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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/24/2023 in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 8 reads as “which portion has the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation.” For examination purposes, line 8 will be interpreted to read as “the portion has the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation.”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claims 1-5, 7-14; and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Minamio et al (US 2001/0007780 A1, hereafter Minamio).
Re claim 1, Minamio discloses in FIG. 1(a) (with references to FIGS. 9(a)-9(b)) package (power QFN package; [0072]), comprising:
a carrier (2; [0074]) having a front side (top) and a back side (bottom);
an electronic component (4; [0071] and [0074]) mounted on the front side (top) of the carrier (2); and
an encapsulant (6; [0072]) at least partially encapsulating the electronic component (4) and partially encapsulating the carrier (2) so that the back side (bottom) is at least partially exposed with respect to the encapsulant (6); and
wherein the back side (bottom) of the carrier (2) has at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12; [0079]) for enhancing vacuum suction ([0105]) of the carrier (2) during encapsulation (resin molding; [0105]).
Re claim 2, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) is configured for enhancing flatness (by downward pressure; [0105]) of the carrier (2) during vacuum suction (as in FIG. 9(b); [0108]).
Re claim 3, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) is configured for inhibiting a flow (resin burr; [0081]) of encapsulant (6) during encapsulation (resin molding) to the at least partially exposed back side (bottom).
Re claims 4-5, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) comprises a, for example circumferentially closed, groove (12 in FIG. 2; [0073] and [0079]); and wherein the groove (12) is rectangular (quasi-square; [0079]), circular (as in 12b in FIG. 12b; [0127]) or oval.
Re claim 7, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 4, wherein the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) comprises at least one interior indentation (2a; [0075] and [0077]) in an interior (FIG. 2) of the circumferentially closed groove (quasi-square).
Re claims 8-9, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) comprises at least one continuous two-dimensional cavity (2a) and/or at least one ring-shaped cavity (12); and wherein the continuous two-dimensional cavity (2a) is rectangular, circular (FIG. 2) or oval.
Re claim 10, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the
encapsulant (6) and the carrier (2) together delimit (define) the entire exterior surface
(outermost limits) of the package (power QFN package).
Re claim 11, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the electronic component (4) is a power semiconductor chip ([0071] and [0156]).
Re claims 12-13, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, configured as tie bar-less package (as in FIG. 3(a); [0087]-[0088]); and wherein the carrier (2) is a leadframe structure ([0088]).
Re claim 14, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the carrier (2) comprises a die paddle (structure 2/13; [0075]), on which the electronic component (4) is mounted and which has the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12), and comprises at least one lead (3; [0075]).
Re claim 17, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1, wherein the front side (top) of the carrier (2) is flat (at 2a).
Re claim 18, Minamio discloses in FIGS. 3(a)-9(b) a method of manufacturing a package, wherein the method comprises:
providing a carrier (2 in FIG. 5; [0094]) having a front side (top) and a back side (bottom);
mounting an electronic component (4 in FIG. 5; [0071] and [0094]) on the front side (top) of the carrier (2);
at least partially encapsulating (resin molding in FIG. 8; [0099]) the electronic component (4) and partially encapsulating (resin molding in FIG. 8; [0099]) the carrier (2) by an encapsulant (6; [0099]) so that the back side (bottom) is at least partially exposed with respect to the encapsulant (6); and
applying a vacuum suction force (in FIG. 9(b); [0108]-[0115]) to the back side (bottom) of the carrier (2) during the encapsulating (resin molding), wherein the back side (bottom) of the carrier (2) has at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12; [0092]) for enhancing vacuum suction ([0105]) of the carrier (2).
Re claim 19, Minamio disclose the method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprises forming the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) by at least one of the group consisting of coining (pressworking; [0092]), mechanical abrasion, and etching.
Re claim 20, Minamio discloses the method according to claim 18, comprising at least one of the following features:
wherein the method comprises placing the back side (bottom) of the carrier (20) on a bottom (51a; [0108]) of an encapsulation tool (51; [0108]) and pulling the carrier (2) towards the bottom (51a) by applying the vacuum suction force through (53; [0108]) the bottom (51a) of the encapsulation tool (51) during encapsulating (resin molding); and
wherein the method comprises placing at least one vacuum suction opening of an encapsulation tool onto a portion of the back side of the carrier during encapsulating, the portion has the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 6 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minamio in view of Yutani et al (JP 2013258348 A-IDS prior art: translation provided).
Re claims 6; and 15, Minamio discloses the package according to claims 4; and 1.
But, fails to disclose wherein the groove (12) has a width in a range from 50 µm to 200 µm, in particular from 70 µm to 150 µm; and wherein a depth of the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (12) is in a range from 5 um to 100 µm, in particular in a range from 10 µm to 30 µm.
However,
Yutani discloses in FIG. 8 a package comprising wherein at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation groove (D1e; [0031]) has a width (w2; [0031]) in a range from 50 µm to 200 µm (0.15 mm; [0031]), in particular from 70 µm to 150 µm (0.15 mm; [0031]); and wherein a depth of the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation (D1e) is in a range from 5 um to 100 µm (0.01 to 0. 025 mm; [0031]), in particular in a range from 10 µm to 30 µm (0.01 to 0. 025 mm; [0031]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Minamio by using the groove width and depth of Yutani of 0.15 mm and 0.01 to 0. 025 mm, such that the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation groove has a width in a range from 50 µm to 200 µm, in particular from 70 µm to 150 µm; and wherein a depth of the at least one vacuum suction enhancing indentation is in a range from 5 um to 100 µm, in particular in a range from 10 µm to 30 µm, to increase the volume available vacuum suction enhancement, leading to the reduction resin burrs.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minamio in view of Strutz et al (US 2017/0062312 A1, hereafter Strutz).
Re claim 16, Minamio discloses the package according to claim 1.
But, fails to disclose wherein a thickness of the carrier (2) is in a range from 200 µm to 1200 µm, in particular in a range from 500 µm to 900 um.
However,
Strutz discloses in FIG. 3 a package comprising wherein a thickness of a carrier (110A; [0030]) is in a range from 200 µm to 1200 µm (greater than or equal to 100-500 µm; [0050]), in particular in a range from 500 µm to 900 µm (greater than or equal to 100-500 µm; [0050]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the structure of Minamio by using the carrier thickness of Strutz, wherein a thickness of a carrier is in a range from 200 µm to 1200 µm, in particular in a range from 500 µm to 900 µm, for mechanical stability and electrical conductivity of this region are unimpaired and well defined (Strutz; [0047]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC W JONES whose telephone number is (408) 918-9765. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM PT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, N. Drew Richards can be reached at (571) 272-1736. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC W JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2892