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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-13 in the reply filed on 03/13/2026 is acknowledged. Claim 21 has been added. Claims 14-20 have been canceled. Claims 1-13 and 21 are examined on the merits in this Office Action.
Specification
The amended specification addresses minor informalities in the original specification and is entered. No new matter has been introduced by this amendment.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-7, 9-13, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chuang et. al., U.S. Pat. Pub. 2023/0299010, hereafter Chuang, in view of Kato, JP H0555043, hereafter Kato.
Regarding claim 1, Chuang discloses (Figs 1,14) a bonding structure comprising:
a first wafer [70A] including first bonding pads [82A];
a second wafer [70B] including second bonding pads [84B] configured to be hybrid bonded to the first bonding pads of the first wafer (par. [0035]);
at least one first alignment key [84A] formed in the first wafer [70A]; and at least one second alignment key [84B] formed in the second wafer [70B], the second alignment key configured to generate a magnetic force with the first alignment key (see Fig. 5, step [506], par. [0036]).
Chuang fails to explicitly disclose
the first alignment key configured to be magnetized by induced current flow in the first alignment key.
However, Kato discloses (Figs. 1-5) a magnetic coil which cand be magnetized by induced current and serve as an equivalent of a permanent magnet of Chuang.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to effective date of the instant application to replace magnetic pads of Chuang with a coil of Kato because both magnetic materials and coils with current are known to act similarly in magnetic field and can performs the same alignment function, with the strongest magnets being coils, a replacement of magnetic material with a coil will increase alignment precision.
Regarding claim 2, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses wherein at least one of the first and second wafers[70A], [70B] comprises a scribe lane (par. [0049] and area [72A]) configured to define a plurality of dies [72D], and
wherein the first alignment key [84A] is positioned in the scribe lane [72A] of the first wafer [70A], and the second alignment key [84B] is positioned in the scribe lane [72A] of the second wafer [70B].
Regarding claim 3, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. The limitation of claim 3, “wherein the first alignment key has a temporary magnetism induced by the current flowing therein; and
the second alignment key has a temporary magnetism induced by the current flowing therein”,
is obvious over the combination of reference, in particular, Kato, because a coil of Kato will only have temporary magnetism when the current is flowing through it.
Regarding claim 4, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Kato further discloses (Figs 1-5), along with the replacement of magnets of Chuang with Kato’s coils,
wherein at least one of the first and second alignment keys comprises a plurality of stacked alignment patterns ([2a], [2b], [2c] in Fig. 1), and at least one of the alignment patterns has a coil shape formed together with adjacent alignment patterns in a stacked direction (as shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses (Figs. 7, 14) wherein the first [84A] and second [84B] alignment keys have a same structure.
Regarding claim 6, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses (Fig. 7, claim 7) wherein the first and second alignment keys have opposite polarities.
Regarding claim 7, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses (Figs 19,20) different structures, which, when put nearby, will interact with each other magnetically.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to effective filing date of the instant application to use these different structures together for wafer bonding to optimize alignment.
Regarding claim 9, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above.
Kato further discloses wherein at least one of the first and second alignment keys comprises:
a plurality of alignment patterns [2a], [2b], [2c] sequentially stacked;
a plurality of insulating interlayers [7a], [7b] (Fig. 2) interposed between the alignment patterns; and
at least one connection member [5] connected between the alignment patterns to provide the alignment patterns with a coil shape.
Regarding claim 10, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Kato further discloses (Fig. 4) wherein the alignment patterns have structures gradually changing in a stacked direction of the alignment patterns (the radius increases).
Regarding claim 11, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses
wherein the first wafer includes a plurality of first alignment keys [84A] and the second wafer includes a plurality of second alignment keys [84B],
wherein the plurality of first alignment keys are arranged in the scribe lane [72A] of the first wafer [70A] in a rule (e.g., not arranged between dies [72D]), and the plurality of the second alignment keys [84B] are arranged in the scribe lane [72A] of the second wafer [70B].
Regarding claim 12, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses (Fig. 14) wherein n numbers of first alignment keys [84A], where n is a natural number of no less than 2, among the first alignment keys and n numbers of second alignment keys among the second alignment keys have magnetism, while Kato discloses temporary magnetism, so this limitation is obvious over the combination of references.
Regarding claim 13, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang further discloses wherein the n numbers of the first alignment keys [84A] are symmetrical with each other (around symmetry plane cutting through mid-point of the wafer) on the first wafer [70A], and the n numbers of the second alignment keys [84B] are symmetrical with each other on the second wafer [70B] (around a symmetry plane cutting through the mid-point of the second wafer [84B].
Regarding claim 21, Chuang discloses a magnetic alignment key for alignment of a first semiconductor device wafer with a second semiconductor device wafer, which generates an magnetic force which induces motion of the first semiconductor device wafer relative to the second semiconductor device wafer.
Chuang fails to explicitly disclose the magnetic alignment key being an electromagnetic alignment key, the electromagnetic alignment key comprising:
a plurality of alignment patterns sequentially stacked over each other and positioned on the first semiconductor device wafer;
a plurality of insulating interlayers interposed between the alignment patterns; and
at least one connection member connected between the alignment patterns to provide the alignment patterns with a coil shape,
wherein the electromagnetic alignment key has temporary magnetism, generated by current flow in the plurality of alignment patterns,
wherein the magnetic force is an electromotive force.
However, Kato discloses (Figs 1, 2) the electromagnetic alignment key (a structure of inductive coil of Kato can serve as an electromagnetic alignment key) comprising:
a plurality of alignment patterns [2a], [2b], [2c] sequentially stacked over each other and positioned on the first semiconductor device wafer;
a plurality of insulating interlayers [7a], [7b] interposed between the alignment patterns; and
at least one connection member [5] connected between the alignment patterns to provide the alignment patterns with a coil shape,
wherein the electromagnetic alignment key has temporary magnetism (this limitation is obvious because magnetism of a coil is defined by a current flowing through it), generated by current flow in the plurality of alignment patterns.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to effective date of the instant application to replace magnetic pads of Chuang with a coil of Kato because both magnetic materials and coils with current are known to act similarly in magnetic field and can performs the same alignment function, with the strongest magnets being coils, a replacement of magnetic material with a coil will increase alignment precision, the magnetic force of Chuang becoming the electromagnetic force with this replacement.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chuang et. al., U.S. Pat. Pub. 2023/0299010, hereafter Chuang, in view of Kato, JP H0555043, hereafter Kato, and further in view of Yi et. al., U.S. Pat. 9,012,265, hereafter Yi.
Regarding claim 8, Chuang in view of Kato discloses everything as applied above. Chuang in view of Kato fails to explicitly disclose wherein the first and second alignment keys have a same polarity.
However, Yi discloses (Fig. 5C) wherein the first and second alignment keys have a same polarity.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to effective filing date of the instant application to use the same polarity taught by Yi, because both opposite and same polarities can attract depending on orientation of magnetization, in particular, for magnetization perpendicular to bonding direction same polarities will attract and assist the bonding process. Yi teaches (abstract) that such alignment is a high precision alignment with a high-throughput alignment process.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTOR V BARZYKIN whose telephone number is (571)272-0508. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
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/VICTOR V BARZYKIN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2893
/Britt Hanley/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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