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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claims 1 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yen et al (US Publication 20240321497) in view of Nakatani et al (US Publication 20040227608).
Regarding claim 1, Yen teaches a semiconductor device comprising:
a semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 700, device level in 702);
a redistribution layer on the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 706); and
an inductor structure having a center region (Fig. 6, 200 including 202 and 204), an upper section in the redistribution layer (Fig. 7, para 48, 204 in 706), and a lower section in the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, para 48, 202 in 702), the upper section and the lower section are concentric about the center region (Fig. 6, 200 concentric about a center region all of 202 is concentric with all of 204), the lower section is connected to the upper section (para 31, "the first inductor may be coupled to the second inductor in shunt or series"),
the upper section comprising an outer portion having a concentric turn about the center region and an inner portion having a concentric turn about the center region (Fig. 6, outer and inner turns of 204),
the lower section comprising a concentric turn about the center region (outer concentric turns of 202 structure),
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 29 has smaller perimeter than 39).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure perimeters as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Regarding claim 2, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 upon which claim 2 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, concentric turn of 202 has smaller perimeter than the outer concentric turn of 240).
Regarding claim 3, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 upon which claim 3 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure is above and overlaps with the concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, 200, para 33).
Regarding claim 4, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 upon which claim 4 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a plurality of concentric turns about the center region (Fig. 6, 104 plurality of concentric turns), the plurality of concentric turns includes an innermost concentric turn and an outermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, inner and outer concentric turns of 204), the innermost concentric turn has a smaller perimeter than the outermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, innermost concentric turn of 204 with smaller perimeter than outermost concentric turn of 104).
Regarding claim 5, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 4 upon which claim 5 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the innermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure is above the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, 200, para 33).
Regarding claim 6, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 4 upon which claim 6 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the lower section of the inductor structure includes a plurality of concentric turns about the center region (Fig. 6, 202), the plurality of concentric turns includes an innermost concentric turn and an outermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, 202 inner and outer concentric turns).
Regarding claim 7, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 6 upon which claim 7 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the innermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure has a larger perimeter than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the innermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure has a larger perimeter than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 39 has larger perimeter than 29).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure perimeters as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Regarding claim 8, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 7 upon which claim 8 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the outermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, outermost concentric turn of 202 has smaller perimeter than concentric turn of upper section 204).
Regarding claim 9, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 8 upon which claim 9 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the innermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the innermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 39 connected to 27 via 6 and 29).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure connections as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Regarding claim 10, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 9 upon which claim 10 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the outermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the outermost concentric turn in the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 37 connects to 23 via 210).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure connections as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Claims 11, 12, 15, 16, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yen et al (US Publication 20240321497) in view of Kim et al (US Publication 20240021353).
Regarding claim 11, Yen teaches a semiconductor device comprising:
a semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 700, device level in 702);
a redistribution layer on the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 706); and
an inductor structure having a center region (Fig. 6, 200 including 202 and 204), an upper section in the redistribution layer (Fig. 7, para 48, 204 in 706), and a lower section in the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, para 48, 202 in 702), the upper section and the lower section are concentric about the center region (Fig. 6, 200 concentric about a center region),
the upper section comprising an outer portion having at least one concentric turn about the center region and an inner portion having at least one concentric turn about the center region (Fig. 6, outer and inner turns of 204), the at least one concentric turn in the inner portion having an outermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, 204),
Yen does not specifically teach
wherein the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the innermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure; and
the lower section comprising a plurality of spiral levels, each spiral level includes at least one concentric turn about the center region, the plurality of spiral levels has an uppermost spiral level being connected to the upper section of the inductor structure, the uppermost spiral level having an innermost concentric turn.
Yen teaches further embodiments wherein the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the innermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure (para 33, "implementations may have different designs to form symmetrical inductors", para 31, "the first inductor may be coupled to the second inductor in shunt or series").
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include wherein the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the innermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure in order to further improve the quality factor of the inductor to match the needs of the IC device.
Yen as modified still lacks the lower section comprising a plurality of spiral levels, each spiral level includes at least one concentric turn about the center region, the plurality of spiral levels has an uppermost spiral level being connected to the upper section of the inductor structure, the uppermost spiral level having an innermost concentric turn.
Kim teaches the lower section comprising a plurality of spiral levels (Fig. 2, 200), each spiral level includes at least one concentric turn about the center region (Fig. 2, 200), the plurality of spiral levels has an uppermost spiral level being connected to the upper section of the inductor structure, the uppermost spiral level having an innermost concentric turn (Fig. 2, 200).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen as modified to include the lower inductor section with a plurality of spiral levels as taught by Kim in order to improve the broadband performance and operability of the device.
Regarding claim 12, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 12 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the lower section of the inductor structure is between the outer portion in the upper section of the inductor structure and the inner portion in the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, 200, para 33).
Regarding claim 15, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 15 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has an innermost concentric turn, and the redistribution layer includes a conductive layer being connected to the innermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (para 127).
Regarding claim 16, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 15 upon which claim 16 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the conductive layer extends over and across the at least one concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure (Fig. 7, 765).
Regarding claim 19, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 19 depends.
Yen teaches wherein the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure has an outermost concentric turn, the outermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure has a smaller perimeter than the at least one concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, 202 outermost concentric turn has a smaller perimeter than the outer concentric turn of 204)
Regarding claim 20, Yen teaches a semiconductor device comprising:
a semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 700, device level in 702);
a redistribution layer on the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, 706); and
an inductor structure having a center region (Fig. 6, 200 including 202 and 204), an upper section in the redistribution layer (Fig. 7, para 48, 204 in 706), and a lower section in the semiconductor chip (Fig. 7, para 48, 202 in 702), the upper section and the lower section are concentric about the center region (Fig. 6, 200 concentric about a center region),
the upper section comprising an outer portion having at least one concentric turn about the center region and an inner portion having at least one concentric turn about the center region (Fig. 6, outer and inner turns of 204), the at least one concentric turn in the inner portion having an outermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, 204),
wherein the lower section of the inductor structure is between the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure and the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 6, 200, para 33).
Yen does not specifically teach the lower section comprising a plurality of spiral levels, each spiral level includes at least one concentric turn about the center region, the plurality of spiral levels has an uppermost spiral level being connected to the upper section of the inductor structure, the uppermost spiral level having an innermost concentric turn.
Kim teaches the lower section comprising a plurality of spiral levels (Fig. 2, 200), each spiral level includes at least one concentric turn about the center region (Fig. 2, 200), the plurality of spiral levels has an uppermost spiral level being connected to the upper section of the inductor structure, the uppermost spiral level having an innermost concentric turn (Fig. 2, 200).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include the lower inductor section with a plurality of spiral levels as taught by Kim in order to improve the broadband performance and operability of the device.
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yen et al (US Publication 20240321497) in view of Kim et al (US Publication 20240021353) and Nakatani et al (US Publication 20040227608).
Regarding claim 13, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 13 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure is connected to the innermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure is connected to the innermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 27 connected to 39 via 29 and 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure connections as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Regarding claim 14, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 14 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach wherein the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure has an outermost concentric turn, the outermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
Nakatani teaches wherein the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure has an outermost concentric turn, the outermost concentric turn in the uppermost spiral level of the lower section of the inductor structure is connected to the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 1, 37 connected to 24 via 213 and 26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen to include inductor structure connections as taught by Nakatani in order to improve the tuning of the inductor spiral to meet the needs of the device.
Claims 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yen et al (US Publication 20240321497) in view of Kim et al (US Publication 20240021353) and Hoen et al (US Publication 20230317347).
Regarding claims 17 and 18, Yen as modified teaches the limitations of claim 11 upon which claim 17 depends.
Yen does not specifically teach:
[claim 17] wherein the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has an innermost concentric turn, the innermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller width than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
[claim 18] wherein the at least one concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a larger width than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure.
Hoen teaches:
[claim 17] wherein the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has an innermost concentric turn (Fig. 6, innermost concentric turn of 204), the innermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a smaller width than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 2, width of inner concentric turns smaller than width of outer concentric turns).
[claim 18] wherein the at least one concentric turn in the outer portion of the upper section of the inductor structure has a larger width than the outermost concentric turn in the inner portion of the upper section of the inductor structure (Fig. 2, width of inner concentric turns smaller than width of outer concentric turns).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application for Yen as modified to include the inductor structure spiral widths as taught by Hoen in order to balance the quality factor and thus improve the reliability and operability of the device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kerber et al (US Publication 20110241160) – High Voltage Semiconductor Devices and Methods of Forming the Same
Yen et al (US Publication 20220293331) – Asymmetric spiral inductor
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/NICHOLAS LELAND HUTSON/ Examiner, Art Unit 2818
/JEFF W NATALINI/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2818