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 .
Drawings
Twenty-two (22) sheets of formal drawings were filed on August 7, 2023 and have been accepted by the examiner.
Specification
Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Inventorship
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-5, 9-13, 15-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Toda (US 2022/0196929 A1).
Regarding claims 1-5 and 9-11; Toda discloses a method for forming an optical device structure (see Figures 1A, 8A, 8B), comprising:
disposing a first end portion of an optical fiber (122, 822; see Figures 1A, 8A, 8B) into a fiber array unit structure (825), wherein the first end portion penetrates through the fiber array unit structure (825);
bonding the first end portion of the optical fiber (122, 822) to a co-packaged optical device (106; epoxy secures the fibers 122, 822 into V-grooves on the surface of the optics die; see paragraphs 22, 41, and 66); and
bonding a fiber shield structure (housing 826 and lid 123, either individually or together, form a fiber shield structure; see Figures 1A, 1B, and 8B) to the fiber array unit structure (825) and the co-packaged optical device (106) after the first end portion is bonded to the co-packaged optical device (106; the lid is positioned after the end portions of the fibers 122, 822 are secured within the v-grooves), wherein the fiber shield structure (826/123) surrounds the optical fiber (122, 822);
wherein the fiber shield structure (123) is bonded to the fiber array unit structure (825) through an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is between the fiber shield structure and the fiber array unit structure after the fiber shield structure is bonded to the fiber array unit structure (see Figures 1A, 1B and 8B, see paragraph 44);
wherein the adhesive layer is further between the fiber shield structure (123) and the co-packaged optical device (106) after the fiber shield structure (123) is bonded to the co-packaged optical device (106; the lid is secured after the fibers are secured in the v-grooves of the optical dies 106);
wherein the fiber shield structure (826/123) is thicker than the optical fiber (122, 822; see Figures 1B and 8B);
further comprising bonding the co-packaged optical device (106) to a wiring substrate (package substrate; see the abstract and paragraph 40; the package substrate provides communication connections and is understood to be a printed circuit board, PCB, as references in paragraph 78); after the fiber shield structure (826/123) is bonded to the fiber array unit structure (825) and the co-packaged optical device (106);
wherein a first sidewall of a second end portion of the optical fiber (122, 123) is substantially level with a second sidewall of the fiber shield structure (826/123; see Figures 1B and 8B);
wherein the fiber shield structure (123) is wider than the fiber array unit structure (825; see Figures 1A, 1B and 8B);
wherein the fiber shield structure (826/123) covers a first portion of a top surface of the fiber array unit structure (825) and a second portion of a sidewall of the fiber array unit structure (825; see Figures 1A, 1B and 8B).
Regarding claims 12-13 and 15; Toda discloses a method for forming an optical device structure (see Figures 1A, 1B and 8B), comprising:
disposing an end portion of an optical fiber (122, 822) into a fiber array unit structure (825), wherein the end portion penetrates through the fiber array unit structure (825), and a main portion of the optical fiber (122, 822) is not covered by the fiber array unit structure (825);
bonding the optical fiber (122, 822) and the fiber array unit structure (825) to a co-packaged optical device (106; fibers 122, 822 are adhered to v-grooves on top of optical die 106; see Figures 1A, 1B; see paragraphs 41, 57 and 66); and
bonding a fiber shield structure (housing 826 and/or lid 123 for fiber shield structures; see Figures 1B and 8B) to the fiber array unit structure (825) and the co-packaged optical device (106), wherein the fiber shield structure (826/123) covers the main portion of the optical fiber (122,822), the fiber shield structure (826/123) has a first through hole (through hole in 826), and the first through hole exposes a first part of the main portion of the optical fiber (122, 822; exposed portions of the fibers are placed into V-grooves at a first end and into a ferrule at a second end);
wherein an angle between an inner wall of the first through hole (inner walls of the hole in 826 that the fibers 122, 822 pass through) and a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber (122, 822) is greater than about 0°and less than about 90° (the examiner notes that angles higher than 90° are considered about 90°, and therefore 90°is less than about an angle higher than 90°);
wherein the fiber shield structure (826) is narrower than the fiber array unit structure (the end of 826 coupled to the ferrule 824 is narrower than 825).
Regarding claims 16-18 and 20; Toda discloses an optical device structure (see Figure 1A), comprising:
a co-packaged optical device (optics dies 106);
a fiber array unit structure (825; see Figure 1A, 8A 8B) over the co-packaged optical device (106);
an optical fiber (122, 822) passing through the fiber array unit structure (825) and bonded to the co-packaged optical device (epoxy secures the fibers 122, 822 into V-grooves on the surface of the optics die; see paragraphs 22, 41, and 66),
wherein a main portion of the optical fiber (122, 822) is not covered by the fiber array unit structure (825); and
a fiber shield structure (both housing 826 and lid 123 form a fiber shield structure; see Figures 1A, 1B, and 8B) covering the main portion of the optical fiber (122, 822) and bonded to the fiber array unit structure (825) and the co-packaged optical device (106);
further comprising an adhesive layer bonded between the fiber shield structure (lid 123) and the fiber array unit structure (825; see Figure 1B and paragraph 44);
wherein the adhesive layer (see paragraph 44) is further bonded between the fiber shield structure (lid 123) and the co-packaged optical device (106);
wherein the fiber shield structure (826) has a through hole (see Figure 8B), and the through hole exposes a part of the main portion of the optical fiber (122, 822; the exposed portions being within v-grooves on the optical die 106 and/or within the ferrule (824).
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Toda (US 2022/0196929 A1) in view of Takano et al. (US 2021/0109292 A1).
Regarding claim 14; Toda discloses the method for forming the optical device structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the fiber shield structure (826) is provided, but does not disclose that the fiber shield structure has a second through hole, the second through hole exposes a second part of the main portion of the optical fiber, and a first inner wall of the first through hole is not parallel to a second inner wall of the second through hole.
Takano et al. teaches an alternative fiber shield structure (the shield structure includes elements 12 and 5; see Figure 2) of prior art that includes, wherein the fiber shield structure (12/5) covers the main portion of the optical fibers (28) of a fiber array (24), the fiber shield structure (12/5) has a first through hole (through hole of part 12 in which fiber array structure 24 at a first end), and the first through hole exposes a first part of the main portion of the optical fiber (optical fiber exposed at the second end; see Figure 2), wherein an angle between an inner wall of the first through hole and a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber (28) is greater than about 0°and less than about 90° (see Figure 2); wherein the fiber shield structure (15/5) is narrower than the fiber array unit structure (24; the second end of part 5 is narrower than the fiber array structure 24 in at least one dimension; see Figure 2, and the fiber shield structure (12/5) has a second through hole (extending through part 5), the second through hole exposes a second part of the main portion of the optical fiber (28, exposed at both ends), and a first inner wall of the first through hole (through hole of part 12) is not parallel to a second inner wall of the second through hole (through hole of part 5; see Figure 2).
Before the effective filing date of the present invention, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to provide the fiber shield structure of Takano et orientation of the fibers at an output end thereof, thereby arriving at the claimed structure.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 19 are 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: The prior art of record, which is the most relevant prior art known, does not disclose or render obvious:
The method defined by claim 6, wherein there is a gap between the fiber shield structure and the optical fiber, and the method further comprises: forming a thermal interface layer in the gap, wherein the thermal interface layer surrounds the optical fiber, and the thermal interface layer is in direct contact with the optical fiber and the fiber shield structure in combination with all of the limitations of base claim 1; or
The optical device structure defined by claim 19, further comprising: a thermal interface layer between the optical fiber and the fiber shield structure, wherein a first thermal conductivity of the thermal interface layer is greater than a second thermal conductivity of the optical fiber in combination with all of the limitations of base claim 16.
Claims 7 and 8 depend from claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Matiss et al. (US 2023/0152546 A1), see Figure 2;
Yan et al. (US 2015/0362683 A1), see the entire disclosure;
Schaevitz et al. (US 2023/0251428 A1); see Figure 4;
Velsher et al. (US 2003/0068141 A1), see Figures 5 and 6);
Vallance et al. (US 10,025,043 B2), see entire document;
Doerr et al. (US 2018/0203187 A1), see entire document;
Patel et al. (US 11,029,475 B2), see entire document.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHELLE R CONNELLY whose telephone number is (571)272-2345. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Uyen-Chau Le can be reached at 571-272-2397. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHELLE R CONNELLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2874