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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-7, 9-10, 18-19 in the reply filed on 11/12/25 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 2, “does” should be “does not”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-7, and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US pub 20220013501).
With respect to claim 1, Kim et al. teach a semiconductor package, comprising: (see figs. 1-4B, particularly fig. 1B and associated text):
a redistribution structure 125 in which at least one redistribution layer (the lateral portion 125, third from the top) and at least one insulating layer 121, 130 are alternately stacked;
a semiconductor chip 123 electrically connected to the at least one redistribution layer; and
bumps 350 on the redistribution structure,
wherein the redistribution structure includes:
vias (the vertical parts of 125) extending from the at least one redistribution layer in a vertical stacking direction of the redistribution structure; and
under bump metallurgy (UBM) structures electrically connected between the vias and the bumps and configured to face the bumps in the vertical stacking direction of the redistribution structure,
wherein each of the UBM structures includes:
a first UBM layer (lateral portion 125, fourth from the top) including a first metal material or an alloy of the first metal material; and
a second UBM layer 150 between one of the bumps and the first UBM layer and including a second metal material different from the first metal material or an alloy of the second metal material (see para 0030), and
wherein an area of a surface of the second UBM layer facing the first UBM layer is greater than an area of a surface of the first UBM layer facing the second UBM layer.
With respect to claim 3, Kim et al. teach the first UBM layer contacts one of the vias, and wherein a maximum width of the first UBM layer is wider than a maximum width of one of the vias. See fig. 1B and associated text.
With respect to claim 5, Kim et al. teach the second UBM layer includes a surface (edge of the second UBM layer) that does NOT overlap the first UBM layer in a vertical direction and extends around a perimeter of the first UBM layer and completely surrounds a region (middle of the second UBM layer) in which the second UBM layer overlaps the first UBM layer in the vertical direction. See fig. 1B and associated text.
With respect to claim 6, Kim et al. teach the redistribution structure is between the semiconductor chip and the bumps. See fig. 1B and associated text.
With respect to claim 7, Kim et al. teach an encapsulant (upper part of 121) encapsulating the semiconductor chip; and a conductive post (the vertical part right under 123) extending through the encapsulant and electrically connected to the at least one redistribution layer. See fig. 1B and associated text.
With respect to claim 7, Kim et al. teach the at least one insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating layers (parts of 121, 130 between lateral metal 125), and at least one of the plurality of insulating layers is on a side surface of the UBM structures, and wherein a surface (bottom) of the second UBM layer facing one of the bumps is on a level between an upper surface and a lower surface of the one of the plurality of insulating layers on the side surface of the UBM structures. See fig. 1B and associated text.
With respect to claim 10, Kim et al. teach the at least one insulating layer is in contact with a portion of a surface (upper of edge portion of the second UBM layer) of the second UBM layer facing the first UBM layer and is in contact with a side surface of the second UBM layer. See fig. 1B and associated text.
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US pub 20220013501).
With respect to claim 2, Kim et al. teach the first metal material is copper but fail to teach the second metal material is nickel.
However, use of nickel as UBM layer is well-known in semiconductor art.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US pub 20220013501).
With respect to claim 18, Kim et al. teach a semiconductor package, comprising: (see figs. 1-4B, particularly fig. 1B and associated text):
a redistribution structure in which at least one redistribution layer 125 and at least one insulating layer 130, 121 are alternately stacked;
a semiconductor chip 123 electrically connected to the at least one redistribution layer 125 ; and
bumps 350 on the redistribution structure,
wherein the redistribution structure includes:
vias (the vertical parts of 125) extending from the at least one redistribution layer in a vertical stacking direction of the redistribution structure; and
under bump metallurgy (UBM) structures electrically connected between the vias and the bumps and configured to face the bumps in the vertical stacking direction of the redistribution structure,
wherein each of the UBM structures includes:
a second UBM layer 150 embedded in the at least one insulating layer and including a second metal material or an alloy of the second metal material; and
a first UBM layer (lateral portion 125, fourth from the top) electrically connected between one of the vias and the second UBM layer and including a first metal material different from the second metal material (see para 0030) or an alloy of the first metal material, and
wherein the at least one insulating layer is in contact with a portion of a surface (upper) of the second UBM layer facing the first UBM layer and is in contact with a side surface of the second UBM layer.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US pub 20220013501).
With respect to claim 19, Kim et al. teach the first metal material is copper, wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating layers(parts of 121, 130 between lateral metal 125), and one of the plurality of insulating layers is on a side surface of the UBM structures, wherein a surface (upper) of the second UBM layer facing one of the bumps is on a level between an upper surface and a lower surface of the one of the plurality of insulating layers on the side surface of the UBM structures, but fail to teach the second metal material is nickel.
However, use of nickel as UBM layer is well-known in semiconductor art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 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.
Examiner’s Cited References
The cited references generally show the similar or related structure having an UBM structure between an interconnect structure and a bump, the UBM structure comprises a first metal layer having a first surface area facing the second metal layer and a second metal layer having a second surface area facing the first metal layer, wherein the first and second metal layers are made of different materials and the second surface area is greater than the first surface area as presently claimed by applicant.
Conclusion
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LONG . PHAM
Examiner
Art Unit 2823
/LONG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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