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 .
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) 1-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung(USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2021/0068244, hereinafter Jung) in view of Auburger (USPGPUB DOCUMENT: 2003/0155661, hereinafter Auburger).
Re claim 1 Jung discloses in Fig 5 a device, comprising: a chip(510);a heat sink(332) arranged over the radio frequency chip(510); and a layer stack(520/540) arranged between the radio frequency chip(510) and the heat sink(332), wherein the layer stack(520/540) comprises: a first layer(520)[0093] comprising a first material(fiber)[0093] , a thermal interface material(540),
Jung does not disclose a radio frequency chip; and a metal layer arranged between the first material(fiber)[0093] and the thermal interface material(540) .
Auburger discloses in Fig 4, rotated 180 degrees, a radio frequency chip(1); and a metal layer(11 of Auburger)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Auburger to the teachings of Jung in order to have semiconductor structures that produce heat losses can be cooled directly via the metal layer that dissipates heat [0005, Auburger]. In doing so, a metal layer(11 of Auburger) arranged between the first material(fiber)[0093] and the thermal interface material(540) .
Re claim 2 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1, wherein the first material(fiber)[0093] comprises a radio frequency absorber material.
Re claim 3 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1, wherein the first material(fiber)[0093] is arranged adjacent to the radio frequency chip(510) and the thermal interface material(540) is arranged adjacent to the heat sink(332).
Re claim 4Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein: the first material(fiber)[0093] is configured to mitigate crosstalk between multiple radio frequency channels of the radio frequency chip(510) in order to obtain improved radio frequency isolation between the multiple radio frequency channels, and the thermal interface material(540) is configured to dissipate heat generated by the radio frequency chip(510).
Re claim 5 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein: the first material(fiber)[0093] is configured to mitigate crosstalk between a radio frequency channel of the radio frequency chip(510) and a circuit of a further chip(510), and the thermal interface material(540) is configured to dissipate heat generated by the radio frequency chip(510).
Re claim 6 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein: a relative permittivity of the first material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 5, and a loss tangent of the first material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 0.1.
Re claim 7 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 6, wherein a thickness of the first material(fiber)[0093] is in a range from 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm.
Re claim 8 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 6, wherein the first material(fiber)[0093] comprises at least one of carbon, a rubber material, a conducting polymer, achiral material, or a polymer matrix including at least one of conducting particles or magnetic particles.
Re claim 9 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1, wherein: a relative permittivity of the first material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 2, a loss tangent of the first material(fiber)[0093] is smaller than 0.1, and a thickness of the first material(fiber)[0093] is in a range from 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm.
Re claim 10 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1, wherein: a relative permittivity of the first material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 5, a loss tangent of the first material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 0.2, and a thickness of the first material(fiber)[0093] is in a range from 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm.
Re claim 11 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 9, wherein the first material(fiber)[0093] comprises a mold compound material.
Re claim 12 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1wherein the radio frequency chip(510) is encapsulated in the mold compound material.
Re claim 13 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein a thickness of the metal layer is greater than two times a skin depth of the metal layer at an operating frequency of the radio frequency chip(510)-.
Re claim 14 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein: a relative permittivity of the thermal interface material(540) is greater than 5, a loss tangent of the thermal interface material(540) -is smaller than 0.1, and a thickness of the thermal interface material(540) is greater than 0.5 mm.
Re claim 15 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,wherein the thermal interface material(540) comprises a silicone matrix with inorganic fillers.
Re claim 16 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,where in an operating frequency of the radio frequency chip(510) -is greater than 1 GHz.
Re claim 17 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 1,where in the heat sink(332) comprises a metal pail, and| wherein a thickness of the metal part in a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the radio frequency chip(510) -is at Least 1 mm.
Re claim 18 Jung discloses in Fig 5 a device, comprising: a chip(510); a heat sink(332) arranged over the radio frequency chip(510); and a radio frequency absorber(520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] arranged between the radio frequency chip(510) and the heat sink(332) , wherein a relative permittivity of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 3, and a Loss tangent of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 0.2 (Since the radio frequency absorber(520)[0093] material comprising fiber[0093], this may be interpreted as relative permittivity of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 3, and a Loss tangent of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 0.2).
Jung does not disclose a radio frequency chip;
Auburger discloses in Fig 4, rotated 180 degrees, a radio frequency chip(1)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Auburger to the teachings of Jung in order to have semiconductor structures that produce heat losses can be cooled directly via the metal layer that dissipates heat [0005, Auburger].
Regarding the limitation “relative permittivity of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 3, and a Loss tangent of the radio frequency (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 0.2” this is considered a statement of the inherent properties and/or functions of the device or method. The prior art of Jung and Auburger anticipates or renders obvious the claimed limitation. Under the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986). See MPEP2112.02.
Re claim 19 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 18, wherein a thickness of the radio frequency absorber (520)[0093] material(fiber)[0093] is greater than 1 mm.
Re claim 20 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 18, wherein the relative permittivity of the radio frequency absorber material is greater than 5 and a thickness of the radio frequency absorber material is greater than 0.1 mm.
Re claim 21 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 18,wherein the radio frequency chip(510) -is arranged over a printed circuit board and a surface of the heat sink(332) does not contact the printed circuit board.
Re claim 22 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 21, wherein the heat sink(332) is fully arranged over a top surface of the radio frequency chip(510) facing away from the printed circuit board.
Re claim 23 Jung discloses in Fig 5 a device, comprising: a radio frequency chip(510);a heat sink(332) arranged over the chip(510); and a mold compound material(since 520 is formed or shaped between 510/333 this may be interpreted as mold compound material) arranged between the radio frequency chip(510) and the heat sink(332) ,wherein a relative permittivity of the mold compound(520)[0093] material (fiber)[0093] is greater than 2, a loss tangent of the mold compound material is smaller than 0.1, (Since the mold compound(520)[0093] material comprising fiber(fiber)[0093], this may be interpreted as a relative permittivity of the mold compound(520)[0093] material (fiber)[0093] is greater than 2, a loss tangent of the mold compound material is smaller than 0.1).
.
Jung does not disclose a radio frequency chip; and a thickness of the mold compound material layer is greater than 0.4 mm
Auburger discloses in Fig 4, rotated 180 degrees, a radio frequency chip(1)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to apply the teachings of Auburger to the teachings of Jung in order to have semiconductor structures that produce heat losses can be cooled directly via the metal layer that dissipates heat [0005, Auburger].
Regarding the limitation “wherein a relative permittivity of the mold compound(520)[0093] material (fiber)[0093] is greater than 2, a loss tangent of the mold compound material is smaller than 0.1,” this is considered a statement of the inherent properties and/or functions of the device or method. The prior art of Jung and Auburger anticipates or renders obvious the claimed limitation. Under the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986). See MPEP2112.02.
Jung and Auburger does not disclose a thickness of the mold compound material layer is greater than 0.4 mm
Although the combination of Jung and Auburger does not disclose a thickness of the mold compound material layer is greater than 0.4 mm, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to disclose a thickness of the mold compound material layer is greater than 0.4 mm as the result effective variable meet the claims as varied through routine experimentation in order to optimize the functionality of the device and when the prior art discloses the general conditions of the claimed invention, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only ordinary skill in the art to optimize the heat dissipation characteristics [0005, Auburger]. See MPEP 2144.05.
Further, the specification contains no disclosure of either the critical nature of the claimed invention or any unexpected results arising therefrom. The law is replete with cases in which the difference between the claimed invention and the prior art is some range or other variable within the claims. In such a situation, the applicant must show that the particular range is critical, generally by showing that the claimed range achieves unexpected results relative to the prior art range. In reWoodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990)
Re claim 24 Jung and Auburger disclose the device of claim 23, wherein the radio frequency chip(510) is encapsulated in the mold compound material .
Conclusion
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/PATRICIA D VALENZUELA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812