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 species II, claims 1-8 and 11-20, in the reply filed on June 29, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 9 and 10 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on June 29, 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 25, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “power supply” and “load” (claim 8) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-8, 11-14, 17 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
i) Undefined acronyms/symbols, such as “TSV” (first occurrence: claim 1). The examiner suggests that applicant spell out all the acronyms/symbols when using them for the first time in the claim.
ii) “a ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material” should read “a ferromagnetic material or a ferrimagnetic material” (claims 11 and 17).
iii) “a” should be inserted before “current” (claim 20).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 13, 14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claimed limitation of “disposing the TSV into the substrate”, as recited in claim 13, is unclear as to which step is “disposing the TSV into the substrate” applicant refers; and as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “disposing the TSV extending through the insulating material and into the substrate”, as recited in claim 1.
The claimed limitation of “conformal plating”, as recited in claims 14 and 19, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “conformal plating”, as recited in claims 13 and 18, respectively.
The claimed limitation of “bottom-up fill plating”, as recited in claims 14 and 19, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “bottom-up fill plating”, as recited in claims 13 and 18, respectively.
The claimed limitation of “a second material”, as recited in claim 19, line 5, is unclear as to whether said limitation is the same as or different from “a second material”, as recited in claim 19, line 2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 and 11-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art of record does not teach or suggest, singularly or in combination, at least the limitations of “disposing a first substantially helical conductor in the insulating material; and disposing a TSV extending through the insulating material and into the substrate, the TSV surrounded by the first substantially helical conductor”, as recited in claim 1; “disposing a first substantially helical conductor in the insulating material; disposing a second substantially helical conductor in the insulating material; creating an opening extending through the insulating material and into the substrate, the opening surrounded by the first substantially helical conductor and the second substantially helical conductor; and disposing at least one conductive material in the opening to implement a TSV”, as recited in claim 15; and “disposing a first substantially helical conductor in the insulating material; disposing a second substantially helical conductor in the insulating material; disposing a TSV extending through the insulating material and into the substrate, the TSV surrounded by the first substantially helical conductor”, as recited in claim 20.
Claims 13, 14 and 19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ref's A-D are cited as being related to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MEIYA LI whose telephone number is (571)270-1572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7AM-3PM.
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, LYNNE GURLEY can be reached at (571)272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MEIYA LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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