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 .
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.
Status of the application
This office Action is in response to Applicant's Application filled on 02/17/2026. Claims 16-35 are pending for this examination.
Oath/Declaration
The oath or declaration filed on 10/19/2023 is acceptable.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election, without traverse invention II, species III (claims 16-20), in the “Response to Election / Restriction Filed” filed on 02/17/2026 is acknowledged. Applicant submits that new claims 21-35 added in this preliminary amendment is also directed to Invention II and at least Species M.III.
However, the features of claim 25 such as “a slot defined therethrough, the slot having :a length along the longitudinal axis that is greater than or equal to seventy percent of the length of the conductive clip along the longitudinal axis; and a width along the transverse axis that is greater than or equal to thirty percent of the width of the conductive clip along the transverse axis; and performing a molding process to encapsulate the semiconductor die and the conductive clip in a molding compound, and at least partially encapsulate the substrate in the molding compound” does not read on elected species III. Therefore, claim 25 is withdrawn.
Claims 26-33 are withdrawn based on the dependency of claim 25.
This office action considers claims 16-35 are thus pending for prosecution of which, non-elected claims 25-33 are withdrawn, and elected claims 16-24 and 34-35 are examined on their merits.
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 16-24 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.
Regarding Claim 16, The instant claims recite limitation “applying an adhesion promoting material to the semiconductor die, the substrate, the conductive clip and the wire bond” is not clear because applying an adhesion promoting material to the semiconductor die, the substrate, the conductive clip and the wire bond is not defined. Therefore, the resulting claim is indefinite and is failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter. Appropriate corrections defining these limitations within metes and bounds of the claimed invention are required.
Claims 17-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, because of their dependency status from claim 16.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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.
Claim 34 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yandoc et al (US 2024/0258207 A1; hereafter Yandoc).
Regarding claim 34. Yandoc discloses a method for producing a semiconductor device assembly, the method (Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038]) comprising:
coupling a semiconductor die (semiconductor die 208, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038])) with a substrate (die attach structure 204, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038]));
coupling a conductive clip (clip frame structure 206, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038])) with the semiconductor die (semiconductor die 208, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038]), the conductive clip (clip frame structure 206, Para [ 0031]) having a length and a width defining an area of a footprint of the conductive clip (clip frame structure 206, Para [ 0031]), the conductive clip including a slot defined therethrough (optional slots or holes 221, Para [ 0035]), the slot having an area that is at least twenty percent of an area ( total area of optional slots or holes 221, Para [ 0035]) of a footprint of the conductive clip (Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038], clip frame structure 206); and
performing a molding process (mold 216, Para [ 0030-0033]) to encapsulate the semiconductor die (semiconductor die 208, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038])) and the conductive clip (clip frame structure 206, Fig [2-3,5], Para [ 0022-0038]) in a molding compound such that a first portion of the molding compound is disposed between the conductive clip and the substrate (Para [ 0030-0033]) and a second portion of the molding compound is disposed in the slot (Fig [ 2-5], Para [ 0030-0033]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 35 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.
The following is the Examiner's Reasons for Allowance:
The prior art fails to disclose and would not have rendered obvious:
Regarding claim 35. applying an adhesion promoting material to a portion of the substrate and a portion of the semiconductor die by spraying the adhesion promoting material through the slot.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOIN M RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5002. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00pm.
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, Julio Maldonado can be reached at 571-272-1864. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOIN M RAHMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2898
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