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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, claims 10-15, 21-27 in the reply filed on 4/13/26 is acknowledged. Claims 1-9 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 C.F.R. 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 09/29/25; 03/18/25; 05/8/24; 11/3/23 have been considered.
Oath/Declaration
Oath/Declaration filed on 11/3/23 has been considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 25 is 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 25 recites the limitation "the second semiconductor die" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 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.
Claim(s) 11-12, 14, 21-23, 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zanati et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2024/0224423).
Referring to figures 1-4, Zanati et al. teaches semiconductor device comprising:
a package substrate (240) including a waveguide (150/250) formed through the package substrate; and
a packaged radio frequency (RF) semiconductor device mounted on a first major side of the package substrate, the packaged RF semiconductor device comprising:
a semiconductor die (212/110/210/310), an encapsulant (205) encapsulating the semiconductor die, and a redistribution layer (RDL) (333/330) formed over an active side of the semiconductor die and a portion of the encapsulant, a signal launcher (120/235) formed from a conductive layer of the RDL and configured for propagation of an RF signal (333/334) through the waveguide (130/250/350, see figures 2-3).
Regarding to claim 11, an antenna (170/270/370) affixed on a second major side of the package substrate, the antenna (170/270/370) directly aligned with the waveguide (130/250/350, see figures 2-3).
Regarding to claim 12, a die pad (the contact between the bump 107) at the active side of the semiconductor die is interconnected to the signal launcher by way of the RDL (see figures 2-3).
Regarding to claim 14, a conductive lined cavity formed in the encapsulant and located directly below the signal launcher, the conductive cavity configured as a signal reflector (see paragraph# 33).
Regarding to claim 21, the waveguide formed through the package substrate is formed as an air-filled waveguide (seed paragraph# 33).
Regarding to claim 22, wherein sidewall surfaces of the waveguide are plated with a metal material to form a metal lining of the waveguide (see paragraph# 33).
Regarding to claim 23, the packaged RF semiconductor device is characterized as a launcher-in-package formed as a wafer-level package (see figures 2-3, paragraphs# 21, 34).
Regarding to claim 24, the package substrate is formed from a substrate-like PCB (SLP) substrate material (see figures 2-3, paragraphs# 21, 36).
Regarding to claim 26, the antenna (170/270/370) affixed on the second major side of the package substrate is characterized as a slot antenna (see figures 2-3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13, 15 and 27 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.
None of the reference teaches or suggests a semiconductor device having a signal path is formed from the die pad at the active side of the semiconductor die to the signal launcher of the RDL without any solder connections (in claim 13); a second semiconductor die mounted on the second major side of the package substrate, the second semiconductor die interconnected with the packaged RF semiconductor device by way of the package substrate (in claim 15); the die pad is interconnected to the signal launcher by way of the RDL without any solder connections (in claim 27).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thanh Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1695, or by Email via address Thanh.Nguyen@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 6:00AM to 3:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Yara Green, can be reached on (571) 270-3035. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
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/THANH T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2893
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