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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 04/17/2025 and 03/15/2024 have been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 03/15/2024 are acceptable.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure and the specification filed on 03/15/2024 are acceptable.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Tung (US 2022/0199428).
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Regarding claim 1, Tung (US 2022/0199428) discloses:
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor package, comprising: providing a first die (120, ¶0017) having opposing top surface and bottom surface;
forming a plurality of first conductive bumps (130, ¶0017) on the top surface of the first die (120), wherein the first conductive bumps (130) are electrically connected to the first die (¶0017);
adhering the first die to a heat spreader (150, ¶0023);
forming a molding layer (170, ¶0024) on the heat spreader to cover the first conductive bumps (130) and the first die (120);
grinding the molding layer (¶0026) to expose the first conductive bumps (130); and
forming a redistribution layer (110, ¶0022) on the molding layer (170, ¶0026) to electrically connect to the first conductive bumps (130).
Regarding claim 6, Tung further discloses:
wherein the first conductive bumps are formed on the first die by a bumping process (¶0017).
Regarding claim 8, Tung discloses:
A semiconductor package, comprising:
a heat spreader (150);
a first die (120) disposed on the heat spreader (150), the first die having opposing top surface and bottom surface;
a plurality of first conductive bumps (130) disposed on the top surface of the first die, wherein the first conductive bumps are electrically connected to the first die (120);
a molding layer (170) formed on the heat spreader (170) to cover the top surface of the first die (120) and expose the first conductive bumps (130); and
a redistribution layer (110) disposed on the molding layer (170) to electrically connect to the first conductive bumps (130, ¶0017).
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(s) 2, 3, 9, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tung.
Regarding claim 2, Tung does not disclose “a second die having opposing top surface and bottom surface; forming a plurality of second conductive bumps on the top surface of the second die, wherein the second conductive bumps are electrically connected to the second die; adhering the second die to the heat spreader; covering the second conductive bumps and the second die with the molding layer; exposing the second conductive bumps from the molding layer; and electrically connecting the redistribution layer to the second conductive bumps”. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to duplicate a semiconductor package as claimed since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art and has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. In reHarza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378.
Regarding claim 9, Tung does not disclose “a second die disposed on the heat spreader, the second die having opposing top surface and bottom surface; and a plurality of second conductive bumps disposed on the top surface of the second die, wherein the second conductive bumps are electrically connected to the second die; wherein the molding layer further covers the top surface of the second die and exposes the second conductive bumps; and the redistribution layer is further electrically connected to the second conductive bumps”.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to duplicate a semiconductor package as claimed since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art and has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. In reHarza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378.
Regarding claims 3 and 10, Tung does not disclose “wherein the heat spreader is a lead frame”. However, it has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex Parte Masham, 2 USPQ F.2d 1647 (1987). Therefore, as Tung teaches the claimed structure, the limitation is met.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5 and 7 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.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art does not disclose “4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first conductive bumps are formed on the first die by a wire bonding process using one of gold wires, copper wires and alloy wires” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art does not disclose “wherein the first die is adhered to the heat spreader after the first conductive bumps are formed on the first die” in combination with the remaining claimed features.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM A HARRISTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3897. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 9AM-5PM.
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/WILLIAM A HARRISTON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2899
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