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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8, 12, 14-18, and 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yangtze Memory Technologies Ltd., CN 11-5241180.
Yangtze Memory Technologies Ltd. shows the invention as claimed including a device, comprising:
A first semiconductor structure 10 bonded to a second semiconductor structure 20; and
A plurality of metal pads (1021, 1022, 2021, 2022) at an interface portion between the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure;
Wherein the plurality of metal pads are disposed in silicon nitride high-K dielectric layer 142 which has a known dielectric constant of 7.5; and
Wherein the plurality of metal pads and the high-K dielectric layer comprise at least one capacitor (see figs. 6-8 and their description in machine translation).
Regarding dependent claim 2, note that Yangtze also discloses wherein the first semiconductor structure is hybrid bonded to the second semiconductor structure (see fig. 4 and its description in machine translation).
Concerning dependent claims 3 and 16, note that in Yangtze the first semiconductor structure comprises a first metal layer connected to at least a first voltage source; a first subset of the plurality of metal pads is connected to the first metal layer; and a second subset of the plurality of metal pads is electrically isolated from the first metal layer (see fig.8 and its description in machine translation).
With respect to dependent claims 4 and 17, note that Yangtze discloses wherein the second semiconductor structure comprises a second metal layer connected to at least a second voltage source; the first subset of the plurality of metal pads is connected to the first metal layer; and the second subset of the plurality of metal pads is connected to the second metal layer (again see fig. 8 and its description).
As to dependent claims 5 and 18, note that in Yangtze respective ones of the metal pads in the first subset of the plurality of metal pads are disposed in an alternating configuration with respective ones of metal pads in the second subset of the plurality of metal pads (see fig. 8).
As to dependent claims 6 and 14, note that Yangtze discloses wherein some of the metal pads are dummy pads and therefore are floating since they are not connected to a voltage source (see, for example, fig. 4 and its description in machine translation).
Concerning dependent claims 8 and 21, note that Yangtze discloses a device further comprising:
A second plurality of metal pads/structures (for example, 2021, 2022---see, for example, figs. 7-9) at a second interface portion between the first semiconductor structure and the semiconductor structure; wherein the second plurality of metal pads/structures are disposed in a second high K dielectric layer; and wherein the second plurality of metal pads/structures and the second high K dielectric layer comprise at least one other capacitor.
As to independent claim 12, Yangtze shows the invention as claimed including a device, comprising:
A first semiconductor die 10 comprising a first plurality of metal pads (1021,1022) disposed in a first high-K dielectric layer 142; and
A second semiconductor die 20 comprising a second plurality of metal pads (2021,2022) disposed in a second high-K dielectric layer; wherein the first semiconductor die is bonded to the second semiconductor die through a bonding layer 142;
Wherein respective ones of the first plurality of metal pads are aligned with respective ones of the second plurality of metal pads; and
Wherein the first and second plurality of metal pads and the first and second high-K dielectric layers form at least one capacitor (see figs. 4 and 6-8 and corresponding machine translation).
With respect to independent claim 15, note that Yangtze shows the invention as claimed including an apparatus, comprising:
Two or more semiconductor dies (10 and 20) hybrid bonded together (see fig. 4 and its description in the machine translation); and
A plurality of metal structures (1021, 1022, 2021, 2022) at an interface portion between a first semiconductor die of the two or more semiconductor dies and a second semiconductor die of the two or more semiconductor dies;
Wherein the plurality of metal structures are disposed in at least one high-K dielectric layer (for example, 142); and
Wherein the plurality of metal structures and the at least one high-K dielectric layer comprise at least one capacitor (see figs. 4 and 6-8 and corresponding machine translation).
As to independent claim 20, note that Yangtze shows the invention as claimed including an apparatus, comprising:
A first semiconductor structure 10 disposed on top of and facing a second semiconductor structure 20, wherein the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure are bonded to each other; and
A plurality of metal structures (1021, 1022, 2021, 2022) spanning an interface portion between the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure;
Wherein the plurality of metal structures are disposed in at least one high-K dielectric layer (for example, 142); and wherein the plurality of metal structures and the at least one high-K dielectric layer comprise at least one capacitor (see figs. 4 and 6-8 and corresponding machine translation).
Concerning dependent claim 21, note that Yangtze discloses: a second plurality of metal structures spanning a second interface portion between the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure; wherein the second plurality of metal structures are disposed in at least one second high-K dielectric layer; and wherein the second plurality of metal structures and the at least one second high-K dielectric layer comprise at least one capacitor.
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.
Claim(s) 9-11 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yangtze Memory Technologies Ltd., CN 11-5241180.
Concerning dependent claims 9-10 and 22, Yangtze Memory Technologies Ltd. is applied as above but does not expressly disclose wherein the at least one capacitor and the at least one other capacitor are connected in series or parallel. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to connect the capacitors in either series or parallel configuration depending upon the particular desired circuit design and such limitation would not lend patentability to the instant invention absent a showing of unexpected results.
As to dependent claim 11, note from the machine translation that the bonding layer can include a low K dielectric but does not expressly disclose the metal pads/signal lines disposed in the low K dielectric layer. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use low K dielectrics around the signal pads for reduced signal distortion at the interface.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 13, and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art, either singly or in combination, fails to anticipate or render obvious, the limitations of: wherein the high-K dielectric layer comprises at least two high-K dielectric materials that are different from each other, as required by dependent claims 7, 13, and 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2013/0307165 discloses a semiconductor bonding configuration and US 2017/0194291 discloses the bonding of substrates that can include capacitors (see paragraph 0019).
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/RICHARD A BOOTH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2812
June 6, 2026
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