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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-16 are pending in this application.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-13) in the reply filed on 2/19/26 is acknowledged. Claims 14-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Claims 1-13 are examined in this Office action.
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
Acknowledgment is made that the information disclosure statement has been received and considered by the examiner. If the applicant is aware of any prior art or any other co-pending applications not already of record, he/she is reminded of his/her duty under 37 CFR 1.56 to disclose the same.
Drawings
There are no objections or rejections to the drawings.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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.
Claims 1-13 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 1 recites the limitation “forming, in a joining region between the semiconductor chip and the target object where the semiconductor chip and the target object should be joined to each other, a plurality of metal paste patterns with a gap being provided in at least a part along a thickness direction between one another;” and “joining the semiconductor chip and the target object by sintering the plurality of metal paste patterns sandwiched between the semiconductor chip and the target object in a state where the gap exists between one another”. It is unclear what is meant by with a gap being provided in at least a part along a thickness direction between one another. The recitation includes the semiconductor chip, the target object and the plurality of metal paste patterns. It is unclear where the gap is located. (a gap, not a plurality of gaps). The recitation states that the gap is provided at least in a part along a thickness direction between one another, however its unclear which two elements comprise one another. One reasonable interpretation is that one another includes the semiconductor chip and the target object. Another reasonable interpretation is that one another includes the chip and the metal paste patterns. Yet another is that one another includes only the metal paste patterns. It is unclear what is meant by in a state where the gap exists between one another. The claim requires a gap being provided in at least a part along a thickness direction between one another. For this reason its unclear how there could be any state other than one where the gap exists between one another. This introduces ambiguity as to the meaning on between one another. These limitations do not have well defined boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art would not know what structures/steps are covered by the limitation. For these reasons, the claim is indefinite.
Claims 2-13 depend from rejected claim 1, include all limitations of claim 1 and therefore are rejected for the same reason.
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 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 pre-AIA 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.
Insofar as definite, Claims 1 and 9 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sakairi et al. (US Patent Application Publication No 2024/0321705) hereinafter referred to as Sakairi.
Per Claim 1 Sakairi discloses a manufacturing method of a semiconductor apparatus, in which a semiconductor chip is joined to a target object, comprising
forming, in a joining region between the semiconductor chip (member to be joined, see figure 2) and the target object (interposer substrate) where the semiconductor chip and the target object should be joined to each other (as in figure 2), a plurality of metal paste patterns (metal paste, see figure 5c) with a gap being provided in at least a part (part of the metal paste?) along a thickness direction between one another; and
joining the semiconductor chip and the target object by sintering the plurality of metal paste patterns sandwiched between the semiconductor chip and the target object in a state where the gap exists between one another (as described in 0037-0040)
Per Claim 9 Sakairi discloses the method of claim 1, including where the target object has at least one through hole at a position corresponding to the gap between the plurality of metal paste patterns. (as shown in figure 5e)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 10-13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Cited Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Applicants are directed to consider additional pertinent prior art included on the Notice of References Cited (PTOL 892) attached herewith.
The Examiner has pointed out particular references contained in the prior art of record within the body of this action for the convenience of the Applicant.
Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMI VALENTINE MILLER whose telephone number is (571)272-9786. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 7am-5pm.
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, Eva Montalvo can be reached on (571) 270-3829. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Jami Valentine Miller/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2818