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 .
DETAILED ACTION
In response to the restriction requirement mailed on 10/31/2025, the Applicant elected Species B encompassing claims 14-26 without traverse on 12/22/2025. Non-elected Species A encompassing claims 1-13 has been withdrawn from examination.
Currently, claims 1-26 are pending and the elected claims 14-26 are examined below.
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)
Two information disclosure statements submitted on 07/22/2024 ("07-22-24 IDS") and 09/18/2024 (“09-18-24 IDS”) are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the 07-22-24 IDS and 09-18-24 IDS are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 1021
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 14-18 and 20-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pub. No. US 2022/0352076 A1 to Ecton et al. ("Ecton").
Fig. 1 of Ecton has been provided to support the rejection below:
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Regarding independent claim 14, Ecton teaches a package (see Fig. 1) comprising:
a first integrated device 2701;
a second integrated device 2702;
a bridge 150 (para [0039] - “the bridge 150”) coupled to the first integrated device 2701 and the second integrated device 2702; and
a metallization portion 110 (para [0034] - “The electronic substrate may comprise at least two glass layers, illustrated as a first glass layer 120…and second glass layer 130…with an etch stop layer 140 between …the first glass layer 120 and…the second glass layer 130.”) coupled to the first integrated device 2701 and the second integrated device 2702, wherein the metallization portion 110 comprises:
at least one dielectric layer 120 or 130; and
a plurality of metallization interconnects 182, 184 (para [0040] - “The at least one first through-glass conductive via 182 may be electrically attached to a corresponding through-mold conductive via 174 proximate the second surface 122 of the first glass layer 120. At least one second through-glass conductive via 184 may extend through the second glass layer 130, the etch stop layer 140, and a portion of the adhesive layer 166, wherein the at least one second through-glass conductive via 184 may be electrically attached to the interconnection layer 168 on corresponding bond pads 164 at the second surface 154 of the bridge 150.”) or 182, 184, 164 (left), 164 (right), 168, 158, 174, 212, 214 comprising:
a first metallization interconnect 184 located on a first metal layer 258 (para [0042] - “a plurality of conductive traces 258”), wherein the first metallization interconnect 184 includes a first thickness; and
a second metallization interconnect 182 located on the first metal layer 258, wherein the second metallization interconnect 182 includes a second thickness that is different from the first thickness (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 15, Ecton teaches the second thickness that is greater than the first thickness (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 16, Ecton teaches the second thickness that is at least 1.2 times greater than the first thickness (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 17, Ecton teaches the plurality of metallization interconnects 182, 184, 164 (left), 164 (right), 168, 158, 174, 212, 214 that comprise:
a third metallization interconnect 164 (left) (para [0040] - “corresponding bond pads 164”) located on a second metal layer 168 (para [0040] - “the interconnection layer 168”);
a fourth metallization interconnect 164 (right) located on the second metal layer 168;
a first via metallization interconnect 158 (para [0037] - “a plurality of through-bridge conductive vias 158”) to the first metallization interconnect 184 and the third metallization interconnect 164, wherein the first via metallization interconnect 158 that comprises a first via height; and
a second via metallization interconnect 174 (para [0037] - “respective through-mold conductive vias 174”) coupled to the second metallization interconnect 182 and the fourth metallization interconnect 164 (right), wherein the second via metallization interconnect 174 comprises a second via height that is different from the first via height (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18, Ecton teaches the second thickness that is greater than the first thickness, and
wherein the first via height is greater than the second via height.
Regarding claim 20, Ecton teaches the bridge 150 that is located in the metallization portion 110.
Regarding claim 21, Ecton teaches the bridge 150 that includes a silicon based bridge (para [0038] - “In one embodiment, the bridge 150 may comprise silicon-containing components.”).
Regarding claim 22, Ecton teaches the first integrated device 2701 and the second integrated device 2702 that are configured to be electrically coupled to each other through an electrical path that includes the bridge 150.
Regarding claim 23, Ecton teaches the bridge 150 that includes a silicon based bridge (para [0038] - “In one embodiment, the bridge 150 may comprise silicon-containing components.”),
wherein the first integrated device 2701 comprises a first technology node (memory device) (para [0043] - “In an embodiment of the present description, the bridge 150 may be a microprocessor, and the first integrated circuit device 2701 and the second integrated circuit device 2702 may each be a memory device.”), and
wherein the second integrated device 2702 comprises a second technology node (memory device).
Regarding claim 24, Ecton teaches the plurality of metallization interconnects 182, 184, 164 (left), 164 (right), 168, 158, 174, 212, 214 that comprise:
a first plurality of metallization interconnects 212 (para [0054] - “conductive trace 212”) comprising a first minimum thickness, a first minimum spacing, a first minimum pitch and/or a first minimum width; and
a second plurality of metallization interconnects 214 comprising a second minimum thickness, a second minimum spacing, a second minimum pitch and/or a second minimum width.
Regarding claim 25, Ecton teaches the first plurality of metallization interconnects 212 that includes interconnects that vertically overlap with the first integrated device 2701 and the second integrated device 2702.
Regarding claim 26, Ecton teaches the package that is implemented in a device that is selected from a group consisting of 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, a laptop computer, a server, an internet of things (IoT) device, and a device in an automotive vehicle. (para [0069] - “In various implementations, the computing device may be a laptop, a netbook, a notebook, an ultrabook, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra-mobile PC, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a server, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, a digital camera, a portable music player, or a digital video recorder. In further implementations, the computing device may be any other electronic device that processes data.”).
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 19 is objected to for depending on a rejected base claim 14 and the intervening claim 17, but would be allowable if it is rewritten in independent form to include all of the limitations of the base claim 14 and the intervening claim 17 or the base claim 14 is amended to include all of the limitations of claim 19 and the intervening claim 17.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Pub. No. US 2025/0070075 A1 to Chiang et al.
Pub. No. US 2024/0063127 A1 to Ecton et al.
Pub. No. US 2024/0030145 A1 to Kang
Pub. No. US 2023/0420413 A1 to Nitsch et al.
Pub. No. US 2023/0087367 A1 to Sun et al.
Pub. No. US 2023/0085646 A1 to Ecton et al.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL JUNG whose telephone number is (408) 918-7554. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 A.M. to 7 P.M.
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, Eliseo Ramos-Feliciano can be reached on (571) 272-7925. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MICHAEL JUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2817 24 January 2026
1 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 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