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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS filed on September 18th, 2023 has been considered.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Semiconductor device comprising a connecting layer including an array of connecting pads and a capacitor structure.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites the limitation “the first extending pads respectively have a number N+1 of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon, the second extending pads respectively have the number N of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon” on lines 14-16. The metes and bounds of the claimed limitation cannot be determined because it is unclear what “N+1” and “N” is encompasses. Applicant’s disclosure as shown in paragraphs [0037], [0038], [0039], [0040] of specification and figs. 2 and 5-8 have support for that in which N can be an integer number of 0, 1, or 2. Particularly, N can be 1 in which first extending pards P1 respective have two bottom electrodes 32 (N+1) disposed thereon and the second extending pads P2 have one bottom electrode 32 (N) disposed thereon (see paragraph [0037] and fig. 5). N can be 0 where the first expending pads P1 have one bottom electrode 32 (N+1) disposed thereon and the third extending pad P3 and the fourth extending pads P4 have no bottom electrode 32 (N) disposed thereon (see paragraph [0038] and fig. 6). N can be 2 where the first extending pads P1 have three bottom electrodes 32 (N+1) disposed thereon and the second extending pads P2 and the fifth extending pad P5 have two electrodes 32 (N) disposed thereon (see paragraph [0039] and fig. 7). However, Applicant’s claimed invention as shown in claim 12 does not specify what “N” is represent and it is unclear how to determine what is N and thus render the claim limitation indefinite. Applicant may amend claim 12 to include “the first extending pads respectively have a number N+1 of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon, where the number N is an integer number of 0, 1, or 2, the second extending pads respectively have the number N of the bottom electrodes disposed therein” in order to overcome the 112(b) issue and improve clarity.
Clarification and correction are respectfully requested.
Claims 13-20 depend directly or indirectly on base claim 12 and inherit these deficiencies.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 are allowed over prior art of record.
Claims 12-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Reasons For Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
It is determined that the prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of independent claims 1 and 12 as a whole taken alone or in combination, in particular, the closest prior of record to Kim et al. (U.S. Pub. 2018/0342519) discloses a semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate 100 (see paragraphs [0017], [0018] and figs. 1-4); a connecting layer on the substrate 100 and comprising: an array of connecting pads 130 comprising a plurality of connecting pads arranged along a first direction and a second direction and separated from each other (see paragraph [0023] and figs. 1-4); and a capacitor structure CAP comprising a plurality of bottom electrodes BE disposed on the connecting layer, wherein the connecting pads 130 respectively have one of the bottom electrodes BE disposed thereon (see paragraphs [0026], [0042] and figs. 1-4). However, Kim does not teach or suggest “a peripheral structure comprising a first edge and a second edge adjacent to two adjacent sides of the array of connecting pads; and a plurality of first extending pads arranged between the first edge of the peripheral structure and the array of connecting pads; and the first extending pads respectively have at least two of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon”, as recited in independent claim 1 and “a peripheral structure comprising a first edge and a second edge adjacent to two adjacent sides of the array of connecting pads; and a plurality of first extending pads and second extending pads alternately arranged between the first edge of the peripheral structure and the array of connecting pads, wherein along the first direction, lengths of the first extending pads are larger than lengths of the second extending pads; and the first extending pads respectively have a number N+1 of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon, the second extending pads respectively have the number N of the bottom electrodes disposed thereon”, as recited in independent claim 12.
Claims 2-11 and 13-20 would be allowed as being directly or indirectly dependent of the allowed independent base claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Li et al. U.S. Pub. 2022/0139919 May 5, 2022.
Sohn et al. U.S. Pub. 2023/0363147 November 9, 2023.
Jeong et al. U.S. Pub. 2023/0039823 February 9, 2023.
Choi et al. U.S. Pub. 2022/0262721 August 18, 2022.
Cho et al. U.S. Pub. 2013/0292796 November 7, 2013.
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/KHIEM D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892