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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/08/2025.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 10-16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Application Publication by Polomoff et al. (US 20200066656 A1; Polomoff).
Regarding Claim 1, Polomoff discloses a structure, comprising:
an integrated circuit (IC) chip (100) including a substrate (152);
an input/output (I/O) opening (118) extending inwardly from an exterior surface of the IC chip (Fig. 3, Showing the inputs, which align with waveguides 110 and optical fibers 119, extend inwardly from the edge of the IC die); and
a metal finger structure (172, Which is End of 140/160) protruding partly into the I/O opening (Fig. 5, where the finger structure (172, is at least partly protruding into the area of the input/output opening), wherein outer surfaces of the metal finger structure are covered by a moisture barrier (Metal Finger structure 172 [end part of guard ring 140/160] prevents the egress of water molecules and furthermore the opening [input/output] is small enough that there is a prevention of water molecules, which wouldn’t be possible if the finger structure allowed the penetration of water/moisture into the metal finger structure).
Regarding Claim 2, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the metal finger structure has a stair-stepped outer surface (See below).
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Figure 1: Annotated Fig. 5, From Polomoff
Examiner notes that there is no fully accepted meaning for the limitation of a structure being “stair-stepped” in shape. Under broadest reasonable interpretation it is reasonable to see the metal finger structure (172) at the end where it protrudes into the I/O opening having a stair stepped shape as the end protrusions have a repeating pattern of being a short protrusion then a long protrusion almost like stairs up and down. This shape does differ then the instant applications original disclosure, but it still very much discloses a “stair-stepped” shape.
Regarding Claim 3, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the metal finger structure extends vertically over at least one via layer (174) and at least one metal wire layer (176) of the IC chip (Fig. 5, if the figure was flipped upside-down, the metal finger structure does extend over via 174 and metal wire structure 176).
Regarding Claim 4, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 3, wherein the at least one via layer includes a plurality of vias separated by a dielectric layer (Instead using the embodiment in fig. 8, Where the one via becomes mutiple Via’s 174).
Regarding Claim 5, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the moisture barrier covers a refractory metal liner on at least sidewalls of the metal finger structure (Para. 37, Via 174 can be made of refactor metals, and because metal finger structure can be a moisture barrier and is touching vias 174 it is reasonable to say the moisture barrier covers refectory metal on its sidewalls).
Regarding Claim 6, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the metal finger structure protruding partly into the I/O opening includes at least one pair of opposing metal finger structures protruding partly into the I/O opening from opposing sides of the I/O opening, each pair of metal finger structures having a space between opposing ends thereof (Fig. 5, Where there is a metal finger structure on either edge of the opening and there is a space between the metal finger structures).
Regarding Claim 8, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the I/O opening includes more than one I/O opening spaced within the IC chip, each I/O opening including a respective metal finger structure protruding partly into a respective I/O opening (Fig. 3, where there is a plurality of openings correspond with waveguides 110 and optical fibers 119, extend inwardly from the edge of the IC die).
Regarding Claim 10, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the moisture barrier also extends around an exterior of the IC chip (As the moisture barrier of Polomoff is the guard ring, and the guard ring extends around the edge of the IC chip, See Fig. 3, the moisture barrier extends around the edge of the chip).
Regarding Claim 11, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, further comprising a metal guard ring (140/160) extending around an exterior of the IC chip, where in the metal finger structure is coupled to the metal guard ring (Para. 32, “For example, conductive bridge element 170 is structured to include a pair of terminal segments 172, each located at an end of conductive body 160”).
Regarding Claim 12, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface includes an edge of the IC chip (Fig. 3, Showing the inputs, which align with waveguides 110 and optical fibers 119, extend inwardly from the edge of the IC die).
Regarding Claim 13, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, and discloses wherein the moisture barrier includes a silicon nitride layer, and the I/O opening includes an oxide surrounding the metal finger structure (Para 26, “ILD 154 may include one or more layers of one or more currently known or later developed materials for providing electrical insulation, e.g., silicon nitride (Si.sub.3N.sub.4), silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) … “).
Regarding Claim 14, Polomoff discloses a structure, comprising:
an integrated circuit (IC) chip (100) including a substrate (152);
an input/output (I/O) opening (118) extending inwardly from an exterior surface of the IC chip (Fig. 3, Showing the inputs, which align with waveguides 110 and optical fibers 119, extend inwardly from the edge of the IC die);
a metal guard ring (140/160) extending around an exterior of the substrate (Fig. 3); and
a metal guard ring finger structure (172) coupled to the metal guard ring (Para. 32, “For example, conductive bridge element 170 is structured to include a pair of terminal segments 172, each located at an end of conductive body 160”) and protruding partly into the I/O opening (Fig. 5, where the finger structure (172, is at least partly protruding into the area of the input/output opening) and extending vertically over at least one via layer and at least one metal wire layer of the IC chip (Fig. 5, if the figure was flipped upside-down, the metal finger structure does extend over via 174 and metal wire structure 176),
wherein outer surfaces of the metal guard ring finger structure are covered by a moisture barrier (Metal Finger structure 172 [end part of guard ring 140/160] prevents the egress of water molecules and furthermore the opening [input/output] is small enough that there is a prevention of water molecules, which wouldn’t be possible if the finger structure allowed the penetration of water/moisture into the metal finger structure),
wherein the metal guard ring finger structure has a stair-stepped outer surface.
Examiner notes that there is no fully accepted meaning for the limitation of a structure being “stair-stepped” in shape. Under broadest reasonable interpretation it is reasonable to see the metal finger structure (172) at the end where it protrudes into the I/O opening having a stair stepped shape as the end protrusions have a repeating pattern of being a short protrusion then a long protrusion almost like stairs up and down. This shape does differ then the instant applications original disclosure, but it still very much discloses a “stair-stepped” shape.
Regarding Claim 15, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 14, wherein the at least one via layer includes a plurality of vias separated by a dielectric layer (Instead using the embodiment in fig. 8, Where the one via becomes mutiple Via’s 174).
Regarding Claim 16, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 14, wherein the metal guard ring finger structure protruding partly into the I/O opening includes at least one pair of opposing metal guard ring finger structures protruding partly into the I/O opening from opposing sides of the I/O opening, each pair of metal guard ring finger structures having a space between opposing ends thereof (Fig. 5, Where there is a metal finger structure on either edge of the opening and there is a space between the metal finger structures)..
Regarding Claim 19, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 14, wherein the moisture barrier includes a silicon nitride layer, and the I/O opening includes an oxide surrounding the metal guard ring finger structure (Para 26, “ILD 154 may include one or more layers of one or more currently known or later developed materials for providing electrical insulation, e.g., silicon nitride (Si.sub.3N.sub.4), silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2) … “).
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.
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.
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable as obvious by Polomoff in view of United States Application Publication by Sahin et al. (US 20210183791 A1; Sahin).
Regarding Claim 9, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the moisture barrier is also on inner surfaces of the I/O opening.
In a similar field of endeavor, Sahin discloses a Photonic Semiconductor device, and more specifically an input (Sahin: 47/75 – Figs. 4/5) for said device with a metal guard finger structure (35), with edges of the guard finger having another barrier material 55 to help prevent moisture (Sahin: Para. 26), and furthermore, moisture barrier material 70 inside the I/O opening to further help prevent moisture from entering (Sahin: Para. 27, and Fig. 5).
In view of the disclosure of Sahin, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply the disclosure of Sahin to Polomoff at the time the instant application was filed to incorporate additional moisture barrier material within the I/O opening. Accordingly, one would have been motivated to make the modification because one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the advantages that additional reduction in moisture penetration through the I/O opening provides such as moisture maybe not even reaching the guard ring (Sahin: Para. 27, “That is, using the low density TEOS 70 within the trenches, it is now possible to effectively provide a moisture barrier at the edge of the chip using the combination of the barrier material 55 and spacer 60 underneath TEOS, preventing of moisture from reaching the opening in the guard ring 35 surrounding the trench 45”).
Regarding Claim 18, Polomoff discloses the structure of claim 14, but fails to disclose wherein the moisture barrier is also on is also on inner surfaces of the I/O opening and extends around an exterior of the IC chip.
In a similar field of endeavor, Sahin discloses a Photonic Semiconductor device, and more specifically an input (Sahin: 47/75 – Figs. 4/5) for said device with a metal guard finger structure (35), with edges of the guard finger having another barrier material 55 to help prevent moisture (Sahin: Para. 26), and furthermore, moisture barrier material 70 inside the I/O opening to further help prevent moisture from entering (Sahin: Para. 27, and Fig. 5), and it extends around the exterior of the IC chip (Fig. 5, Shows moisture barrier material 70 further extending around dicing edge 50).
In view of the disclosure of Sahin, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art to apply the disclosure of Sahin to Polomoff at the time the instant application was filed to incorporate additional moisture barrier material within the I/O opening and along the edge of the IC chip. Accordingly, one would have been motivated to make the modification because one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the advantages that additional reduction in moisture penetration through the I/O opening provides such as moisture maybe not even reaching the guard ring (Sahin: Para. 27, “That is, using the low density TEOS 70 within the trenches, it is now possible to effectively provide a moisture barrier at the edge of the chip using the combination of the barrier material 55 and spacer 60 underneath TEOS, preventing of moisture from reaching the opening in the guard ring 35 surrounding the trench 45”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 and 17 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claims 7 and 17, there is art out there that appears to cover having a single pair of finger structures protruding into the opening from either side, however, it does not appear either anticipated or as an obvious combination where there are multiple pairs of finger structures protruding into a single input/output port opening where those protrusions also include moisture barrier properties at the time the instant application was filed. Its for these reasons that it appears that at least claims 7 and 17 appear to contain allowable subject matter and could be allowed if written into independent form with all current limitations applied to them.
Conclusion
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/DANIEL J HIBBERT/Examiner, Art Unit 2899
/ZANDRA V SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899