DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
2. The examiner has reviewed the applicant’s comments and finds them persuasive. Consequently, the rejection sent on 03/02/2026 is withdrawn and new rejection has been applied thus making this action a non-final action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 1-2, 9-10, 17-20, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by Gan, US-20040259325-A1.
Claims 1, 17. Gan disclose a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) component (such as the one in fig. 2), comprising:
-a glass substrate (item 40, [0021]);
-a MEMS device (item 41) disposed on the glass substrate;
-a glass cap (i) (item 50) having at least one conductive via (item 55) therethrough and (ii) attached to the glass substrate thereby encapsulating and hermetically sealing (as seen in the structure of fig. 2) the MEMS device within a cavity (item 54), the at least one conductive via having a top planar end cap coupled to a top end (as seen in the structure of fig. 2) of the electrically-conductive via and a bottom planar end cap (as seen in the structure of fig. 2) coupled to a bottom end of the electrically-conductive via.
Claim 2. Gan disclose the MEMS component of claim 1, wherein the at least one conductive via is cylindrical. This limitation would read through [0012], wherein is disclosed the vias can be with any shape and very small with equivalent diameter down to 5 microns.
Claim 9. Gan disclose the MEMS component of claim 1, wherein the bottom planar cap is electrically coupled to the MEMS device. This limitation would read through [0021], wherein is disclosed On device wafer 40, device 41 is IC or MEMS device, which is electrically connected to pads 43 through interconnects 42.
Claim 10. Gan disclose the MEMS component of claim 1, wherein the glass cap is bonded to the glass substrate such that the MEMS device is hermetically sealed within a cavity (item 54, fig. 2, [0021]) formed between the glass substrate and the glass cap.
Claim 18. Gan disclose the method of claim 17, further comprising bonding the glass cap to the glass substrate such that the MEMS device is hermetically sealed within a cavity (item 54, fig. 2, [0021]) formed between the glass substrate and the glass cap.
Claim 19. Gan disclose the method of claim 17, further comprising electrically coupling the bottom planar cap to the MEMS device. This limitation would read through [0021], wherein is disclosed on device wafer 40, device 41 is IC or MEMS device, which is electrically connected to pads 43 through interconnects 42.
Claim 20. Gan disclose the method of claim 17, further comprising fabricating a top surface of the top planar cap to be substantially coplanar with a top surface of the glass cap, and a bottom surface of the bottom planar cap to be substantially coplanar with a bottom surface of the glass cap (as seen in the structure of fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 3-8, 21, 23 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.
(A) Claim 3, contains allowable subject matter because none of references of record teach or suggest, either singularly or in combination, at least the limitation of wherein the at least one conductive via comprises a metal conformal coating on an interior wall of a void through the glass cap, such that the conformal coating surrounds a remaining void.
(B) Claims 4-8, 21, are also allowable subject matter, as depend on claim 4.
(C) Claims 21 and 23, contain allowable subject matter because none of references of record teach or suggest, either singularly or in combination, at least the limitation of wherein the glass substrate is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, fused silica, silica glass, quartz, sodium-doped glass, and borosilicate glass.
5. Claims 11-16, 22 are allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
6. The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
7. Regarding claims 11-16, 22, the prior art failed to disclose or reasonably suggest a MEMS device disposed on the glass substrate; a glass cap disposed on the glass substrate, the glass cap having at least one electrically conductive via therethrough, the conductive via comprising:(i) a cylindrical void traversing the glass cap from a top surface of the glass cap to a bottom surface of the glass cap;(ii) a metal conformal coating disposed on an interior sidewall of the cylindrical void, the metal conformal coating having a top end at the top surface of the glass cap and a bottom end at the bottom surface of the glass cap;(iii) a flexible composite material disposed in the cylindrical void from the top surface of the glass cap to the bottom surface of the glass cap;(iv) a top planar cap coupled to the top end of the metal conformal coating; and (v) a bottom planar cap coupled to the bottom end of the metal conformal coating.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILNER JEAN BAPTISTE whose telephone number is (571)270-7394. The examiner can normally be reached M-T 8:00-6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dale Page can be reached at 571-270-7877. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/W.J/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /DALE E PAGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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