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 claims 1-11 in the reply filed on 02/02/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 1-2, 6-8 & 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lin et al. (US Pub. 2019/0067157).
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches a semiconductor device, comprising:
a semiconductor chip 70A where a circuit is formed on a side of a first surface (e.g. bottom) of a chip substrate (a circuit (e.g. transistor/s) is understood to be formed on a side of the bottom surface of the chip 70a), and a transition structure (top portion of the chip 70a, where the recesses 114 are present, Fig. 8A-8B) is integrated on a side of a second surface (top surface) which is opposite to the first surface of the chip substrate 202 (Fig. 15), wherein the transition structure is obtained by causing a ratio of a substrate material of a chip substrate body 70A to be less than a ratio of the substrate material on the side of the first surface (Fig. 8A-8B) and adding a thermal conductive material 304 which has a higher thermal conductivity than the substrate material (Fig. 15); and
a thermal conductor 212 which is joined to the second surface (top surface) of the semiconductor chip 70A and has a higher thermal conductivity than the substrate material 70A (Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 2, Lin teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein a projected area obtained by projecting the thermal conductor 212 in a direction vertical to the second surface of the semiconductor chip is larger than an area of the second surface of the semiconductor chip 70A (Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 6, Lin teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the transition structure does not contain the substrate material on a surface of the second surface (Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 7, as best understood, Lin teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: a package substrate 202 which mounts the semiconductor chip 70A; and a first underfill structure 108 where a first underfill material 108 is filled into a space in which the semiconductor chip 70A does not exist between the thermal conductor 212 and the package substrate 202 (Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 8, as best understood, Lin teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 7, further comprising: a second underfill structure 106 where a second underfill material 106 is filled between the semiconductor chip 70A and the package substrate 202 (Fig. 15).
Regarding claim 11, Lin teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising: a heatsink 302 provided on an opposite side of a surface of the thermal conductor 212 relative to the semiconductor chip 70A (Fig. 15).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of KUSHIDA et al. (2003-258165).
Regarding claim 3, Lin is silent on the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the transition structure has a structure where the thermal conductive material is filled into a plurality of trenches, a plurality of blind holes, or a pore structure formed on the side of the second surface of the chip substrate body. However, KUSHIDA teaches wherein a transition structure has a structure where a thermal conductive material 5 is filled into a plurality of trenches (note the trenches/holes 4 on the top surface of the semiconductor chip 1), a plurality of blind holes, or a pore structure formed on the side of the second surface of the chip substrate body. This has the advantage of enhancing heat transfer from the semiconductor chip to the heatsink.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the invention of Lin with the thermal conductive material filling the trenches on the surface of semiconductor chip, as taught by KUSGIDA, so as to obtain an efficient heat dissipation mechanism for the semiconductor device.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Lin and KUSHIDA teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the transition structure comprises a diffusion prevention layer which prevents diffusion of the thermal conductive material, on a surface of the plurality of trenches, the plurality of blind holes, or the pore structure, before filling the thermal conductive material (Lin’s Para [0041] and KUSHIDA’s Fig. 1-3 and associated text).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Lin and KUSHIDA teaches the semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the diffusion prevention layer contains at least one of Ta, TaN, SiO2, or Si3N4 (Lin’s Para [0041]).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of STEINER et al. (US Pub. 2024/0260470).
Regarding claim 10, Lin is silent on the semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal conductor comprises a vapor chamber. However, STEINER teaches a device, wherein a thermal conductor TEM comprises a vapor chamber (Fig. 3 & Fig. 4). This has the advantage of maximizing heat absorption before evenly distributing the heat towards the heatsink. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to modify the invention of Lin with the vapor chamber, as taught by STEINER, so as to obtain an efficient heat dissipation mechanism for the semiconductor device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is 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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/TIMOR KARIMY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818