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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 04/15/2025 has been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 08/16/2023 are acceptable.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 08/16/2023 are acceptable.
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, 2, 13, 14, 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Lin (US 2005/0023704).
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Regarding claims 1 and 13, Lin (US 2005/0023704) discloses:
A device, comprising:
a die (11, ¶0029);
an interposer (10, ¶0029) above the die (the interposer 10 is above die 11 when figure 8 is inverted); and
a mold (12, ¶0033) in between the die (11) and the interposer (10), the mold (12) encapsulating upper and side surfaces of the die (11), wherein the interposer (10) comprises:
a first interposer solder resist (SR)(102, ¶0032);
a first interposer metal plane (103, and 208 ¶0030) on the first interposer SR (102);
a laminate core (100, ¶0029) on the first interposer metal plane (103, 208);
a second interposer metal plane (104, ¶0032) on the laminate core (100);
a second first interposer SR (covering element 104, figure 8) on the second interposer metal plane (104); and
one or more interposer vias (101, ¶0032) formed in the laminate core, the one or more interposer vias electrically coupling the first and second interposer metal planes (¶0032);
wherein the device further comprises one or more adhesion holes (openings in SR 102 that expose the perimeter of pad 208) exposing side surfaces of one or more SR posts and one or more post landings, the one or more SR posts (102) being portions of the first interposer SR (102) and the one or more post landings being portions of the first interposer metal plane (203, ¶0029), the one or more SR posts (104) being formed on and in contact with corresponding one or more post landings (203), and wherein the mold (12) fills the one or more adhesion holes such that the mold (12) is in contact with the exposed side surfaces of one or more SR posts (openings in SR 104) and of the one or more post landings (¶0033).
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Lin further discloses:
wherein the one or more adhesion holes also expose one or more portions of a lower surface of the laminate core (100, ¶0033) such that the mold (12) is in contact with the exposed one or more portions of the lower surface of the laminate core (¶0033).
Regarding claim 24, Lin further discloses:
wherein forming the interposer comprises: providing the laminate core; forming via holes in the laminate core; plating metal on upper and lower surfaces of the laminate core and in the via holes and patterning the metal to form the first interposer metal plane, the one or more interposer vias, and the second interposer metal plane; and depositing and developing solder resist material to form the first interposer SR and the second interposer SR (¶0124).
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) 8-12 and 20-23,, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin.
Regarding claims 8 and 20, Lin does not disclose “wherein the first interposer metal plane and the second interposer metal plane are formed from copper”. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a metal plane formed from copper as claimed, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design c1hoice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claims 9 and 21, Lin does not disclose “wherein the laminate core is a copper clad laminate (CCL)”. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a laminate core as a CCL as claimed, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design c1hoice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claims 10 and 22, Lin does not disclose “wherein the device is a package-on-package (PoP) device”. However, it has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex Parte Masham, 2 USPQ F.2d 1647 (1987). Therefore, as Lin teaches the claimed structure, the limitation is considered met.
Regarding claims 11 and 23, Lin does not disclose “wherein the die is a system-on-chip (SoC) die”. However, it has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex Parte Masham, 2 USPQ F.2d 1647 (1987). Therefore, as Lin teaches the claimed structure, the limitation is considered met.
Regarding claims 12, Lin does not disclose “wherein the device is incorporated into an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a mobile device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a fixed location terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, a wearable device, an Internet of things (IoT) device, a laptop computer, a server, and a device in an automotive vehicle”. However, it has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex Parte Masham, 2 USPQ F.2d 1647 (1987). Therefore, as Lin teaches the claimed structure, the limitation is considered met.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7, 15-19 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.
Regarding claim 3 the prior art does not disclose “wherein at least one post landing is wider than a corresponding at least one SR post such that at least a portion of a lower surface of the at least one post landing is exposed by an adhesion hole, and wherein the mold is in contact with the exposed lower surface of the at least one post landing” in combination with the remaining claimed features..
Regarding claim 4, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the mold is in contact with lower surfaces of the one or more SR posts” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art does not disclose “a lower substrate below the mold and the die; and one or more interposer balls formed in the mold between the interposer and the lower substrate, the one or more interposer balls providing signal connections between the interposer and the lower substrate” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 15 the prior art does not disclose “wherein at least one post landing is wider than a corresponding at least one SR post such that at least a portion of a lower surface of the at least one post landing is exposed by an adhesion hole, and wherein the mold is in contact with the exposed lower surface of the at least one post landing” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the mold is in contact with lower surfaces of the one or more SR posts” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art does not disclose “forming a lower substrate below the mold and the die; and forming one or more interposer balls formed in the mold between the interposer and the lower substrate, the one or more interposer balls providing signal connections between the interposer and the lower substrate” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A HARRISTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3897. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached at 571 270 7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM A HARRISTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899