DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s Amendment dated 10/27/25.
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 § 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 10-13, 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al [US 2014/0061897]
► With respect to claim 1, Lin et al (figs 1-14B, text [0001]-[0073] teaches the claimed method comprising:
forming a semiconductor die having under bump metal (UBM) pads (20, fig 3C) in a dense region (110) and in an isolated region (120);
forming external electrical connectors (M1 & M2, figs 3C-3D) in contact with the UBM pads;
limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height (fig 3D, text [0035]: vertical height of M1 & M2 is limited such that top surface of bump 28A is leveled with top surface of bump 28B).
► With respect to claim 2, Lin et al (figs 3C & 3D, text [0040]-[0045] more particularly text [0040] & [0044]: photolithography process) discloses forming openings over the UBM pads process openings to plating process of forming ; wherein forming the external electrical connectors in contact with the UBM pads comprises forming the external electrical connectors in the openings (plating process).
► With respect to claim 3, Lin et al (figs 1, 2, 3C & 3D, text [0026]) discloses wherein limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height comprises: forming the UBM pads in the dense region with a first critical dimension (W1) and forming the UBM pads in the isolated region with a second critical dimension (W2) greater than the first critical dimension.
► With respect to claim 4. Lin et al discloses wherein limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height comprises: forming the openings (text [0040]: photolithography to expose the UBM layer 20 in region 110) over the UBM pads in the dense region with a first critical dimension; and forming the openings (text [00436]: photolithography to expose the UBM layer 20 in region 120) over the UBM pads in the isolated region with a second critical dimension greater than the first critical dimension, wherein forming the external electrical connectors in contact with the UBM pads comprises forming the external electrical connectors in the openings (plating).
► With respect to claim 5, Lin et al (figs 1-2, 3C & 3D, text [0026], [0040] & [0043]) discloses wherein limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height comprises:forming the UBM pads in the dense region with a first critical dimension; andforming the UBM pads in the isolated region with a second critical dimension greater than the first critical dimension.
► With respect to claim 10, Lin et al (figs 1-14B, text [0001]-[0073] discloses the claimed method comprising:
determining an integrated circuit layout design, wherein the integrated circuit layout design comprises a dense region including densely arranged external electrical connectors on under bump metal (UBM) pads and an isolated region including isolated external electrical connectors on under bump metal (UBM) pads (figs 1, 2, 3C & 3D), wherein determining the integrated circuit layout design comprises providing the densely arranged external electrical connectors (M1, fig 3C) on under bump metal (UBM) pads with a first height, and wherein determining the integrated circuit layout design comprises providing the isolated external electrical connectors (M2, fig 3D) on under bump metal (UBM) pads with a second height equal to the first height; forming the under bump metal (UBM) pads in the dense region and in the isolated region; (fig3C) and forming the external electrical connectors over the under bump metal (UBM) pads in the dense region and in the isolated region (fig 3C & 3D).
► With respect to claim 11, Lin et al (fig 3D & 2) discloses wherein determining the integrated circuit layout design comprises providing the under bump metal (UBM) pads in the dense region with a first lateral critical dimension (W1) and providing the under bump metal (UBM) pads in the isolated region with a second lateral critical dimension (W2) different from the first lateral critical dimension.
► With respect to claim 12, Lin et al discloses wherein the second lateral critical dimension (W2) is greater than the first lateral critical dimension (W1)
► With respect to claim 13, Lin et al discloses wherein determining the integrated circuit layout design comprises providing dummy under bump metal (UBM) pads (dummy UBM under dummy bump 28D) in the isolated region.
► With respect to claim 21, Lin et al (figs 1-14B, text [0001]-[0073] ) discloses the claimed method comprising:
forming first under bump metal (UBM) pads (20A, fig 3D) in a dense region (110) of a semiconductor die, wherein the dense region has a first ratio of first UBM pads per unit area (fig 1);
forming first external electrical connectors (28A, fig 3D) in contact with the first UBM pads, wherein each first external electrical connector has a first vertical height;
forming second under bump metal (UBM) pads (20D, fig 3D)I n an isolated region (120) of the semiconductor die, wherein the isolated region has a second ratio of second UBM pads per unit area, wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio (see fig 1);
forming second external electrical connectors (28D, fig 3C)in contact with the second under bump metal (UBM) pads, wherein each second external electrical connector has a second vertical height; and
configuring the semiconductor die to have the first vertical height equal the second vertical height (fig 3D)
► With respect to claim 22, Lin et al (fig 3D) discloses wherein forming the first external electrical connectors comprises forming the first external electrical connectors with a first lateral critical dimension, and wherein configuring the semiconductor die to have the first vertical height equal the second vertical height comprises forming the second external electrical connectors with a second lateral critical dimension different from the first lateral critical dimension.
► With respect to claim 23, Lin et al (fig 3D & 2, text [0026]) discloses wherein the second lateral critical dimension is greater than the first lateral critical dimension.
Claims 1-2, 4, 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al [US 2014/0167254]
► With respect to claim 1, Yu et al (figs 1-9, text [0001]-[0042]) teaches the claimed method comprising:
forming a semiconductor die having under bump metal (UBM) pads (portions of UBM 20 exposed by opening 14a, fig 3B) in a dense region (110, fig 1 thus 3B, text [0010]) and in an isolated region (120, fig 1 thus 3B);
forming external electrical connectors (M1 & M2, fig 3C) in contact with the UBM pads;
limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height (text [0015]-[0017]: vertical height of M1 & M2 is limited such that co-planarity of the bump height distribution is achieved).
► With respect to claim 2, Yu et al discloses forming openings (14a, 14b, fig 3B) over the UBM pads process openings to plating process of forming; wherein forming the external electrical connectors in contact with the UBM pads comprises forming the external electrical connectors in the openings (fig 3C)
► With respect to claim 4, Yu et al discloses wherein limiting the external electrical connectors to a pre-selected vertical height comprises: forming the openings (14a, fig 3B) over the UBM pads in the dense region with a first critical dimension; and forming the openings (14b, fig 3B) over the UBM pads in the isolated region with a second critical dimension greater than the first critical dimension ,wherein forming the external electrical connectors in contact with the UBM pads comprises forming the external electrical connectors in the openings.
► With respect to claim 21, Yu et al (figs 1-9, text [0001]-[0042] ) discloses the claimed method comprising:
forming first under bump metal (UBM) pads (portions of the UBM layer 20 exposed by opening 14a in region 110, figs 1 & 3B) in a dense region of a semiconductor die, wherein the dense region has a first ratio of first UBM pads per unit area;
forming first external electrical connectors (M1, fig 3C) in contact with the first UBM pads, wherein each first external electrical connector has a first vertical height;
forming second under bump metal (UBM) pads (portions of the UBM layer 20 exposed by opening 14b region 120, figs 1 & 3B)in an isolated region of the semiconductor die, wherein the isolated region has a second ratio of second UBM pads per unit area, wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio;
forming second external electrical connectors (M2, fig 3C)in contact with the second under bump metal (UBM) pads, wherein each second external electrical connector has a second vertical height; and
configuring the semiconductor die to have the first vertical height equal the second vertical height (text [0017])
► With respect to claim 22, Yu et al (text [0016]) discloses wherein forming the first external electrical connectors comprises forming the first external electrical connectors with a first lateral critical dimension, and wherein configuring the semiconductor die to have the first vertical height equal the second vertical height comprises forming the second external electrical connectors with a second lateral critical dimension different from the first lateral critical dimension.
► With respect to claim 24, Yu et al discloses forming a dielectric layer (14, fig 3C) overlying the dense region and the isolated region; and forming openings in the dielectric layer overlying the first UBM pads and overlying the second UBM pads, wherein the openings limit the first external electrical connectors to the first lateral critical dimension and limit the second external electrical connectors to the second lateral critical dimension.
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 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al [US 2014/0061897] or Yu et al [US 2014/0167254] as applied to claim 2 above, in further view of Wu et al [US2004/85651]
► With respect to claim 3, Lin et al and Yu et al substantially discloses the claimed method but does not expressly teach forming the external electrical connectors comprises dropping solder balls in the opening.
However, Wu et al teaches dropping the solder balls (250, fig 9) in the openings 232 for forming the external electrical connectors.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for those skilled the art to modify process of Lin et al or Yu et al by dropping solder ball as being claimed, per taught by Wu et al, to provide a better control process in forming the external connectors (see Wu et al, text [0018] for details).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 and 25 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.
Conclusion
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/THANHHA S PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812