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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on October 2, 2023, IDS filed on July 14, 2025 and IDS filed on October 16, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDSs are considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the feature “the at least one electromagnetic device” in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for the feature in the claim and base claim 1. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 17 recites the feature “a first well region” in line 2. It is unclear how the feature relates back to “a first well region” in line 15 of the base claim 13, thus, this renders the claim indefinite. Claim 17 also recites the feature “a second well region” in line 3. It is unclear how the feature relates back to “a second well region” in line 16 of the base claim 1, thus, this renders the claim indefinite. 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 of this title, 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 and 3-5 are rejected are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai et al. US 6,943,063 (Tsai ‘063).
Regarding claim 1, Tsai ‘063 teaches a method (e.g., Fig. 3, Fig. 2; col. 2, line 66 to col. 4, line 8) comprising:
forming an integrated circuit area (e.g., integrated circuit area including 26 and 24, Fig. 3) on a substrate (e.g., substrate (not labeled) on which 26, 24 and 22, Fig. 3; 30, Fig. 2, col. 3, lines 4-40), wherein the integrated circuit area includes radio frequency devices (e.g., 26, Fig. 3; col. 3, line 41 to col 4, line 8); and
forming, on the substrate, at least one metallic barrier (e.g., 22, Fig. 3; col. 3, lines 4-40, col. 2, lines 35-45) laterally surrounding and physically separated from the integrated circuit area (e.g., Fig. 3), wherein the at least one metallic barrier includes at least one passive filter (e.g., in Fig. 2 of Tsai ‘063, the stack of alternating metal layers and dielectric layers of 22, may function as a capacitor (corresponding to one of at least one passive filter disclosed in Applicant’s original disclosure (e.g. [0004])) that inhibits signal propagation through the at least one metallic barrier of noise (e.g., reducing propagation through the metallic barrier 22 of unwanted signals (noise) from internal circuitry or the signal bonding pads 24 ; col. 3, lines 41 to col. 4, line 8; abstract).
Tsai ‘063 does not explicitly teach the noise includes radio frequency noise emitted by at least one of the radio frequency devices.
Tsai ‘063, however, recognizes that the integrated circuit die 20 depicts internal circuitry 26 only except for the signal bonding pads 24, which correspond to radio frequency circuits (e.g., col. 3, lines 41 to col. 4, line 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention that the noise from the radio frequency circuits 26 of Tsai ‘063 may include radio frequency noise because the radio frequency circuits 26 emit radio frequency signals for example.
Regarding claim 3, Tsai ‘063 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the passive filter is any of a low pass filter, a high pass filter (e.g., pass filter including a capacitor; see the discussion to claim 1 above), a band pass filter, and a band stop filter.
Regarding claim 4, Tsai ‘063 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electromagnetic device is any of a resistor, a capacitor (e.g., capacitor; see the discussion to claim 1 above; see the 112 rejection above), an inductor, and a stub.
Regarding claim 5, Tsai ‘063 teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the at least one metallic barrier is a single continuous metallic barrier (e.g., Fig. 3).
Claims 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai et al. US 6,537,849 (Tsai ‘849).
Regarding claim 7, Tsai ‘849 teaches a method (e.g., Fig. 4, Fig. 3; col. 2, line 34 to col. 3, line 32) comprising:
forming, on a substrate (e.g., substrate (not labeled) on which 62, 66 and other sub-circuits such as 64; col. 3, lines 12-43) are disposed, Fig. 4; 30, Fig. 3, col. 2, lines 39-41), an integrated circuit area (e.g., integrated circuit area including 66 and other sub-circuits such as 64, Fig. 4) including radio frequency devices (e.g., 66, Fig. 4, col. 3, lines 12-43) and non-radio frequency devices (e.g., 64, Fig. 4, col. 3, lines 12-43) wherein the radio frequency devices have a specific radio frequency range for operation (e.g., corresponding radio frequency ranges of 66 for operation); and
forming, on the substrate, at least one metallic barrier (e.g., 62, Fig. 4; col. 2, lines 34-67, col. 2, lines 4-6) laterally surrounding and physically separated from the integrated circuit area and including at least one passive filter including at least one electromagnetic device (e.g., in Fig. 3 of Tsai ‘849, the stack of alternating metal layers and dielectric layers of 62, may function as a capacitor (corresponding to one of the at least one electromagnetic device disclosed in Applicant’s original disclosure (e.g. [0004])), wherein the at least one passive filter inhibits signal propagation through the at least one metallic barrier between a first device at a first location within the integrated circuit area and a second device at a second location within the integrated circuit area (e.g., reducing propagation through the metallic barrier 62 of unwanted signal interference (noise) between the radio frequency circuits 66 and other sub-circuits such as signal pads 64 within the IC area; col. 3, lines 12-43).
Fig. 4 (and Fig. 3) of Tsai ‘849 does not explicitly does not explicitly teach the noise includes radio frequency noise propagated within the specific RF range.
It has been well known in the art that as speeds of integrated circuit including radio frequency circuits increase, radio frequency signal interference occurs and is a typical interference noise to be reduced and isolated as suggested by the section of background of the invention of Tsai ‘849. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention that in operation of the integrated circuit the noise propagated between the radio frequency circuits 26 and other sub-circuits of Tsai ‘849 may include radio frequency noise propagated within the corresponding radio frequency range of the radio frequency circuits 26 for example.
Regarding claim 8, Tsai ‘849 teaches the method of claim 7, wherein the first device is one of the radio frequency devices (e.g., 66, Fig. 4), and the second device is any of one of the radio frequency devices and one of the non-radio frequency devices (e.g., 64, Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9, Tsai ‘849 teaches the method of claim 7, wherein the passive filter is any of a low pass filter, a high pass filter (e.g., pass filter including a capacitor; see the discussion to claim 7 above), a band pass filter, and a band stop filter.
Regarding claim 10, Tsai ‘849 teaches the method of claim 7, wherein the at least one electromagnetic device is any of a resistor, a capacitor (e.g., capacitor; see the discussion to claim 1 above), an inductor, and a stub.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 6 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.
Claims 11 and 12 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.
Claims 13-16 and 18-20 are allowed at this time, pending updated search before the Examiner's next response, because the prior art of record neither anticipates nor render obvious the limitation of the base claim 13 that recites “forming an integrated circuit area on a substrate; and forming multiple metallic barriers on the substrate, wherein the multiple metallic barriers include: a first metallic barrier laterally surrounding and physically separated from the integrated circuit area; a second metallic barrier laterally surrounding the first metallic barrier; and a passive filter including at least one electromagnetic device, wherein the passive filter is any of embedded in the first metallic barrier, embedded in the second metallic barrier, embedded in both the first metallic barrier and the second metallic barrier, and embedded in a space between the first metallic barrier and the second metallic barrier, wherein the passive filter inhibits radio frequency noise signal propagation through the metallic barriers between different locations in the integrated circuit area, wherein the first metallic barrier is on a first well region in the substrate, wherein the second metallic barrier is on a second well region in the substrate, and wherein the first well region and the second well region have different conductivity types” in combination with other elements of the base claim 13.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bo Bin Jang whose telephone number is (571) 270-0271. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Eva Montalvo can be reached at (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BO B JANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818 May 16, 2026
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