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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/18/2025 and 06/26/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species 1 (claims 1-15 and newly added claims 21-25) in the reply filed on 03/27/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 16-20 are withdrawn and cancelled by applicant from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/27/2026.
Claims 6-8 and 13 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant noted claims 6-8 and 13 are included in the elected species, however, claims 6-8 and 13 require a second buffer layer/second polymer layer which is only described with respect to species 4-12. Therefore, claims 6-8 and 13 are withdrawn.
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 Objections
Claims 22-25 objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation "the device of claim" should read "the package of claim". Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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.
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.
Claims 1-5, 21, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US Publication 20180366437).
Regarding independent claim 1, Chen teaches a device (paragraph 0053) comprising:
a package component (fig. 13, 20A and 20B) comprising an interconnect structure (24A and 24B) on a first side of a substrate (12);
a plurality of metal pads (62) on the interconnect structure;
a semiconductor die (56 and 58) connected to a second side of the substrate;
a dielectric material (40, paragraph 0028) surrounding the package component;
a passivation layer (66) extending over the package component and over the dielectric material;
a first buffer layer (80) over the passivation layer, wherein the first buffer layer extends over the package component and over the dielectric material (fig. 13), wherein a width of the first buffer layer is greater than a width of the package component and is less than a width of the passivation layer (figs. 11 and 13, total width of 66 is greater than width of 20A and 20B but less than total width of 80 since contact hole in 80 is smaller than contact hole in 66); and
a plurality of conductive connectors (fig. 13, 84, 68, and 70 make up one conductive connector) penetrating the passivation layer and the first buffer layer to physically contact the plurality of metal pads.
Regarding dependent claim 2, Chen teaches the device of claim 1, wherein the first buffer layer physically contacts the plurality of metal pads (fig. 13).
Regarding dependent claim 3, Chen teaches the device of claim 1, wherein top surfaces of the dielectric material and the package component are planar (fig. 13).
Regarding dependent claim 4, Chen teaches the device of claim 1, wherein the first buffer layer comprises one of polyimide, polybenzoxazole (PBO), or benzocyclobutene (BCB) (paragraph 0048, “layer 80 may be formed of polyimide, PBO, BCB, or the like”).
Regarding dependent claim 5, Chen teaches the device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first buffer layer over the dielectric material is sloped (fig. 13).
Regarding independent claim 21, Chen teaches a package (fig. 13, 78) comprising:
a semiconductor die (22A) attached to a package component (20A), wherein the package component comprises a metal pad (62);
an insulating material (40) encapsulating the package component;
a passivation layer (66) extending on surfaces of the package component and the insulating material, wherein the passivation layer extends over the metal pad (fig. 13), wherein a surface of the passivation layer over the insulating material is exposed (fig. 13);
a buffer layer (80) extending over the passivation layer, wherein a portion of the buffer layer extends continuously from the metal pad to the exposed surface of the passivation layer (fig. 13); and
a conductive connector (84, 68, and 72) on the metal pad, wherein the conductive connector protrudes through the passivation layer and the buffer layer (fig. 13).
Regarding dependent claim 25, Chen teaches the device of claim 21, wherein the conductive connector extends on a top surface of the buffer layer (fig. 13).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Chao et al. (US Publication 20230063726).
Regarding dependent claim 9, Chen teaches the device of claim 1.
Chen does not teach wherein the first buffer layer has a thickness in the range of 3 µm to 10 µm.
Chao teaches wherein the first buffer layer has a thickness in the range of 3 µm to 10 µm (paragraph 0017, “major thickness T1/T2/T3 of each of the protective layers 140, 150, 160 may range from 1 μm to 20 μm”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the device of Chen and the buffer layer thickness of Chao in order to reveal a portion of each of the conductive pads (Chao paragraph 0013). In the case where the claimed ranges “overlap or lie inside ranges disclosed by the prior art” a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Wertheim, 541 F.2d 257, 191 USPQ 90 (CCPA 1976); In re Woodruff, 919 F.2d 1575, 16 USPQ2d 1934 (Fed. Cir. 1990).
Claims 10-15 and 22-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Tai et al. (US Publication 20230266528).
Regarding independent claim 10, Chen teaches a structure (fig. 13, 78) comprising:
a first integrated circuit die (20A) comprising a plurality of conductive pads (32A);
a gap-filling material (40) covering a sidewall of the first integrated circuit die.
Chen does not teach a first polymer layer extending over top surfaces of the first integrated circuit die and the gap-filling material, wherein the first polymer layer physically contacts the plurality of conductive pads, wherein a sidewall of the first polymer layer is recessed from a sidewall of the gap-filling material; and a plurality of conductive features extending through the first polymer layer to physically contact the plurality of conductive pads.
Tai teaches a first polymer layer (fig. 33, 122) extending over top surfaces of the first integrated circuit die (50D) and the gap-filling material (120), wherein the first polymer layer physically contacts the plurality of conductive pads (fig. 27, 66), wherein a sidewall of the first polymer layer is recessed from a sidewall of the gap-filling material (fig. 33); and
a plurality of conductive features (fig. 33, 138 and 150) extending through the first polymer layer to physically contact the plurality of conductive pads.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the structure of Chen and the first polymer layer of Tai in order to expose the grating coupler of the integrated circuit die (Tai paragraph 0057).
Regarding dependent claim 11, Chen in view of Tai teaches the structure of claim 10.
Chen in view of Tai does not explicitly teach wherein the sidewall of the first polymer layer is recessed from the sidewall of the gap-filling material by a distance in the range of 0.1 µm to 5 µm, however, Tai discloses “the redistribution structure 122 is patterned to form an opening 304” (paragraph 0087), and fig. 33 of Tai discloses the sidewall of the first polymer layer to be recess from the sidewall of the gap-filling material.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to set the distance between the sidewall of the first polymer layer and the sidewall of the gap-filling material to the specified range per the reason(s) stated above in claim 10, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding dependent claim 12, Tai further teaches the structure of claim 10, wherein the sidewall of the first polymer layer is sloped at an angle that is less than 90⁰ (fig.33, sidewall of 122 created by hole 304 is less than 90 degrees).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the structure of Chen and the sidewall of Tai per the reason(s) stated above in claim 10.
Regarding dependent claim 14, Tai further teaches the structure of claim 10, wherein a bottom edge of the sidewall of the first polymer layer is over the gap-filling material (fig. 33, bottom edge of sidewall of 122 is over 120).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the structure of Chen and the sidewall of Tai per the reason(s) stated above in claim 10.
Regarding dependent claim 15, Tai further teaches the structure of claim 10, wherein a top edge of the sidewall of the first polymer layer is over the first integrated circuit die (fig. 33, top edge of sidewall of 122 is over 50D).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the structure of Chen and the sidewall of Tai per the reason(s) stated above in claim 10.
Regarding dependent claim 22, Chen teaches the device of claim 21.
Chen does not teach wherein a sloped surface of the buffer layer extends beyond a sidewall of the package component.
Tai teaches wherein a sloped surface of the buffer layer extends beyond a sidewall of the package component (fig. 33, sloped surface of 122 extends beyond edge of 50D).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the package of Chen and the sloped surface of Tai in order to expose the grating coupler of the integrated circuit die (Tai paragraph 0057).
Regarding dependent claim 23, Chen teaches the device of claim 21.
Chen does not teach wherein a first thickness of the buffer layer over the insulating material is smaller than a second thickness of the buffer layer over the package component.
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Tai teaches wherein a first thickness of the buffer layer over the insulating material is smaller than a second thickness of the buffer layer over the package component (see figure below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the package of Chen and the buffer layer thicknesses of Tai in order to expose the grating coupler of the integrated circuit die (Tai paragraph 0057).
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Regarding dependent claim 24, Chen further teaches the device of claim 23, wherein a third thickness of the buffer layer over a sidewall of the package component is smaller than the second thickness and larger than the first thickness (see figure below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the package of Chen and the sloped surface of Tai per the reason(s) stated above in claim 23.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GRACE Y CHA whose telephone number is (703)756-5393. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and every other Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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/GRACE CHA/Examiner, Art Unit 2897
/JACOB Y CHOI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2897
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