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 Status
Claims 1, 3, 5, and 7 have been amended in the reply dated 8 June 2026, and claims 13 and 14 have been added.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: The term “communicates” in claim 1 is presumably used in the claim to mean “is in contact” or “connects”, while the common meaning is “conveys information”, and the term is not further stated in context or defined in the specification. For the purpose of examination, the term --communicates with-- will be replaced with --connects to-- for clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al (US 20220130725 A1, hereinafter “Lee”), in view of Iijima et al (US 20200243591 A1, hereinafter “Iijima), and further in view of Matsumoto et al (US 20160064178 A1, hereinafter “Matsumoto”).
Regarding Claim 1 – Lee discloses an interconnection member comprising: a substrate (100 [0023] and Fig. 4) including a first face (First in annotated Fig. 3), a second face (Second in annotated Fig. 4) positioned on an opposite side with respect to the first face in a first direction, and a first through hole extending in the first direction (116 [0028] and Fig. 4); and an interconnection portion (Interconnection in annotated Fig. 4) provided on the first face of the substrate, including an insulating layer (Combination of 110 and 111 [0026] and Fig. 4), an interconnection layer provided in the insulating layer (considered as “other metal interconnects and metal bumps” [0026]), a second through hole (216 in annotated Fig. 4) extending in the first direction, and a conductive film (112 [0026] and Fig. 4) provided on a side surface of the second through hole, a width of the first through hole (W1 in annotated Fig. 4) being greater than a width of the second through hole (W2 in annotated Fig. 4) in a direction orthogonal to the first direction (W1>W2 in annotated Fig. 4), the first through hole also extending to a part of the interconnection portion in the first direction (116 extends to 110 as in Fig. 4), and a side surface of the first through hole including a first side surface portion positioned on the substrate (1st Side in annotated Fig. 4), and the interconnection portion including a third face facing the first face of the substrate (Third in annotated Fig. 4), a fourth face (Fourth in annotated Fig. 4) positioned on an opposite side with respect to the third face in the first direction, and a fifth face (Fifth in annotated Fig. 4), including an end surface of the conductive film in the first direction.
Lee fails to disclose the second through hole including a space that is located inside the conductive film and connects to the first through hole, a second side surface portion positioned on the part of the interconnection portion, the fifth face contiguous with the second side surface portion of the first through hole and a side surface of the conductive film.
However, Iijima discloses the second through hole including a space that is located inside the conductive film and connects to the first through hole (Iijima Fig. 6D).
Iijima is analogous to Lee in disclosing aligned through holes with larger width in the substrate, comprising a conductive film. Iijima teaches extending the first through hole a distance into the interconnection portion to form a second side surface portion with an annular fifth face for the benefit of the conductive film electrically connecting predetermined wiring lines in stacked substrates (e.g. 105 and 125, Iijima [0288]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Lee and Iijima to form a second side surface portion with an annular fifth face for the benefit of the conductive film electrically connecting predetermined wring lines in stacked substrates.
Furthermore, Matsumoto discloses a second side surface portion (Second in annotated Matsumoto Fig. 5B) positioned on the part of the interconnection portion (Combination of 10 and 12, Matsumoto [0046] and annotated Fig. 5B), the fifth face contiguous with the second side surface portion of the first through hole and a side surface of the conductive film (Fifth contiguous with Second and Side in annotated Matsumoto Fig. 5B).
Matsumoto also discloses a structure with through holes having a conductor covering at least a portion of an insulated layer. Matsumoto teaches an overhang of the conductive film not touching the whole side of the second side surface portion of the first through hole for the benefit of reduced probability of sidewall charging (Matsumoto [0049]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Lee and Matsumoto to form an overhang of the conductive film not touching the whole side of the second side surface portion of the first through hole for the benefit of reduced probability of sidewall charging.
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Regarding Claim 2 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the fifth face of the interconnection portion includes the end surface of the conductive film (as shown in Lee Fig. 4), and a surface of the insulating layer positioned on a side closer to the second side surface portion of the first through hole than the end surface of the conductive film in the direction orthogonal to the first direction (103, Iijima Fig. 6D).
Regarding Claim 3 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 2.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses a part of the fifth face of the interconnection portion includes only an end surface of the conductive film, and does not include a surface of the insulating layer (Fifth in Matsumoto Fig. 5B only includes the end surface of conductive film 24).
Regarding Claim 4 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the conductive film is a titanium film, a titanium nitride film, or a stacked film of a titanium film and a titanium nitride film (Lee [0026]).
Regarding Claim 5 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the conductive film
Regarding Claim 6 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the insulating layer of the interconnection portion is not exposed on the side surface of the second through hole (Covered by 112, Lee [0026] and Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 7 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the fifth face (Fifth in annotated Iijima Fig. 6D) has an annular shape between the side surface of the conductive film (Side in annotated Iijima Fig. 6D) and the second side surface portion of the first through hole (Second Side Surface in annotated Iijima Fig. 6D).
Regarding Claim 8 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the conductive film is also provided on the fourth face of the interconnection portion (114, Lee [0026] and Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 13 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the conductive film surrounds the space of the second through hole (The holes are laid out as 202-205 in Iijima Fig. 2B, and coated with metal as shown in Iijima Fig. 6D).
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Regarding Claim 14 – Lee modified by Iijima and Matsumoto discloses all the limitations of claim 1.
The combination of Lee, Iijima, and Matsumoto further discloses the conductive film has a tubular shape extending in the first direction along the side surface of the second through hole, and the space of the second through hole extends through the conductive film in the first direction and opens into the first through hole (Square shape of hole in plan view (202-205 in Iijima Fig. 2B) will become rounded during etching and deposition, and metal coated holes will therefore have tubular shaped metal. Space exists in the middle of 157, Iijima Fig. 6D).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8 June 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues the addition of the limitation “...the second through hole including a space that is located inside the conductive film and (connects to) the first through hole...” to claim 1 overcomes the prior rejection. However, this limitation is addressed by Iijima as explained above. Furthermore, added claims 13 and 14 are addressed by Iijima, as explained above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JASON MCDONALD/Examiner, Art Unit 2898 /JULIO J MALDONADO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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