region (second from left 142) on the first metal trace, wherein in a top view of the package, the first solder region extends away from the first edge and toward the first recess. Castro teaches the first solder region 142 having a shape that protrudes from and therefore extends away from the first edge and toward the first recess. Id. at FIG. 1, FIG. 5B.
As to claim 2, Castro teaches in the top view, the first solder region has a center, and a straight (horizontal/upper boundary line demarcating 160) line extending from the center and in a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise (vertical) direction of the first metal trace passes through the first recess. Id. at FIG. 1.
As to claim 3, Castro teaches the straight (horizontal) line passes through a middle of the first recess. Id.
As to claim 4, Castro teaches the first edge of the first metal trace comprises a second recess (formed by a corner between 120 and 121 of the first metal trace) recessing away from the second edge.
As to claim 5, Castro teaches a second solder region (left most 142) on the second metal trace (left most 120+121), wherein in the top view of the package, the second solder region extends away from the second edge and toward the second recess because it also has a shape that protrudes from and therefore extends away from the second edge. Id. at FIG. 1, FIG. 5B.
As to claim 6, Castro teaches the first metal trace (second from left 120+121) comprises a narrower portion 120 and a wider portion 121 that is wider than the narrower portion, and the first solder region is on the wider portion. Id. at FIG. 1.
As to claim 7, Castro teaches the first solder region (second from left 142) electrically contacts a top surface and opposing sidewalls of the first metal trace via metal core pillar 141 which is formed therebetween.
As to claim 8, Castro teaches the first metal trace (second from left 120+121) comprises a first part (middle one third portion of 121) contacting the first solder region; and a second part (left one third portion of 121) and a third part (right one third portion of 121) on opposing sides of, and joining to, the first part, wherein in the top view of the package, the second part and the third part have a same width (by the Examiner’s definition) as the first part.
As to claim 9, per the Examiner’s 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) rejection interpretation above, Castro teaches the second metal trace (left most 120+121) comprises a third edge (right vertical edge of 120), wherein the second edge further comprises an additional recess recessing away from/oppositely to the first recess. Id.
As to claim 10, Castro teaches a surface dielectric layer 101, wherein the first metal trace and the second metal trace protrude out of the surface dielectric layer, and wherein the first solder region contacts the surface dielectric layer. Id.
As to claim 11, Castro teaches a second package component 110 bonding to the first package component through the first solder region.
As to claim 18, Castro teaches:
A dielectric layer 101.
A first metal trace (second from left 120+121) over the dielectric layer. Id.
A second metal trace (left most 120+121) over the dielectric layer, wherein each of the first metal trace and the second metal trace comprises a narrower portion 120 and a wider portion 121 wider than the narrower portion.
A first solder region (second from left 142) in physical contact with the first metal trace.
A second solder region (left most 142) in physical contact with the second metal trace, wherein the first solder region and the second solder region contact the wider portions 121 of the first metal trace and the second metal trace, respectively.
As to claim 19, Castro teaches the first solder region laterally extends towards the narrower portion of the second metal trace because the first solder region protrudes outwardly. Id. at FIG. 1, FIG. 5B.
As to claim 20, Castro teaches the first solder region electrically and physically contacts opposing sidewalls of the first metal trace. Id.
Indication of Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: claims 12-17 are indicated as being allowable because Castro does not teach “two first wider portions physically joined to the first narrower portion and on opposite sides of the first narrower portion”. Although Castro teaches two portions (opposing ends of wider contact pad 121) joined to an end of a first narrow portion, Castro does not teach these portions necessarily being wider than a first narrower portion 120. See Castro, FIG. 1. No other prior art was found.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUBERR CHI whose telephone number is (571)270-3955. The examiner can normally be reached 10am to 6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sue Purvis can be reached on (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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/SUBERR L CHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893