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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention of Group II, Embodiment 4, Claims 1-4, 6, 8-14, 21-23 and 25-26 in the reply filed on 06/22/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 5, 7, 24, and 22 (which does not belong to the elected Embodiment 4) are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/22/2026.
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, 21, 23, and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Karhade et al. (US 2023/0092821).
Regarding claim 1, Karhade et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 1-, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:
bonding a first die (102) and a second die (202) to a third die (124, [0069], package substrate 124 comprises passive components), the first die comprising a first optical device (photonic, [0054]);
encapsulating the first die and the second die with an encapsulant (133); and
bonding a bridge (104-2) to the first die and the second die on an opposite side from the third die, wherein an optical component (137, [0054]) of the bridge is aligned to transmit and receive optical signals to and from the first optical device.
Regarding claim 21, Karhade et al. discloses, as shown in Figures 1-, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:
encapsulating (133) a first die (102) with a second die (202); and
bonding a bridge (104-2) to both the first die and the second die, the bridge comprising:
an electrical connection (through die 114) between the first die and the second die; and
a first optical component (137, [0054]) aligned with a second optical component (photonic) of the first die ([0054]).
Regarding claim 23, Karhade et al. discloses after the bonding the first optical component optically connects the first die to a third die (114).
Regarding claim 26, Karhade et al. discloses the first die is a die-to-die die (connection between die 102 and die 114).
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karhade et al. (US 2023/0092821).
Karhade et al. discloses the method further comprising encapsulating a fourth die with the firt die, the second die, and the third die. Karhade et al. does not disclose the second die comprise a second optical device. However, Karhade et al. discloses that the device might integrate a multi dies into it. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to integrate the second die of Karhade et al. comprising a optical device, in order to integrate a multi dies to perform the desired function.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 6, and 25 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.
Claims 8-14 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Applicant' s claims 3-4, 6, 8-14, and 25 are allowable over the references of record because none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed method comprising, after the bonding the bridge the optical component of the bridge is aligned to transmit and receive optical signals to and from the second optical device, as recited in claim 3; none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed method wherein the bridge comprises one or more recesses separated by one or more micropillars, as recited in claim 6; none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed method wherein the bridge comprises one or more cavities separated by one or more micropillars, as recited in claim 25; none of these references disclose or can be combined to yield the claimed method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising forming a first optical component in a recess of a substrate, encapsulating the first die and the second die after the bonding, and singulating the semiconductor die, wherein a second optical component within the firs die is aligned with the first optical component, in combination with the remaining claimed limitations of claim 8.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG K VU whose telephone number is (571)272-1666. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 7am - 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JACOB CHOI can be reached at (469) 295-9060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HUNG K VU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2897
Prosecution Insights